Jacinda’s Legacy: The Good, the Bad and the really really ugly

16 days ago The Daily Blog

Trying to unpack the youngest Prime Minister who was the first to give birth while in the role, a Prime Minister who is lauded overseas and threaten at home. Every women who matters to me walks 2 inches taller with pride at Jacinda’s leadership. When Ardern became prime minister in October 2017, New Zealand’s annual GDP growth was a modest 3.0 per cent which ranked 19th in the OECD. …you can’t pretend that Jacinda didn’t have serious policy wins and strong results. A Prime Minister who reset leadership dynamics while juggling national emergencies with an emotional intelligence that will echo down the corridors of history.
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What should NZ do about Iran? Russia? China? Israel? Australia? America? UK? The Pacific?

What backlash it provokes and how China responds to any criticism of their Covid response are all very open questions. China, Russia and Iran are all highlighting the true fragility of Authoritarian regimes commanded by an undemocratic Autocrat. Does China respond to protests with an external military adventure aimed at taking some of the Island chains off Taiwan? Are going through the current power tug of war between America and China, will need more aid thanks to more catastrophic climate events. I never want to see a NZ military that raise its hand to attack, but we must have one that can raise its hand to defend.

27 days ago The Daily Blog

Time for a Change

A system which, by its peculiar nature, made such an outcome entirely predictableBack in the 1972, when the newly-elected Labour government’s election slogan had been “Time for a Change”, NZ Herald cartoonist, Minhinnick, greeted the result with a cartoon cynically rearranging the words to read “Change for a Time.” And given the nature of our political system, however contemptuous his cartoon was of the electorate’s decision, the cartoonist was absolutely right – it was “change for a time” – and isn’t that our problem? Another way to describe how our systems works is to say we are devouring our children’s tomorrows. Whatever, there has to be a better way and fundamental to finding that “Better Way” must be a frank and fair discussion about the purpose of society, a concept which the odious Margaret Thatcher, one of the architects of neo-liberalism, said doesn’t exist. Demeny’s motivation behind proposing such a system was to make the political system more responsive to the plight of those most adversely affected by it, but who had no voice. In the meantime we have lost someone who, despite herself being part of the system, deserved better than the vileness she was subjected to.

16 days ago The Daily Blog

Political Roundup: Labour shifts focus from Grey Lynn to West Auckland

Political Roundup: Labour shifts focus from Grey Lynn to West Auckland The days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. It was precisely what he needed to do.” Smart for Hipkins to focus on the economy Matthew Hooton writes in The Australian today that Hipkins is smart to focus Labour on the economy – it’s the overwhelming voting issue for 2023. And when the poll asked the public who they thought could best tackle inflation, 49 per cent chose National, with only 23 per cent favouring Labour. On the economy in general, National is favoured by 50 per cent, to Labour’s 27 per cent. TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com Labour desperately needs to turn around the perception that the party isn’t focused on economic issues during a recession.

16 days ago The Daily Blog

More Than One Way To Skin A Cat.

Senior executives, producers, journalists, technical staff and, seemingly, the entire workforce of the public broadcasters, subscribe to a single version of economic, political, social and cultural reality. Perhaps it is this complete indifference to the traditions of free inquiry and frank debate that enlivened the public broadcasters of yesteryear that explains the new entity. Committed to public service broadcasting, RNZ management and staff contrived to do more with less year after year. In the estimation of both the RNZ Board, and its CEO, the time had come for a mighty shake-up. Not to worry, there is always more than one way to skin a cat.

3 months ago The Daily Blog

David Seymour is a better person than his weird grudge with Golriz suggests

Because I am a political tragic, I was listening to this incident David is suddenly furious about and if I remember correctly Golriz was completely righteous for giving David shit! TDB Recommends NewzEngine.comGolriz escaped Iran and the mutation it deformed into thanks to the CIA coup and it is righteous that she leads this condemnation of Iran. David’s demand that Golriz submits to him before he allows the motion through is giving off a really weird vibe. You are many things David, spiteful ain’t one of them. Golriz is right, we should condemn Iran immediately.

3 months ago The Daily Blog

Much Worse Than It Looks

THE REID RESEARCH POLL is much worse than it looks. As the political rancour grows, the inclination of “mainstream” voters to “sit this one out” will grow along with it. Voters shut their doors against the unpleasantness and determine to have nothing to do with the extremists on both sides. That these changes – at least on the “transformational” scale suggested by the Prime Minister – have not eventuated, cannot help but contribute to a mood of disillusionment among “Jacinda’s” most loyal supporters. Small wonder New Zealanders feel disappointed, concerned, and angered by their Prime Minister.

3 months ago The Daily Blog

The Reserve Bank’s Manufactured Recession: Political Winners, Losers and Predictions

There are predictably political winners and losers of this manufactured recession. Mental Health – Economic recession and job loss is going to cause an enormous demand upon a mental health system that is already failing. It was right for Grant to do that, but the economic ramifications and the property bubble it generated have a political price. Despite the recession and Labour’s woeful delivery, National still can’t capture any real support for their own totally rudderless economic vision. This will quickly feel like a crisis and the political question then becomes what do you as a voter feel.

2 months ago The Daily Blog

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