Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
The ACT Party’s “rejuvenation”.
For some reason, listening to the ACT Party leader John Banks spouting slogans on Focus on Politics prior to the Party’s Saturday conference in art lover Alan Gibbs’ barn, I thought of this surrealist painting. What hope has ACT got of “rejuvenation” with John Archibald Banks (66) as their leader? His kind of political pragmatism […]
Colin Craig: Getting ahead in politics by being polarising
Hmm. I’m not sure about the reliability of privately-funded political surveys (although National Party operative David Farrar may do quite well from them) but I notice this approach … The leaflet includes a survey of 2200 New Zealanders commissioned by Mr Craig which showed that 71 per cent of respondents felt MPs should consult their […]
We are ALL self-righteous hypocrites
So, I’ve finally found the space to read Jonathan Haidt’s masterpiece The Righteous Mind which was a much-appreciated Christmas gift. I’m enjoying it. Very persuasive. A slam in the early pages is this: “… the take home message of the book is ancient. It is the realisation we are all self-righteous hypocrites.” Well! OK then. […]
Did Tame Iti *really* ‘pose a risk to the community’?
From the NZ Herald today: Tuhoe activist Tame Iti … will be freed on bail in a little over a week’s time, having served nine months of a two-and-a-half year jail term. He and Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara were sentenced to two and half years in prison after being found guilty during a trial last year […]
An update on Michael Williams and the Howick Local Board
For those interested, a move to get the Howick Local Board to even discuss the pending drink-driving and related charges against the Board’s chairman Michael Williams FAILED at last night’s Board meeting. As previewed in the Howick Pakuranga Times (Challenge to chairman to stand aside), board member Lucy Schwaner attempted to raise as Extraordinary Business […]
Cycling John Key
From the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Twitter stream: @johnkeypm: I rode the Queenstown Trail today. It is part of the NZ Cycle Trail Network. http://t.co/8pg3gMgU
Who do politicians think they actually work for?
Read today’s editorial in the NZ Herald about the Official Information Act … and ask yourself. The Minister of Justice, Judith Collins, wants MPs to remain in total control of their own information. The Government’s response to the report has shamefully and summarily dismissed opening Parliament to the act. “The government does not agree with the Law […]
Judith Collins “breaching natural justice” in Bain case
Yeah, I thought it would come to this. Bain takes High Court action against Collins – NZ Herald David Bain has filed a High Court claim against Justice Minister Judith Collins seeking a judicial review of her actions since she received the Justice Binnie report last August. The claim includes allegations Ms Collins has breached […]
What I didn’t say at the Howick Local Board last night
I’ve received a number of kind and gratifying comments about my brief presentation at the Howick Local Board public forum last night (see Bunfight at Howick Local Board). Thank you. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Cameron Slater was live-tweeting the event, and these popped up on my phone after I spoke … […]
Bunfight at Howick Local Board
Every now and then I feel the urge to participate in local politics, sadly usually from a sense of disquiet about how some of our elected officials are running the borough. (See: Why do you think we call it a struggle? for some background.) Tonight was a special meeting of the Howick Local Board (costing […]
No Death Star under Obama
The White House has published a nice tongue-in-cheek response to a petition for the US Government to build a Death Star, specifically: Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016. Here’s the response: This Isn’t the Petition Response You’re Looking For By Paul Shawcross The Administration shares your desire for […]
Insane
Hostage Taking Not Like Regular Negotiating By Jonathan Chait NYMag.com Worth a read, not least for the refreshing line: This is completely insane. The two parties disagree about the appropriate size and scope of the federal government. They don’t disagree about the debt ceiling.
Placing conscience above career
I’ve written before about my disappointment with the Obama administration’s persecution of whistleblowers … in direct contradiction to 2008 candidate Obama’s statements about the matter. This article A whistleblower salutes Bradley Manning by Thomas Andrews Drake writing at Politico is a worthwhile read, suggesting as he does that Bradley Manning’s actions in exposing ‘the dark […]
