Politics

Outpost of Empire: The Far Right in New Zealand Up to the 1920s

Posted 11:40am Sunday 9th April 2017 by Tyler West

For the most part, New Zealand has missed the kinds of ultra-reactionary mass movements that typified fascist, and otherwise hardline nationalist, politics during periods of crisis in other countries. Classical fascist movements, or contemporary populist chauvinism (such as, say, Read more...

Paris Climate Agreement’s Aims Undermined by Trump

Posted 11:30am Sunday 2nd April 2017 by George Elliott

Last week US President Donald Trump followed through on promises to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s environmental regulations, prompting an existential crisis for global efforts to cut pollution. Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing the Environmental Protection Agency Read more...

The New Language of Racism and Othering

Posted 11:27am Sunday 2nd April 2017 by Kirio Birks

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Things You Aren’t Allowed to Say in NZ Parliament

Posted 11:58am Sunday 26th March 2017 by Joel MacManus

Debate in the chambers of parliament can, and should, be heated and intense. But the Speaker of the House must maintain order, and does so by ruling on what language is appropriate. ‘Unparliamentary Language’ means any insults, unbecoming language, or accusations of Read more...

Hager/Stephenson Book & Fallout Shows Need for Independent Inquiry into SAS Raid

Posted 11:46am Sunday 26th March 2017 by George Elliott

Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson, two of New Zealand’s most renowned investigate journalists, claim that a 2010 NZSAS-led raid in Afghanistan killed six civilians and injured 15 more – contrary to the official story. The allegation is made in a book titled Hit and Run: The New Zealand Read more...

Media Displays Frenzied Yearning for a Trump Tax Return Silver Bullet

Posted 11:42am Sunday 19th March 2017 by George Elliott

I witnessed something fascinating last Wednesday. Rachel Maddow, one of the most well-known liberal prime-time television hosts in the United States, tweeted “BREAKING: We’ve got Trump tax returns. Tonight, 9pm ET. MSNBC. (Seriously).” Her colleague, Lawrence O’Donnell, Read more...

One Nation Are Growing Despite Weak WA Results

Posted 11:29am Sunday 19th March 2017 by Tyler West

The recent state election in Western Australia (WA) has swept a new Labour government under Mark McGowan to power, ousting two-term Liberal Premier Colin Barnett. As of writing, Labour is resting on 38 seats in the 59-seat legislative assembly, set to rise as high as 41. It’s one of the Read more...

Trump Faces Immediate Challenges, Has No Strategy as Rivals Race Towards ISIL Capital

Posted 12:08pm Sunday 12th March 2017 by George Elliott

Fighters belonging to the most important players in the Syrian civil war converged on the small Syrian city of Manbij last week, illustrating the complexity of a conflict which will be six years old on March 15 and reminding us that the Trump administration is yet to outline a coherent Read more...

PM’s Proposed Raise in Retirement Age Receives Little Cross-Party Fanfare

Posted 12:04pm Sunday 12th March 2017 by George Elliott

Prime Minister Bill English broke with his predecessor last week in a major policy shift, announcing a proposal to raise the age of eligibility for superannuation, New Zealand’s pension scheme, from 65 to 67 years old in the year 2037. English argues that this measure will cut costs for an Read more...

Critic Interviews Don Brash

Posted 12:01pm Sunday 12th March 2017 by Joe Higham

Don Brash is the former Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Leader of the Opposition, from 2003-2006 (National Party), and, for seven months in 2011, led the ACT party. His return to the political sphere comes as one of the two spokespeople for controversial political lobbying group Read more...