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Most Recent Blogs

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NZ’s cowardly apology to Israel over settlements

When challenged directly on Morning Report, Brownlee wouldn’t criticise Israel’s settlement building policy, saying it was a matter for the parties concerned. Why bother to have a foreign policy if everything is just a matter for the parties concerned – despite, in this case, one having all the power over the other. The theft of Palestinian land is backed by Israel’s huge military machine.

A fairer electoral system would have helped UK Labour to power

UK Labour did fantastically well in Thursday’s general election, despite Jeremy Corbyn being painted as an “unelectable” leftist by the media commentariat – and even by most of his Labour colleagues. Labour’s advance was not really a surprise. As I wrote in my Daily Blog post a year and a half ago, Corbyn’s “Keynesian policies are considerably more popular than the austerity championed by Cameron and the Labour right.”

Criminalising thoughts not the way to combat terrorism

Theresa May’s “enough is enough” declaration was splashed across the front pages of the British dailies after the latest shocking terrorist attack. “Enough is enough” is a sentiment that resonates with the public, but many Britons are concerned about the new counter-terrorism measures the British PM is proposing.

Could British Columbia now get proportional representation?

Electoral reform is not easy. It’s 24 years since New Zealand voted for MMP yet the four other “anglosphere” countries (UK, US, Australia and Canada) remain mired in First-Past-the-Post voting for their lower houses.

Three strikes and Minister Brownlee should be out

In twelve days Gerry Brownlee has shown why he should never have been appointed Foreign Minister.

Spying on Japan is hardly in New Zealand’s interests

New Zealand’s reputation in Japan has been damaged by revelations that our GCSB has been spying on its government communications. “New Zealand spied on Japan to help US at 2007 whaling confab” read the 26 April headline in the Japan Times.

Novel art trail and auction for asylum seekers

Today (April 22) marks the beginning of a novel online art auction to raise funds for the Asylum Seekers Support Trust, which runs an Auckland hostel for asylum seekers.

The ugly side of win-at-all-costs sport

The Warriors rugby league club is to be commended for helping one of its star players, Kieran Foran, through his mental health problems. Foran has been frank about his gambling addiction and his suicidal feelings.

Why Bill English is wrong to support Trump’s air strike on Syria

The rapidity with which Bill English fell in behind Trump’s unilateral strike on Syria shows how little the NZ government values the UN Security Council, despite just having completed two years on it. New Zealand sidelined the Security Council and supported a US strike contravening the UN Charter. Article 51 of the Charter allows one nation to strike another only in “self-defence”. America wasn’t being attacked by Syria.