More than a quarter of New Zealanders now feel alienated from the political system, and nearly half want it fundamentally changed. The usual explanation points to economic reform, but that misses the deeper issue. New Zealand changed its political system in the 1990s, promising greater representation and trust. If alienation is rising despite that, it is time to ask whether MMP has delivered on its core promise — and whether it is time to revisit the choice.
America broke up with New Zealand years ago – we just seem not to have noticed
New Zealand’s foreign policy debate is asking the wrong question. The issue is not whether it is time to “break up” with America, but whether we have noticed that the relationship, in its old form, ended long ago. For decades, we have mistaken rhetoric for strategy and independence for capability. The result is a country that speaks loudly but carries little weight — and is increasingly treated accordingly by those who matter most.
Thinking Small Is How You Stay Small
<A response to Brian Easton’s post “It Aint Easy Being Small” on Point of Order> Brian Easton is right about one thing: New Zealand is small. Where he goes wrong—consistently, and consequentially—is in treating smallness as a justification for lower ambition, weaker competition, and heavier regulation. Smallness does not doom a country to mediocrity. Some of […]
Stemming the tide of alarm over rising water levels
Letter to the Editor, Sydney Morning Herald, 22 February 2002 Dr Belinda Medlyn (Letters, February 21) audaciously accuses Dr Stone (Letters, February 20) of lying about whether or not snow is melting on the summit of Kilimanjaro. By using different sets of dates they are both able to support their hypotheses and reach different conclusions. […]
When Renovations Become Revolutions (Only in Chris Trotter’s Mind)
(A response to Chris Trotter’s “Ruins of the White House’s East Wing symbolise the passing of an old order and the arrival of a new one“) Chris, this is some world-class melodrama. We’re talking about replacing a set of bland 1940s office spaces with a privately funded ballroom, not detonating the Constitution. Presidents have been knocking […]
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