Three random thoughts on the rather dangerous turn of events following Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarkable win in Israel’s election. 1. Obama told the Huffington Post that he takes Netanyahu “at his word”, referring to the prime minister’s response to a reporter’s question prior to the election about the prospects of a two-state solution. Yet within days, Netanyahu […]
Less labels, more meeting of minds
While many commentators believe the country is more divided than ever, there’s one thing that everyone seems to agree on. Political discourse has seldom been so poor. I’ve been reflecting on this as I’ve read comments on blogs I post as a contributor at Sound Politics. While some people weigh in with thoughtful and informed contributions, too many resort […]
Bipartisanship returns to congress (or the parties of no)
President Obama has bemoaned the lack of bipartisanship in congress during his presidency, so it’s not without some irony that his State of the Union proposal to tax 529 plans unified both Democratic and Republican opposition to it. Furthermore, it’s not just low ranking Democrats that were opposed. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Budget Committee […]
Contrasting attitudes in New Zealand and Hong Kong
Originally published 22 July 1997 in Nexus, the University of Waikato student magazine, as part of a regular series I wrote under the banner of “Postcard from Hong Kong” What is the “New Zealand dream”? One could be forgiven for thinking that the answer is to simply leave this earth in no worse state than […]
The future of Hong Kong
The following is from my pre-blog archives. When I lived in Hong Kong in 1997, I was asked to write a semi-regular column under the banner “Postcard from Hong Kong” for a university newspaper in New Zealand. This article appeared on July 4 1997, three days after the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong back […]