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Tag Archives: John Key
John Key and the serious business of “mucking around”
I did my best to resist the temptation to blog about this. But, in the end, the temptation was too great. Partly that was because of the absurdity of it all - I even thought up a provisional title: “Key goes … Continue reading
Key’s approach won’t work “over time”
It is often said that those who “Live by the sword, die by the sword“. It might also be said that those politicians who, less excitingly, live by portraying themselves as ‘pragmatic’ and ‘non-ideological’ will, in the fullness of time, … Continue reading
ECan, the government and the ‘Picture of Dorian Gray’
It is hard to understand why it appears to have received so little attention or commentary nationwide (with some honourable exceptions). The extension of the rule of the ECAN Commissioners announced by David Carter (Local Government Minister) and Amy Adams … Continue reading
Posted in Democracy, Earthquakes, Economics, Fascism, New Zealand Politics
Tagged Christchurch, disaster, Elections, fascism, John Key, Local Government, National
10 Comments
A rainy Christmas Day in Christchurch
Monday night last week was like Christmas Eve in Christchurch. As the evening darkened, the presents – carefully wrapped and prettily presented by the best PR Christmas wrappers CERA could buy – were lain beneath the brightly lit Christmas Tree … Continue reading
Posted in Democracy, Earthquakes, Economics, Fascism, Freedom, New Zealand Politics
Tagged Brownlee, Christchurch, cities, community, disaster, Freedom, John Key, Local Government, National, private sector, wealth
23 Comments
Underneath the ‘underclass’
Joe Bageant died on the 26th of March last year. Apparently, he was sometimes referred to as an American ‘leftneck’ – which is not a bad label for him. Bageant’s book (and, more generally, his literary life) has been devoted to laying … Continue reading
Posted in Democracy, Economics, Education, Free Market, Human Wellbeing, New Zealand Politics, Welfare
Tagged capitalism, community, economic history, John Key, markets, self-interest, unity, urbanisation, welfare, wellbeing
13 Comments
Water, Waitangi, ownership and power
There’s a reason why we talk about property rights. Owning property without having any rights to it makes as much sense as having rights to something without owning it in some way. ‘Water rights’ and ‘water ownership’ are, in all … Continue reading
Posted in Democracy, Economics, Free Market, Freedom, Maori, National Identity, New Zealand Politics
Tagged capitalism, Freedom, John Key, Maori, markets, New Zealand Identity, Treaty of Waitangi
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Under cover, under hand and under the radar – ‘all about sport’ in Christchurch
The Prime Minister, John Key, has come out in favour of a “world-class covered stadium” for Christchurch. At the time of writing, opinion on the accompanying stuff poll is split 52% in favour and 48% opposed (485 votes). It has … Continue reading
Posted in Democracy, Earthquakes, New Zealand Politics
Tagged Christchurch, John Key, Local Government, Sport
9 Comments
The banality of corruption
At the heart of the exotic and exciting spectacle of National Party luminaries engaging in their own version of the shootout at the OK Corral – and, in so doing, managing to take out one of their own – is … Continue reading
Posted in Freedom, Human Nature, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology
Tagged Freedom, human nature, John Key, National, political psychology, self-interest
12 Comments
‘Not Electioneering’, Key-style
‘Nothing to do with me‘, says Key (and Joyce). After all, John Key explicitly announced in the first minute of the one hour Radio Live ‘PM’s Hour’ that it was an “election free zone”. But that raises the question of … Continue reading
Posted in New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology
Tagged Elections, John Key, Media, National, political psychology, Voting
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Out of control
Sometimes, you just can’t keep things under control in politics. You know how it goes – somehow Treasury documents get accidentally posted on websites; somehow the government’s majority ‘control’ over partially privatised state assets just isn’t what you thought it … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Free Market, New Zealand Politics
Tagged asset sales, ideology, John Key, markets, National, private sector, Voting
3 Comments