Author Archives: Puddleglum

The politics of the empty tomb – Part I

Posted on 9th Apr, 2015 by Puddleglum

An advantage of a few days holiday is that it allows time to let the mind reflect and run free from the routine daily tasks it has to perform in work-a-day life. Given the last few days holiday (‘Holy-day’) were about … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom, Human Nature, Human Wellbeing, New Zealand Politics, Philosophy | 3 Comments

‘And then she goes and spoils it all …’

Posted on 5th Feb, 2015 by Puddleglum

[I’ve awoken from my summer slumber and find I have a lot to write. Apologies about the length.] Well, what was that all about? As Colin Peacock said when he introduced the Mediawatch item on it, what exactly “put a Catton … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, New Zealand Politics, Philosophy, Political Psychology | 9 Comments

‘Everybody knows …’ the politics of dissimulation

Posted on 3rd Dec, 2014 by Puddleglum

“Everybody knows that the dice are loaded Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed Everybody knows that the war is over Everybody knows the good guys lost Everybody knows the fight was fixed The poor stay poor, the rich get rich … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, New Zealand Politics, Political Polls, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Drawing the poison

Posted on 26th Sep, 2014 by Puddleglum

It’s – more or less – thirty years since Roger Douglas’ faction gained control of the Treasury benches. It’s even longer since it latched its fangs onto the Labour Party jugular. The bloody leadership struggle within the Labour Party since the election … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Labour, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , | 39 Comments

Blowholes and memory holes

Posted on 5th Sep, 2014 by Puddleglum

When whales were hunted in previous centuries, the old method was to spot the intermittent bursts of spray that were shot into the air when a whale came to the surface to take a breath. The time gaps between these … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Democracy, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

We no longer have a Prime Minister

Posted on 1st Sep, 2014 by Puddleglum

Having just listened to an item featuring John Key on Checkpoint (National Radio) I now have to announce that New Zealand has no-one at present performing the proper role of Prime Minister. John Key could not have acted less Prime Ministerial if he had … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Democracy, Media, New Zealand Politics, Political Polls, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , | 31 Comments

A Tale of Two Tracks. Part II – Something new under the sun.

Posted on 30th Aug, 2014 by Puddleglum

[This is the second part of a two-part post. In the first post I argued that our modern world is susceptible to ‘two tracks’ arising in all areas. In this post I argue that it is wrong to claim that … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Democracy, Freedom, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on A Tale of Two Tracks. Part II – Something new under the sun.

A Tale of Two Tracks. Part I – A two track world

Posted on 30th Aug, 2014 by Puddleglum

There’s plenty of interesting side-tracks to travel down in Nicky Hager’s book ‘Dirty Politics‘. But the main track needs to be kept visible. That track is actually two tracks. And those tracks amount to a highly networked web of relationships between a loose … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Democracy, Labour, Media, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology | 8 Comments

Media narratives: A field experiment and ‘litmus test’

Posted on 13th Aug, 2014 by Puddleglum

There’s a simple cognitive game you can play which helps you to see clearly the dominant media political ‘narratives’ in the world. And we’ve all just been provided with a great excuse to play that cognitive game right here in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

National’s problem – more ‘glass ceiling’ than ‘complacency’

Posted on 5th Jul, 2014 by Puddleglum

  I agree with John Key and Steven Joyce on a couple of points they stressed to the party faithful gathered in Wellington for their recent election year conference. Yes, as John Key argued, this election will be closer than … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology | 2 Comments