Author Archives: Puddleglum

The Key(wi) way to being ordinary – Part III

Posted on 19th Jan, 2011 by Puddleglum

In this final part of a series of posts on the value of ‘ordinariness’ in New Zealand I want to focus on the question I avoided right at the start: Why would someone from the left write such an apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in National Identity, New Zealand Politics | 3 Comments

It’s ‘Tragic’ but it’s not ‘Right’

Posted on 16th Jan, 2011 by Puddleglum

This post on the blog “A Life of the Mind” picks up on Steven Pinker’s comparison in his book The Blank Slate, of the Utopian and Tragic Visions, that, some argue, underpin ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ impulses. These ‘visions’ come from … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Market, Freedom, Human Nature | Tagged , | 3 Comments

It’s got to be good for you! – But is it?

Posted on 6th Jan, 2011 by Puddleglum

Economists have a saying; there’s no such thing as a free lunch. It’s usually invoked as a cautionary response to a new tax or social programme but it may well apply to the modern world – and modern economy – … Continue reading →

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The Key(wi) way to being ordinary – Part II

Posted on 6th Jan, 2011 by Puddleglum

In Part I of this series, I pointed out that there was something paradoxical about the way in which, in New Zealand, the idea of ordinariness is understood. It is encapsulated in the idea that ‘you can be anything you … Continue reading →

Posted in National Identity, New Zealand Politics | 8 Comments

The Key(wi) way to being ordinary – Part I

Posted on 5th Jan, 2011 by Puddleglum

In a recent column, left wing commentator Chris Trotter has written what appears to be a paen to Prime Minister John Key. (I’ll address this issue in a series of posts, this being the first.) Trotter argues that John Key … Continue reading →

Posted in National Identity, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Digging Deeper – Why is mining hazardous?

Posted on 2nd Dec, 2010 by Puddleglum

As the personal and community tragedy of the loss of 29 men’s lives at the Pike River mine continues, further details about the nature of mining are worth considering. An initial point to emphasise is that Pike River is not … Continue reading →

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On (again) – and off (again) – the buses

Posted on 26th Nov, 2010 by Puddleglum

Prior to the 4th of September Canterbury Earthquake, the bus company Christchurch Bus Services (CBS) was, apparently, ‘all go‘ for the extra bus routes that it won through tender; now CBS is ‘all Go Bus‘.  One minute it was all … Continue reading →

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‘On the buses’ – and other evolving systems

Posted on 25th Nov, 2010 by Puddleglum

Waiting at a bus stop for 34 minutes gives you time to get over the irritation and start to think. It’s largely passed beneath the radar of national news but Christchurch has been experiencing supposed ‘aftershocks‘ from the September 4th … Continue reading →

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Reflections on the Pike River Mine Disaster November, 2010

Posted on 25th Nov, 2010 by Puddleglum

“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods. They kill us for their sport” Gloucester in King Lear, Act 4, Scene 1: William Shakespeare The end of a person’s life is the end of the most diaphanous of … Continue reading →

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The SAS and CEOs – what’s all the fuss about?

Posted on 11th Nov, 2010 by Puddleglum

There’s certainly a fuss. The Defence Minister Wayne Mapp ordered an immediate inquiry. The Editor of the Nelson Mail wasn’t impressed. What is the fuss about? Perhaps it’s over the idea that the military need to run a ‘corporate cake … Continue reading →

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