Tag Archives: National

Who’s afraid of ‘radical’ politics?

Posted on 31st Jul, 2017 by Puddleglum

As the 2017 election approaches the question has been asked of ‘the left’ in New Zealand – Is it time to ‘go radical‘? It’s a question especially relevant to the Labour Party given recent polling. But it’s almost exactly the … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Free Market, Human Wellbeing, Labour, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Is that all there is?

Posted on 7th Dec, 2016 by Puddleglum

Apparently, McDonald’s hamburgers are the result of the best technology that food and taste engineers can provide. All ingredients and processing events are managed to within an inch – maybe less – of their lives. The consumable item is the culmination … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Human Nature, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Why Syrian refugees?

Posted on 6th Sep, 2015 by Puddleglum

There’s two aspects to the Syrian refugee crisis that are worth thinking about a bit more deeply. That’s because both of them represent something of a departure from past behaviour. The first is the question which a few commentators, such … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature, Human Wellbeing, International Politics, Media, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pointless referenda I would like

Posted on 1st Sep, 2015 by Puddleglum

Well, the flag’s well and truly come down for the start of the silly season so let’s get into the spirit of it all. Yes, time to put aside all that serious politico stuff that ‘lefties’ get so uptight about. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, National Identity, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Pointless referenda I would like

PMs just wanna have fun …

Posted on 25th Apr, 2015 by Puddleglum

According to John Key it was all just innocent “horsing around“. It wasn’t, of course – as John Armstrong in the New Zealand Herald understands. And Key knew that too. All his protests to the contrary amount to him pulling our collective … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Human Nature, National Identity, New Zealand Politics, Political Polls, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , | 17 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

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.

The real story in the Fairfax polls

Posted on 22nd Jun, 2014 by Puddleglum

There’s an aspect of the political polls that I suspect many people are unaware of. As percentage support for each party is reported, most people probably assume that more people are supporting the parties that show an increase in percent … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Labour, New Zealand Politics, Political Polls | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments