Wellington-based journalist. Substack https://towardsdemocracy.substack.com
I’ve written a piece comparing Winston Peters’ poverty stricken view of democracy with the far more thoughtful one of Lawrence Xu-Nan who he attacked in parliament last week. open.substack.com/pub/towardsd...
Far from Winston’s first racist rodeo“New Zealand is not a monotonous garden where every flower is the same; it is a garden where the diversity of the blooms enriches the view,” Winston Peters declared in his maiden speech, 47 years ago.open.substack.comI reckon we need a debate on our priorities when it comes to being a good international player. We’re reneging on our climate commitments, giving less in international aid at the same time as we’re doubling our military spend. I doubt that’s what most people want. open.substack.com/pub/towardsd...
The price of international citizenshipSwiss Government-funded solar project in Vanuatuopen.substack.comPresident Trump secures deal to supply theocratic Middle Easter regime with technology to enrich uranium to weapons grade. Deal of the Apocalypse. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/w...
Coveted U.S. Nuclear Deal Is a Coup for Saudi Crown Prince (Gift Article)Saudi Arabia had for years sought the controversial deal to obtain American nuclear technology. It is expected to be sealed on Wednesday, deepening U.S.-Saudi ties for decades to come.www.nytimes.comThe New Zealand and Australian governments are throwing far more money at militarising the Pacific than tackling climate change. open.substack.com/pub/towardsd...
The Arms Race to Climate CalamityLate last year, the British government suppressed a report that contained warnings from its intelligence agencies that climate change could drive mass migration and trigger a nuclear war in Asia.open.substack.comThe US administration is evil in so many ways. For some reason I find this attack on Cuba's oversea's medical aid particularly disgusting. www.wsj.com/world/americ...
U.S. Targets One of Cuba’s Last Lifelines: Its Army of Overseas DoctorsSome Latin American and Caribbean countries are cutting ties to Havana’s medical program under pressure from Washington.www.wsj.comIt was good to hear criticism of China's testing of nuclear capable ballistic missiles from our foreign minister and prime minister today. It's a pity they remain silent on the much more frequent tests from the rogue USA. towardsdemocracy.substack.com/p/the-nuclea...
The nuclear-free Pacific and hypersonic hypocrisyMinuteman III test launch, California.towardsdemocracy.substack.comBoth maps ignore North Africa that saw even higher temperatures before the high drifted over Europe.
AbbeyWhen reality surpasses fiction! Top: fictional forecast for August 2050, broadcast by French TV in 2014 to warn about the consequences of global warming. Bottom: Real French forecast for yesterday, June 22, 2026.
The one change that should be made is adding the words: New Zealand in front of English. The Oxford Dictionary of New Zealand English includes nearly 700 te reo words in common usage. And that number is growing every year.
RNZ News FeedsEnglish Language Bill: No changes suggested by Justice Select Committee
I fear we're headed towards the democracy of the corporation: one vote per share, not one vote per shareholder. If we were really interested in democracy we'd return to the days (18th century) when corporations distributed votes equally between all shareholders no matter the size of their holdings.
Robot MuldoomEach party's 2026 large donations (≥$20k) divided by their share of current polling: — ACT: $6.52 — NZ First: $1.45 — National: $0.99 — Māori: $0.69 — Greens: $0.50 — Labour: $0.40 ACT got over $6 of big-donor cash per supporter. Labour got 40 cents. The donor base isn't the voter base. #nzpol
RNZ has done the best job yet of delving into the numbers behind Labour's capped fare subsidy. But no mention of other benefits: improved air quality, increased physical exercise, improved mental health, fewer accidents, and lower balance of payment deficit. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
More details revealed over climate case briefingThe senior Beehive staffer who failed to disclose a crucial document from lobbyists had provided some of the information relevant at the time a request was made, but not all of it.www.rnz.co.nzA bidding war on how to best spend more money on public transport? Bring it on. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Government floats using emergency fund on public transport, Labour asks why it wasn't in BudgetBut the opposition says it's surprising, given there were no moves to improve public transport in the Budget.www.rnz.co.nzCuba is a superpower when it comes to the delivery of medical assistance to the world's poorest. The World's only military superpower is doing its best to destroy that and in the process imposing sanctions that will cause thousands of deaths. towardsdemocracy.substack.com/p/the-world-...
The world owes Cuba a debt - and the USA condemnationCuban doctors arriving back from Italy following the Covid outbreak in 2020.towardsdemocracy.substack.comKnesset member Ofer Cassif explains why Israel's "rational" opposition is more dangerous than Ben Gvir et al. archive.is/whb9B
archive.isopen.substack.com/pub/towardsd... I've been meaning to write about Mexico and its inspiring president, Claudia Sheinbaum, for some time. With President Trump sounding more belligerent by the day now seems a good time.
The revolution isn’t being televisedAt the beginning of last month, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stood in front of an estimated 600,000 supporters in Zócalo Square and reflected on the achievements of her first year in office and...open.substack.com
