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Reinstating
democracy
Muriel Newman,
21 March 2011
There
appears to be a growing undercurrent of disillusionment
with New Zealand’s system of representative democracy.
Some are saying our elected members of parliament are
turning their backs to the voters.... More >>>
Privilege
Muriel Newman,
20 February 2011
Is John Key a man of his word, or
simply a man of words? That is a question many are
beginning to ask as finally the electorate’s love
affair with what was an image of hope is starting to
tire. More >>>
Polls,
MMP, and the ‘Bugger Off’ Factor
Prof
Roger Bowden
20 February 2011
It’s
7 pm and you’re either making the dinner or eating it in
peace. The phone rings. You think you know why, but family is
always a concern, so you have to answer it. No, it’s not an
Indian call centre trying to flog off time sharing or phone
shifting. It’s a survey, and do you have a few moments?...
More
>>>
Ideas
Shape Nations
Muriel Newman,
15 January 2011
As
we step into election year, it is surely time to take
stock of what the National Party said it would do, and
what it has actually done. More >>>
Rattle of a grumpy man
Gerry Eckhoff,
15 January 2011
With
an election in eight months time and the prospect of
having to vote a party rather than a person into office-
I’m getting grumpy. The
thought of another three years of treading water with
the National Party or ...
More
>>>
Looking
ahead
Muriel Newman,
12 December 2010
With
the general election now less than 12 months away it is time
to reflect on whether the National Government has lived up to
expectations in the first two years of its term. More >>>
Inspiration
and Exasperation
17 October 2010
Muriel Newman
The
rescue of the 33 Chilean miners, trapped half a mile
underground for almost ten weeks, has been a remarkable story
of human innovation and progress. In another age...
More >>>
The
Tyranny of Umbrage
17 October 2010
Lindsay
Perigo
"What is freedom of
expression? Without freedom to offend, it ceases to
exist," wrote Salman Rushdie. Rushdie
once offended Muslims, the most prominent of whom at the time
issued a fatwa against him. Muslims like to use the
freedom afforded them in western societies to hold
demonstrations... More
>>>
A
Triumph
of Ideology Over Common Sense
11 July 2010
Muriel Newman
In
politics, ideology can be a very dangerous thing if imposed
without proper constraint. Nine years of rampant socialism saw
New Zealand’s public policy framework inundated with
ideological dogma... More >>>
In
Pursuit of the National Interest
4 July 2010
Muriel Newman
Over
the last few years the information revolution has transformed
the way we communicate and access knowledge. The New Zealand
Centre for Political Research is a product of this... More >>>
Proportionate
Representation, Disproportionate Power
9 May 2010
Muriel Newman
The
present move towards Maori privilege is a direct consequence
of MMP. Under MMP the party that wins the greatest party vote
on election night is given the chance to form a government by horse trading with potential coalition
partners. More >>>
Why
and How we Should Change from MMP
9 May2010
Peter
Shirtcliffe
MMP
is a frog, and no matter how many times the princess
kisses it, it won’t turn into a prince. The
forthcoming referendum is a one-shot opportunity to
dismiss a voting system which has been a governance
failure, a negative influence on the economy, and a
blight on our democracy.
More
>>>
Protest,
Propaganda and Petitions
2 May 2010
Muriel Newman
On Saturday some 20,000 people marched down Queen Street
protesting against the government’s proposals to mine
conservation land. The rally was organised by Greenpeace with
some protesters bussed in...
More >>>
Democracy
or Dictatorship?
25 April 2010
Larry Baldock
Do
you think we live in a democracy? Recently
a radio interviewer asked me, “Why call it a
Campaign4Democracy, when we already live in a
democracy?” Well, it’s because more and more New
Zealanders are coming to the conclusion that our
democracy now consists of just having the privilege of...
More
>>>
Acting
without a Mandate
25 April 2010
Muriel Newman
There
are turning points in public affairs when parliamentary
parties cross an invisible line. We saw it when former Prime
Minister Helen Clark forced her government to support the
anti-smacking law against...
More >>>
An
Idea Whose Time has Come
4 April 2010
Muriel Newman
“Who speaks for me?” is a question being asked by
more and more New Zealanders who feel increasingly alienated
from the democratic process. Democracy is no longer working
when politicians, once elected, feel they have a mandate to do
whatever they please.... More >>>
100
Days - Claiming Back New Zealand
3 April 2010
Amy Brooke
The
mood of restlessness and anger in the country at large
will not pass. This allied to the growing recognition... that
governments get most issues wrong… means that even if
we have passed the crossroads of competent
decision-making... it is not too late to reverse our thoroughly
anti-democratic directions. More
>>>
Race
Relations Commissioner
Should Go
14 March 2010
Muriel Newman
The
Prime Minister has said that New Zealand has far too many
state agencies for a country of our size. He’s not wrong.
It’s one of the reasons why government spending has
escalated out of control. More >>>
Will
this Government end Political Correctness?
14 March 2010
Dr Greg Clydsdale
This
week, the Race Relations Commissioner expanded his
mandate. No
longer content to give certificates to school girls
opposing right wing politicians, he is now entering the
super-city debate. In fact, it seems there is no issue
that Joris de Bres believes is beyond his influence. More
>>>
New
Zealand Needs a Champion
28 February 2010
Muriel Newman
Sixteen
months later, the polls show the Prime Minister and the
National Party still enjoy majority popular support, while ACT
and the Maori Party languish at around 2 percent of the party
vote – similar to most coalition partners under MMP...
More >>>
Politics,
Parties, Voters
27 February 2010
Mike Butler
Sixteen
months after winning the 2008 election, Prime Minister
John Key and the National Party have increased in
popularity, according to the latest opinion polls. The
polls were published before Housing and Fisheries
Minister Phil Heatley’s resignation after signing off
an incorrect spending declaration, the second minister
to go from the Key Cabinet... More
>>>
The
MMP Review: trashing our democratic rights
16 January 2010
Muriel Newman
It
can be argued that the announced referendum on MMP, to
be held in conjunction with the 2011 general election,
is one of the most important constitutional reforms
undertaken by any New Zealand Government...
More >>>
A
step toward constitutional reform
16 January 2010
Graeme Hunt
No
one pretends that if the mixed-member proportional
voting system (MMP) is thrown out by public referendum
New Zealand’s constitutional woes will be over.
More
>>>
One
Year On
8 November 2009
Muriel Newman
On
election night, John Key stated “Today across the
country, New Zealanders have voted for a safer, more
prosperous and more ambitious New Zealand. They voted for
hope, they voted for action, and they voted for results.
...
More
>>>
Does
NZ Need an Upper House?
13
Sept 2009
Muriel Newman
The Prime Minister has announced that the Government is
planning to hold the long-awaited referendum on our MMP
(Mixed Member Proportional) electoral system before or at
the same time as the 2011 general election.
...
More
>>>
Who
holds the New Zealand Government to account?
13 Sept 2009
Senator Steve Fielding
Who
holds the New Zealand Government to account? The voters?
The press? Both might be formidable forces during an
election but sadly they seem to lose influence over
politicians once they are appointed.
More
>>>
The
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
1 August 2009
David Round
There
is a difference of opinion between the Prime Minister and the
Minister of Maori Affairs, Mr Peter Sharples, over New
Zealand’s possible endorsement of the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. More
>>>
No
Mandate for Rights Declaration
1 August 2009
Muriel Newman
In May, Justice Minister
Simon Power explained to the United Nations that the new
National-led Government intends to sign the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
More
>>>
Closing
the Gap
25 July 2009
Muriel Newman
Wednesday’s announcement that former Reserve Bank
Governor Dr Don Brash will head the ‘Catching up with
Australia’ taskforce is good news for New Zealand. More
>>>
A
Smack in the Face of Democracy
21 June 2009
Muriel Newman
The extraordinary political
posturing over the upcoming Citizens Initiated Referendum
on the smacking law is breathtaking in its absurdity. More
>>>
The
Real Story of the Anti-Smacking Referendum
21 June 2009
Larry Baldock
With the
announcement last Monday by the Chief Electoral Officer
that that they were beginning the process to hold a
Citizens Initiated Referendum, the debate surrounding the
controversial Anti-smacking law once again fired up...
More
>>>
Budget
Spendup Continues
31 May 2009
Muriel Newman
Tax cuts
were a priority when
John Key delivered the Leader of
the Opposition’s speech about the 2008 Budget. Well,
that was last year!
More
>>>
Reactions
to the Plan for Auckland
13
May 2009
Owen McShane
Given
that all the great cities in the world are made up of a
multitude of local governments it seems that
mega-amalgamation is unlikely to be the correct solution
to whatever problem Auckland is deemed to have. Paris has
1300 local councils and most people seem to like it. More
>>>
Wairarapa
Combined Chaos
9
April 2009
Owen
McShane
The
Wairarapa Combined District Plan (One plan) sounded like a
good idea back in 2002 when it was first proposed, but six
years and over $1million later, is Wairarapa going to gain
anything from it?...
More
>>>
Back
to the Drawing Board
5
April 2009
Muriel Newman
The
findings of UMR Research about New Zealanders’
living preferences are completely at odds with the demands that have
been set down in the newly released report of the Royal
Commission on Auckland Governance.... More
>>>
Beyond
Amalgamation – Did anyone expect this?
5
April
2009
Owen
McShane
Many
of us are scared this global depression will lead to the
abandoning of free trade and a rash of protectionism –
like the last one did. We should
be more afraid that this global depression will lead to
the widespread adoption of fascism – like the last one
did. ... More
>>>
Ideas
Matter
29
March 2009
Muriel Newman
Whether
we are talking about freedom or oppressions, democracy or
dictatorship, free enterprise or communism, ideas have the
power to shape nations and profoundly impact on the daily
lives of citizens..... More
>>>
Time
for Clarity
26
March 2009
John Boscawen ACT MP
All
parents should have the fundamental ability to bring their
children up as well rounded, law abiding citizens in the best
way they see fit - a right that was taken away by Labour’s
passage of Sue Bradford’s Anti-Smacking law...
More
>>>
A
High Priority Promise
23
March 2009
Muriel Newman
In
the seventies, the famous writer and philosopher Ayn Rand
described the pervasive danger of the welfare state. She
could have been writing about New Zealand today.... More
>>>
Is
National doing enough?
8
February 2009
Muriel Newman
Socialism
never rests. It harnesses the very worst of human emotions
to demonise the virtue of self interest as greed; it
perpetuates the fallacy that wealth is only accumulated at
the expense of others and the myth that ... More
>>>
Time
for Action
11
January 2009
Muriel Newman
The
next few months will be critical for the new government.
It’s a time when the expectations of change must be
honoured. For many, that change can’t come soon enough!
We simply cannot have another nine years like the last...
More
>>>
Out
of the Shadow
7
December 2008
Muriel Newman
New
Zealand is now emerging from nine years of creeping
socialism. During those nine years, we have been told that
the state knows best how to run our lives - and our
country. Whether it is what we eat.... More
>>>
The
Changing of the Guard
7
December 08
Karl du Fresne
In
the first party leaders’ debate on TV One during the
election campaign, Newstalk ZB political editor Barry
Soper tackled National leader John Key on the subject of
the 1981 Springbok tour...More
>>>
Moving
in the Right Direction
16
November 2008
Muriel Newman
Last Thursday, US
President George Bush launched a vigorous defence of the
free market, stating that the only long-term solution to
the global financial crisis is sustained economic growth...
More
>>>
A
Top Priority
9
November 2008
Muriel Newman
Congratulations
to our new Prime Minister, National Party Leader John Key,
and his support parties Rodney Hide’s ACT New Zealand
and Peter Dunne’s United Party, on a successful election
outcome. More
>>>
MMP
Reprise
5 November 08
Mike
Moore
MMP
was forced on a defeated
Germany
after the World War II with a powerful idea in mind. To
stop any one political party being so powerful it could
govern on its own. It works in wealthy More
>>>
Undue
Influence
2
November 2008
Muriel Newman
Small
parties are likely to have a big influence on Saturday's
election result. Do they have too much influence, and will
their influence damage our future?
More
>>>
Inherent
Flaws of NZ's MMP
29
October 08
Mike
Moore
I fear, after
this election, deals will be struck that will change the
nature of our society and democracy, I hope I’m proven
wrong. More
>>>
It
is About Trust
26
October 2008
Muriel Newman
Like
Helen Clark I want this election to be about trust. Helen
Clark wants us to trust her not John Key. I want Helen
Clark and John Key to trust New Zealanders.
More
>>>
Let’s not kid ourselves – politics and reasoned debate
26
October 08
Stuart Birks
It would
be nice to believe that the current election campaign
would consist of well-informed debate on important issues.
Ideally, there would be a good airing of the best
alternative policies. More
>>>
A
Binding Referendum on MMP
20
October 2008
Muriel Newman
If
it wasn’t for the fact that the general election is just
around the corner, new home owners would be forced to
install government approved showers that plumbers say
deliver little more than a dribble of water. More
>>>
A
Political Priority
20
October 08
Peter Shirtcliffe
Engaging a panelbeater to design an
intersection is unwise. It is equally silly to leave to
arrogant and at times duplicitous parliamentarians
unfettered control of the voting system of which they are
beneficiaries. More
>>>
The
Way Forward
21
September 2008
Muriel Newman
In the year
to August, 33,300 Kiwis packed their bags for Australia,
the highest figure since 1989. It is very serious indeed
when so many of our young are saying that the grass is
greener on the other side of the ditch. More
>>>
Restraining
Free Speech
7
September 2008
Muriel Newman
In
this politically correct world that we now live, it is
important to hear again the words of Voltaire which echo the
essence of free speech – “I disapprove of what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to say it”.
Increasingly our right to free expression is being eroded by
the apparent rights of others who disagree with what we say. More
>>>
Question
Time for Parliament
31
August 2008
Muriel Newman
I
cannot remember a time when Parliament - our country’s
highest governing institution – has been brought into
such disrepute. And the Parliamentarians have only
themselves to blame. The nadir was surely the admission
last week by the Prime Minister that expatriate
billionaire and Labour Party funder Owen Glenn told her in
February that he had donated $100,000 to New Zealand
First. The fact that she did not disclose this information
during the months of swirling questions, half-truths and
contradictions, speaks volumes, raising serious
credibility concerns. More
>>>
Labour
Closes in
24
August 2008
Muriel Newman
Labour’s strategy is to improve its poll rating to
within 10 percentage points of National ahead of the
election campaign seems to be working. According to the latest Colmar Brunton poll...
More
>>>
The
Tipping-out Point for Labour
24
August 08
Karl du Fresne
Labour
seems to have reached that point in the life of every
government when just about everything it does seems to get
up people’s noses.... More
>>>
A Very
Foreign Ministry
20
August 08
Mike Moore
I’m guilty of forgiving,
even covering up for, Winston Peters over the years.
After his anti-Asian rave, I even went on a visit
with him to
Asia
to make the point he was not anti-Asian, it was just
politics. Shame on
me, More
>>>
Making
a Difference
10
August 2008
Muriel Newman
Can
an individual make a difference? Sheryl Savill would like to think so. Sheryl is the
instigator of the Citizens Initiated Referendum petition
on smacking. More
>>>
Standing
up for what we Believe
10
August 08
Sheryl
Savill
I am not
normally one to get involved in politics or public
demonstrations. But when I realised how the anti-smacking
bill would directly affect the way I was raising my
children, I just knew that I had to do something. And I
discovered very early on that I wasn’t the only one who
felt this way... More
>>>
How
the Numbers add up, for Labour
8 June 08
Muriel Newman
The
latest Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Statement will be of very
serious concern to the Labour-led coalition government, given
that it comes only months ahead of the 2008 general election.... More
>>>
Undermining
Democracy
29 February
08
Muriel Newman
The freedom of speech, including the freedom to criticise
the government, has always been central to the healthy
functioning of a democracy. The underlying principle of a
democracy is that the ultimate power rests with the
people, and the underlying virtue is that the transition
from one administration to another occurs quickly and
without bloodshed. This is in stark contrast to
dictatorships where change is measured in generations
rather than years, and the catalyst for change is
revolution not election... More >>>
Free
Speech, Anyone?
29 February 08
Karl du Fresne
Join
the dots here. The New Zealand Olympic Committee, with the
backing of the Minister of Sport, tries to muzzle athletes
taking part in the Beijing Games. The police are issued
with instructions allowing protesters to be blocked or
moved from view if they offend a visiting VIP. Parliament
passes an extraordinarily elaborate set of laws protecting
Rugby World Cup sponsors from competitors’ advertising... More
>>>
When
Radicals Agree
10 February 08
Muriel Newman
With
radical agendas gaining ascendency, it is inevitable the there
will be a clash of cultures between the ideals of the many and
varied malcontents living comfortably within our society, and
the sort of place that mainstream Kiwis want New Zealand to be.
At some stage our leaders in Wellington will need to recognise
and acknowledge this inconvenient reality...
More >>>
Winds
of Change
Muriel Newman
2
December 2007
The
only good news from the Australian election is that it has
foreshadowed a change in government here. Electorates grow
disillusioned with parties that have been in power for too
long and vote for change.
More
>>>
Financial
Literacy:
What’s the Buzz?
Prof Lawrence Rose,
2 December
2007
What
is a basis point, and what does it have to do with changes
in interest rates? Should your savings be put into
Kiwi Saver or into paying off a house mortgage? Should you
be worried about the recent collapse of so many finance
companies over the past 18 months? What is an
exchange rate and why does the New Zealand Exchange Rate
change so much? Should I sell my Warehouse shares or buy
more? More >>>
Compromising
Democracy
Muriel Newman
25
November 2007
The Electoral
Finance Bill, which seeks to impose complex restrictions
on how people can engage in the democratic process during
election year, was reported back from the Justice and
Electoral Select Committee last week. More
>>>
An
Abuse of Power
David Farrar
25 November
2007
The Electoral Finance Bill is quite simply an
unacceptable attack on the human rights of New Zealanders.
This is not simply my view, but also the views of the
Law Society and the Human Rights Commission.
Even with the Select Committee modifications, they
oppose the Bill being passed into law.
More
>>>
Is
it Time to Change Our Voting System?
Muriel Newman
14
October 2007
Don
reflects the views of a good many New Zealanders when he says:
“While
MMP has got some advantages, it leads to disproportionate
influence for very small parties, as a consequence leads to
weak and ‘compromising’ government, requires more MPs than
most New Zealanders see as desirable, and greatly strengthens
the hand of party bosses at the expense of voters”. More
>>>
We
Deserve Another Referendum on MMP
Dr.
Don Brash
13 October 07
Last
month, New Zealand passed a milestone – happy or unhappy
depending on your point of view. Last month marked the 10th
anniversary of MMP in New Zealand. I
still get asked at public meetings: “When are we
going to get the MMP referendum we were promised?” And I
try to convince the questioner that there never was any
promise to hold another referendum on MMP. More
>>>
One
Year Out
Muriel Newman
22
September 2007
Two
years ago the opinion polls were predicting that National
would win the 2005 election. But it was always going to be
close. More
>>>
The
Green Messchine
Trevor Grice
22 September 07
There is a dogged persistence in the way Sue Kedgley, the
Green Party spokesman on Consumer Affairs, trains her
magnifying glass on the contents of every tin or package
of food. Whether it’s the processing of food, the
importation of food, the push for organic home grown, the
contaminated clothing, the poison toys and so on, little
escapes her exhaustive scrutiny. We should probably
congratulate her for her efforts to protect our
‘Internal Environment’ - even if she could quite
rightly be accused of evangelism.
More
>>>
Smacking:
Those kiwis must be crazy!
Ruby
Harrold-Claesson
11 August 07
One
year ago, I travelled 36 hours from Gothenburg, Sweden to
Auckland at the invitation of the Section 59 Coalition. I
came to testify at the Parliamentary hearing on the
private member's Bill that proposed a repeal of Section 59
of the Crimes Act and to inform - and to warn - the
general New Zealand public of the effects of the Swedish
smacking ban.More
>>>
The
Corruption of Power
Muriel Newman
1
July 2007
It was Dr Thomas Sowell, author and senior
fellow at the Hoover Institute who said about
government, “It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more
dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those
decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for
being wrong”.
More
>>>
Yes
Minister!
By
Trevor Grice
1 July 07
Over
the past 30 years New Zealand society has undergone some
seismic shifts in philosophical, ethical, political and
technological thinking. It is not so much that society has
been subjected to a single, life-shaking quake but more a case
of many seemingly small and innocuous changes adding up to a
landscape shift that appears increasingly unacceptable
to many people. And like so many situations we are confronted
with today it is difficult to see how such changes can be
challenged or modified when responsibility rests somewhere
‘in the system’.
More
>>>
The Tail
is Wagging the Dog
Muriel Newman
6
May 2007
The ramming through Parliament of the deeply unpopular anti-smacking
bill is the clearest sign yet that under MMP the ‘tail
is wagging the dog’. As Iain Gillies wrote in an
editorial in the Gisborne Herald last month: “Widespread
antipathy to Sue Bradford’s bill on parental smacking
could unwittingly provoke renewed calls for a review of
the MMP voting system. The motion does not figure much -
yet - in either public discussion or the parliamentary
debate, but may well get traction when voters consider to
whom their MPs are beholden; their party hierarchy or the
electorate."
More
>>>
The
Nonsense of the List MP
Peter Shirtcliffe
6 May 07
One of the most heavily-promoted arguments in favour of
MMP, at the time of the 1993 referendum, was that its
introduction would transform (for the better) the way in
which Parliament worked. We were promised much better
behaviour in the House, but more importantly, greater
sensitivity to the wishes of the Electorate. More
>>>
Taxpayer
Funding Makes us Less Democratic
Hon
Richard Prebble
21 April 2007
Now after the Auditor –General has concluded that much
of Labour’s election spending was an illegal use of
taxpayer’s funds, the government’s solution is to
decide that the taxpayer must fund political parties. More
>>>
The Smacking Bill a con job
Muriel
Newman
24 Mar 07
New
Zealand
is being conned over the so-called anti-smacking bill.
Touted as
being the way to prevent child abuse, this bill is part of
an international movement designed to undermine parental
authority and increase state control over children. While
a dozen or so countries have succumbed to the pressure of
the anti-smacking lobby and the United Nations, the
overwhelming majority have not. More >>>
Parents Under Attack
Muriel
Newman
3 Mar 07
In
two week’s time Parliament will again consider the
Crimes
(Abolition of Force as a Justification for Child
Discipline) Amendment Bill, a bill that seeks to remove
section 59 of the Crimes Act.
More >>>
Uncharitable Control
Muriel
Newman
21 Oct 06
It
was Thomas Jefferson who warned, "The natural
progress of things is for liberty to yield and
government to gain ground." More >>>
MMP
Referendum
Muriel
Newman
7 Oct 06
Next
week is the tenth anniversary of MMP, the Mixed Member
Proportional voting system that was introduced as a
result of a binding referendum in 1993. It was meant to
deliver a better standard of government to New Zealand .
More >>>
Corruption in Parliament
Muriel
Newman
30 September 06
Allegations
of corruption in
New Zealand
’s Parliament have now escalated to new heights. During
a radio interview this week, Tariana Turia described how
the Maori Party was offered $250,000 in return for
supporting the Labour Party after the election. This
“inducement” was intended to secure Labour the numbers
to govern.
More >>>
How NZ'ders see themselves
Muriel
Newman
19 August 06
Last
week, the University of Otago published: “New Zealand in
the 21st Century – A Consumer Lifestyles
Study”, which provides a five-yearly insight into New
Zealand society. The findings present a snapshot of how
more than 3,500 New Zealanders view our country.
More >>>
Capturing the Language
Muriel
Newman
3 June 06
“Framing” is the political left’s new buzzword for
what used to be called brainwashing. It has been developed
into an art form by George Lakoff, Professor of
Linguistics at
Berkley
University
and forms the basis of a paper prepared by communications
consultant Claire Curran for last month’s Labour
Party’s Southland Regional Conference. Called
“Language Matters: Setting agendas - taking charge of
the debate”, the
paper describes the necessity of capturing the language
for the center-left if Labour is to win the next election.
It provides an insight into their communication strategy.
More >>>
Does ACT have a
Future?
Sir
Roger Douglas
1 Apr 06
Speech
to the 2006 ACT Conference.
I
welcome the opportunity to be here this evening and also
the opportunity provided to me to say a few words.
HTML
>>>
Lowering the
Bar
Muriel
Newman
24 Mar 06
When governments become embroiled in scandal, there
comes a point where the confidence of the public, begins
to wane. If the scandals continue, a “tipping point”
approaches whereby voters begin to question the
capability of an administration to govern effectively. More >>>
Are you a New Zealander?
Muriel
Newman
4 Mar 06
Next
Tuesday is census day. Once every five years we are
required by law to fill in a detailed questionnaire about
ourselves and our households. The information gathered
provides a snapshot of
New Zealand
and is used in a wide variety of different ways to
determine such things as whether we have enough hospitals
and schools, where new roads should be built, how many
police will be needed, whether a planned shopping centre
is viable, or whether an airport needs to be extended.
More >>>
The Boundaries of Free Speech
Muriel
Newman
25 Feb 06
The publication of the Mohammed cartoons and the screening
of South Park's bleeding Madonna episode has again exposed
how tenuous the right of free speech really is. More >>>
The Smacking Debate
Muriel
Newman
14 Jan 06
Last
week the Body Shop announced that stores throughout the
country would be encouraging customers to sign a petition
to Parliament supporting the Green Party's bill to abolish
section 59 of the Crimes Act. More >>>
The Feminist Agenda 3 Decades On
Muriel
Newman
10 Dec 05
Last month, when the public furore erupted over an airline
policy that bans men from sitting next to unaccompanied
children, I wondered whether the feminists were
celebrating. A few years ago, the mere suggestion that a
man on a plane could be a likely child molester, would
have been greeted with derision. Now, however, not only
has the concept been taken seriously by the airlines, but
some public servants – including the Commissioner for
Children - have said it’s a good idea. More >>>
Stop
Beating the Parents
Melanie Phillips
7
July 04
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