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Can representative democracy survive in the 21st century? According to Leon de Winter, the Dutch novelist and intellectual, the chances are not too good. Read more
Twenty-four hours from now local election voting closes. Time is ticking to tick those boxes, lick that envelope and proudly post your papers off, thus exercising your democratic right to vote for your chosen local government representatives. Read more
Safely perched in the obscurity of Wellington, it’s with a strange combination of boredom and fascination that I’m watching the US budgetary showdown, a bid by the Republicans to force the Obama administration to dial back state healthcare spending. This is because as a former markets reporter, I know almost with a certainty that one side will blink before too long. Read more
It is a sign of maturity when children discover that Santa is not real. There is no fat, bearded man who comes down the chimney and deposits gifts under the Christmas tree. Read more
Simon Cowan, at last weekend’s Liberty & Society conference, addressed the pressing issue of Australia’s ballooning federal expenditure and the huge economic and social impact this will have if spending isn’t curbed soon. The elephant in the room that Cowan, a research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies, is referring to is Australia’s dwindling economic growth, an ageing population and the rapidly rising healthcare and pension costs associated with the demographic shift. Read more
The shifts in the political landscape with the anointment of David Cunliffe have sparked a flurry of ‘what if Labour and Greens get in?’ policy speculation recently, and unsurprisingly the electricity sector has been spotlight. Since it was first mooted earlier this year, the electricity industry and business sector have been at pains to call for a thorough economic analysis before policymakers dismantle the free market system currently used and move to a single buyer model. Read more
It is a new thing for New Zealand to have a chief science advisor to the Prime Minister. Sir Peter Gluckman’s laudable brief is "to promote discourse that will lead New Zealand to better apply evidence-based knowledge and research across all domains of public endeavour". Read more
Tony Abbott’s recently announced Australian Cabinet is conspicuous for its lack of women, and apparently this is a big deal. With only one woman out of a cabinet of 19, even Afghanistan boasts more females in its cabinet. Read more
Newly elected Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, announced his 19-person Cabinet on Monday, with just one female minister, Julie Bishop. Not that Australians would notice much. Read more
Imagine the following situation: Your next-door neighbours are going to have a party. They know it will be noisy and it might last till the wee hours. Read more