New Zealand’s dance with division is not over yet

New Zealanders aren't mugs, but they are not in the clear yet.

New Zealand’s October 14 election coincided with the Voice referendum where Australians decisively said ‘No’ to enshrining divisive race-based politics in the Constitution. Watching from across the pond, New Zealanders might reflect on the Australian experience that divided and continues to divide the nation as elite activists double down on their pre-referendum positions. However, New Zealanders may have little influence on the outcome as their Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system forces coalition governments. This may mean the Act Party, the National Party’s junior coalition partner, will expect the government to test the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi by referendum. The decolonising trend that is currently shaking the foundations of Western liberal democracies is still evident in New Zealand politics. Indeed, it may well be a long, slow accident in the making if things don’t go in Chris Luxon’s favour.

New Zealand is not free of Woke yet

The decolonising trend that is currently shaking the foundations of Western liberal democracies is still evident in New Zealand politics.

The principles of the Treaty of Waitangi could be on the way to a referendum.https://t.co/EHLLIYMUki

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) October 18, 2023

Australia's Nuclear Future: It's your choice

These are cooling towers, and that is steam, not pollution.

Energy policy is clearly about choices. Mr Howard said in his book A Sense of Balance that it was a mistake to trade away an Australian Nuclear Industry in 1998, but the political realities at the time meant that Labor was opposed to Australia’s ability to develop life-saving medical products. Mr Howard did what needed to be done at the time. Unlike the proposed Voice, if the political will exists, the prohibition on nuclear can be amended by legislation. At the end of my presentation, I will show you a model I developed to understand how policies relating to networked technologies such as energy, transport, and telecommunications are impacted by choices made in the past. In effect, policies that follow certain patterns are like habits – they are easy to slip back into and difficult to change. But tonight, I want to make it clear that our energy future is a choice, and choosing our current policy to crash through or crash is a choice that will impact our prosperity and energy security for generations to come. To ensure I do not miss my key point in the time I have tonight, may I begin by urging that we choose wisely.

If I were as brave as Jacinta

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price

This week, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price demonstrated her credentials as a potential Australian Prime Minister. She is a member of the Country Liberal Party, so there is no reason she cannot lead the senior party of the federal Liberal-National Coalition, nor is there any real impediment, other than convention, to a Prime Minister also being a Senator. To be sure, it would be awkward to lead a government from across the hall, but there is no actual legal impediment. And given Senator Price’s courage, she certainly has the fortitude to make it work. And she would be a political leader because of sheer competence rather than any deference to intersectionality. Which leads me to my ‘sliding doors’ moment – what would I do if I were as brave as Senator Price?

Here is my latest article in The Spectator Australia's Flat White, "If I were as brave as Jacinta".

If I were as brave as Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, I would tell my story and how the elites’ ideas about Aboriginality represent only one side of the coin that was cast over 200 years ago in Australia...https://t.co/4HiDnfLWBv

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) September 17, 2023