There’s been a big fuss recently about social media posts showing Green Party and Te Pāti Māori MPs a with Mongrel Mob members. My first reaction was, sure, meet with the gangs but why allow it to go public? And then I wondered whether I’d have the same reaction to politicians meeting with billionaires…
Presidential candidate Bolsonaro in Brazil has sparked a meme where people write self-descriptions on their hands after he wrote ‘corrupto’. Mistake! He was referring to his opponent but now everyone sees it as Bolsonaro’s self-description. How would you describe yourself in one or two words that fit on your hand?
Trump is leading the world’s politicians to behave ever worse, including in New Zealand. Although topping Trump’s recent statement daring Iran to take out a couple of California cities might be hard.
Universalism considers laws and rules can be devised that apply to everyone. Particularism says we need to consider context and relationships – rules can change according to the circumstances and who is involved. Is one more right than the other? Can they be combined in the political realm?
Banksy’s new statue could be called ‘The Politician’, or could be called ‘Blinded by the cause’. Whatever the name, its an excellent ephemeral public sculpture.
There are many ways to lead and no one style is likely to suit all the people being led.
Is Trump smashing Overton Windows, in his attack on general world order, including proposing to take over Greenland? And what is an Overton Window?
This week it was revealed John Key got to buy a $2 million dollar section in Gibbston Valley Resort for $400,000 to help with marketing. How long a stretch is it from ex-politicians influencing marketing to influencing political decisions? It may not be very far at all.
NZ is waiting to get a new government. Winston Peters, stalwart politician since 1979, is influencing the outcome and I’m having to like him more than I thought I did.
Jacinda Ardern’s quote, “They are us”, was spoken in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque attacks and resonated around the world. In contrast, Trump was been selected as the most divisive US president ever in 2017 – he prefers ’them’ to ’us’. I know which country I would rather live in.
