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UNCIVIL WAR - Unholy constitutional conflagration rages on in Aotearoa New Zealand
John McLean comments on the attacks on New Zealand democracy and Parliamentary supremacy. “The conflict is hot and will only get hotter. Figurative flames, ballistics and scalding hot air are blasting from multiple flues, in every direction. In all the hullabaloo, woo-woo, boo-hoo and utu, few have a clue about this attempted coup”.
How does PM John Key’s legacy rate? (Waikanae Watch)
Author and former journalist and editor of several magazines, Tony Orman takes a scathing look at the John Key-led government, highlighting failures in financial management and breaches of democratic governance.
Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Politicians need to lift their game (Democracy Project)
Jacqui Van Der Kaay, former journalist who holds a master’s degree in political science from Victoria University of Wellington, argues that the ongoing number and breadth of integrity issues across all political parties demands change. “Doing nothing will only cause voters’ trust in politicians and the institution they are part of to decline, along with voter participation, and this can only be bad for democracy in New Zealand”.
The War on Words: a threat to democracy (Cranmer’s Substack)
Political commentator Philp Crump argues that excessive regulation of speech poses not only a risk to free expression but is also a threat to democracy itself.
Hastings Gets it Wrong (Peter’s Substack)
Peter Williams comments on the undemocratic nature of the Hastings District Council decision to allow members of the Hastings Youth Council to vote on council committees.
'Trust me: I know best.' (Free Speech Union)
The 2023 New Zealand Election Study, the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, and a report from StatsNZ, show that politicians and journalists have reached a new low in the public standing. Nick Hanne of the Free Speech Union writes that “This is a problem - democracy doesn't fare well when trust is at a deficit”.