The NZ political left needs to take the “Abundance” debate seriously (as well as get involved in the contest of ideas, in general). A good letter to the Listener this week:
Tighten your belts, they say. Except when it comes to $2.7 billion toys. Austerity for the people, extravagance for the military. Bell’s cartoon today in The Post about the new “investment” in “subhunters”:
The Integrity Institute wants to foster more media scrutiny of vested interests and integrity issues in NZ. One of our first steps is to make grants to media outlets to pay for journalists to conduct in-depth investigations. This is the first Newsroom item. What do you think? (link below)
“Ruffling feathers in the political lobbying world” — today’s Post piece on The Integrity Institute pulls no punches. Not all of it’s flattering, but that’s the cost of poking at power. Still, I’m pleased this debate is happening in public.
Join the Fightback against Oligarchy in NZ! The Integrity Institute has been formed to scrutinise and challenge the dominance of the wealthy in the political process. Here’s my explanation of our orientation to discontent: democracyproject.substack.com/p/integrity-...
Danyl Mclauchlan interviewed me for his excellent Listener cover story (“Paradise Lost”) explaining New Zealand’s decline, drawing attention to the role of vested interests in corroding politics and economy. Here’s an excerpt about lobbying:
NZ has yet again slipped in the latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index released tonight – declining in score from 85 to 83/100, and dropping in the rankings from 3rd to 4th. NZ used to be #1. The trendline continues downward as seen in this graph showing NZ’s ranking over time
NZ has a cohesive business & political elite that can make deals and policies via matey networks. I recently posted about Shane Jones’ annual Waitangi party in which he hosts lobbyists etc. And here’s some insightful commentary on the topic from the Sunday Star Times editor Tracy Watkins:
Murdoch’s cartoon in The Post today on the Regulatory Standards Bill (and see my analysis piece published in The Post on Monday: www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3605...):
Today, I'm launching an exciting project: The Integrity Institute, an organisation dedicated to scrutinising and challenging vested interests in NZ politics. My first analysis piece on the Government’s Regulatory Standards Bill was published in The Post. Please let me know your thoughts! Or re-post!
Prof Mulgan had left the politics department at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka - The University of Otago by the time I studied there, but his work on the Royal Commission on the Electoral System literally remade how politics in Aotearoa NZ is experienced. Not a bad legacy to leave behind. 1/3
