When the political left uses a class analysis to consider the nature of capitalism in its various forms, it usually sees it as being based on the relationship between labour and capital with the latter controlling and benefiting from the surplus value of the former. At its core this class analysis characterises capitalism as beingContinue reading “What’s behind cruelty to animals”
Author Archives: otaihangasecondopinion
Structured literacy – how rigidity flows from ideology
On 18 June an earlier Political Bytes post discussed the ideological framework in which the government has required schools to restrict their teaching of literacy to what is called ‘structured literacy’ (ie, exclusively phonics): Hegemony, meaning and structured literacy. Hegemony: how the rulers rule the ruled I used hegemony in the context of when thoseContinue reading “Structured literacy – how rigidity flows from ideology”
Keith Locke: Hard on issues; soft on people
One of the outstanding union leaders of the late 20th and early 21st centuries made many wise observations. The one that registered with me the most was the importance of being ‘hard on the issues but soft on the people’. That person was Peter Conway. He was active in private sector unionism for many yearsContinue reading “Keith Locke: Hard on issues; soft on people”
Hegemony, meaning and structured literacy
One of the big political influences on me has been Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937). He was a courageous revolutionary and anti-fascist activist whose premature death was directly linked to a lengthy imprisonment, while in poor health, under Benito Mussolini’s fascist government. Gramsci was also a remarkable and creative intellectual perhaps most noted for hisContinue reading “Hegemony, meaning and structured literacy”
How should New Zealand respond to the United State States’ false terrorism accusations
The United States is planning to take an action in Congress to continue its formal recognition of the false accusation that Cuba supports international terrorism. This is the ‘State Sponsors of Terrorism List’ administered by the US State Department. There are three other countries on this infamous selective list – Iran, Syria and North Korea.Continue reading “How should New Zealand respond to the United State States’ false terrorism accusations”
Fishing exploitation and the Origins of Capitalism
Andrea Vance is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s standout investigative journalists and columnists. Her political columns are value based, sharp and invariably hit the mark. But it is her environmental, including oceanic, investigative pieces that impress even more. Her writings are empirically based and well-researched. Vance really drills down into issues. Andrea Vance highlights massiveContinue reading “Fishing exploitation and the Origins of Capitalism”
Cuba and New Zealand: a relationship worthy of strengthening
Cuba and Aotearoa New Zealand have some similarities as small island nations (in different hemispheres) and with small populations (over 11,000 and 5,000 respectively). On the other hand, geographically they are far apart and with different political, economic and cultural histories. The dynamic of the Cuban Revolution (including its earlier revolutionary movements) is central toContinue reading “Cuba and New Zealand: a relationship worthy of strengthening”
Reflecting on Maximilien Robespierre and other things
Reading an article on Maximilien Robespierre published in the New York Review of Books (23 June 2022) has led me to reflect (or more accurately, further reflect) on both my short time as an active member of a far left political organisation in New Zealand in the early 1970s and the state of the wider leftContinue reading “Reflecting on Maximilien Robespierre and other things”
Function versus form: public service cuts
The National-led coalition government is undertaking a brutal assault on the public service by implementing blunt arbitrary cuts on public service staffing. The cuts are intended to be up to 7.5% but in some ministries and departments it could be higher. Its official justification is that there is too much ‘fat’ in the public service.Continue reading “Function versus form: public service cuts”
From overcoming ‘bonkers’ to a political pickle
Labour’s landslide victory in the 2020 general election meant that it became the first majority government in Aotearoa New Zealand since the introduction of proportional representation in 1996. If someone had said then it would not only be voted out but also thrashed in the next election, the response would have overwhelmingly been ‘bonkers’, orContinue reading “From overcoming ‘bonkers’ to a political pickle”
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