New Zealand on the map by Angela Caldin
There was a time when quite a lot of people were vague about where exactly New Zealand was. Somewhere down at the bottom of the world was a good guess; fairly near Australia perhaps. Sometimes maps of the world left New Zealand off altogether, as though its two islands just a bit bigger than the UK were too insignificant to bother about. Containing the virus But in the last few months New Zealand’s stock has risen dramatically, because under the leadership of prime minister Jacinda Ardern, Covid-19 has to all intents and… Read More
The decline and fall of Paula Bennett by Susan Grimsdell
One of the wonderful strengths of our political system is the peaceful transfer of power. We don’t get rid of a leader by killing him or her. Instead, the defeated candidate steps down, following long-established protocols, and often expresses respect and praise for the new person. Democracy rules There are no guns or armed insurgents ready to assassinate the outgoing politician. It’s unthinkable to even imagine such a thing. The procedure is based on respect for democracy and is carried out with courtesy. While watching it happen, we all get confirmation that… Read More
Staying alert by Angela Caldin
I’m living in New Zealand at the moment, but I’ve been following developments in the UK as well. On TV here, there’s an adaption of Eleanor Catton’s Man Booker prizewinning novel The Luminaries. I read this book when it first came out and couldn’t put it down. The only problem was that when I arrived breathless at the end, I had no idea what was going on among the huge cast of characters. It was good therefore to understand from the first episode on TV that two of the main protagonists, Anna… Read More
The letter of the law versus the spirit of the law by Susan Grimsdell
The NZ Herald reports a South Island mayor urging farmers who have claimed the government wage subsidy during the shutdown, to repay the money. Prices have held, there has been no actual loss. One farmer with a conscience has given back $177,000 he said he had claimed “just in case”. The letter of the law The policy states that money is available if the claimant experienced an actual or “predicted” loss of revenue of one third in any month over the 6-month period January to June compared with last year. This is… Read More
