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We discuss the failed Treaty Principles Bill and potential for a geopolitical restructuring in the political economy instigated by Trump's tariffs. Where to from here? How can we make the most of the moment? This episode’s co-hosts Philip, Ginny, Simone Timestamps 0:00 Opening 1:41 David Losing the People 9:24 Global Discourse of Treaty Principles 23:44 Tariffs 37:21 Pacific Partnership  50:2...

We guest Paris Marx for thoughts about the upcoming Canadian Election with parallels to the electoral situations across the rest of the west. Paris is in NZ and talking on April 10!: https://digitalsovereignty.lilregie.com/booking/attendees/new This episode’s co-hosts Kyle, Philip, Paris Timestamps 0:00 Opening 0:53 Canadian Polling 5:44 Mark Carney 10:00 Chris Hipkins 16:00 Worries of Carney 21:1...

We discuss the continuing atrocities in Gaza, the blackbagging of activists across the west and declining US hegemony accelerated by an absurd tariffs regime. Closer to home we touch on the Treaty Bill submissions and the horrific hit job on a Green MP by far right muckrakers and politicians. This episode’s co-hosts Kyle, Simone, Pmax, Josephine Timestamps 0:00 Opening 1:58 On Gaza 9:36 “Condemn H...

We spoke with Kate from Justice for Palestine and Lulu from Stop Arming Israel about the ongoing genocide and apartheid in Palestine. They took us through the strategy and purpose of their current BDS Divestment campaign targeting ASB Bank for its investments in Motorola. https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/don-t-bank-on-apartheid-asb-kiwisaver-divest-from-illegal-israeli-settlements-or-we-...

FROM THE ARCHIVES! This episode was originally published on our old platform, and alongside many others didn’t survive the migration. But with RocketLab and US military concerns again on the agenda, we’ve decided to republish. In a flashback episode from season 1, this is an interview with Philip and Branko spoke with Oliver Neas in 2019 about RocketLab launches and the precedents being set for NZ...

Waning trust in media alongside a failure to uphold standards and whitewashed investigations has NZ outlets in a bad spot. We discuss the examples of negative framing for Tamatha Paul’s comments about police, and the direct engagement between media leadership and far-right astro-turf groups. When will NZ political and media leadership pull in line with the electorate and reject the accelerating fa...

We start with a school lunch update. The NZ Govt is trying to take back control of the economic narrative with an Infrastructure Summit, amid global trade uncertainty. The UK Labour Party is abolishing 'NHS England' and making life harder for disabled people. This episode’s co-hosts Philip, Pmax, Simone Timestamps 0:00 Opening 2:29 School Lunches 13:42 Nationals Failures 20:10 Nothing Infrastructu...

As Callaghan Innovation prepares to shut up shop it’s making one last pitch - a hackathon to design a “NZ DOGE”. What the fuck does that even mean? And what is happening with the transplant of US tech culture and propaganda into the NZ discourse? This episode’s co-hosts Kyle, Olivier Timestamps 0:00 Opening 3:05 Americanized Language 7:25 NZ Exceptionalism 12:58 NZME  19:31 DOGE 24:25 Selling...

We get the chance to swing at Labour for their latest fumbled PR and what looks like a signal of further centrism. School lunches remain on the agenda as one student gets second degree burns. And multiple high profile political roles are on the way out. This episode’s co-hosts Simone, Kyle Timestamps 0:00 Opening 0:45 Labours Fumbling 8:24 Campaign Mode 21:46 Aggressive Centrism 24:38 School Lunch...

We discuss genocide, tracking the history of the concept and definition into the present day. This episode’s co-hosts Kyle, Kieran Timestamps 0:00 Opening 2:29 Raphael Lemkin 10:52 A Process  16:20 Divided Genocidal Actions 18:52 Mass Killing 24:39 Colonialism 28:35 Legal Prohibition 35:30 Charging Genocide Against the US 41:10 The Crime of Crimes 44:53 Prosecution 56:55 Resistance 1:02:00 Di...

The media/pol class are finally admitting that Luxon is not fit for purpose, while his coalition partners go from disaster to disaster, and his own Ministers propose wildly destructive policy. Meanwhile, NZ still isn’t anywhere near close to the speed of decline faced by the US. This episode’s co-hosts Simone, Pmax, Philip, Kyle Timestamps 0:00 Opening 1:20 Luxons LinkedIn Speak  7:46 School...

Last weekend Destiny Church was directed by their leader, Brian Tamaki, to undertake terrorism. They duly complied, storming a library to attack a children’s story event, injuring at least one person and forcing children and caregivers to barricade themselves in a room. We discuss the conditions that led to this and the need for a strong, ongoing response in the face of a political and media clima...

We discuss the destruction of public services in Education and Health and the purely extractive nature of neoliberal privatisation. We then peer through time (at the current situation in the US) to understand where these decisions by the National Party coalition government are going to end up. This episode’s co-hosts Kyle, Gigi, Ginny, Simone Timestamps 0:00 Introductions 4:04 School Lunches 12:55...

We weigh in on the accelerating fascist destruction of the administrative state in the US and consider how this impacts NZ, possible steps to take, and the way that media and politics here is being set up in a way to clear the path for rabid extraction and decline, particularly via the ACT Party. https://mickhall.substack.com/p/natos-strategy-engaging-civil-society This episode’s co-hosts Josephin...

We talk education and ECE reforms, the issues with Labour alongside the role of unions, and the news about ex ACT Party President Tim Jago having name suppression lifted after 2.5 years, following his convictions for sexually abusing two teenage boys in the 1990s. Content warning for sexual abuse, rape (confined to the last 20 minutes) This episode’s co-hosts Philip , Simone , Pmax Timestamps 0:00...

We discuss the current state of western politics, modern day fascism and its roots. https://ongenocide.com/ Afterword: a couple of extra thoughts from Kieran Firstly, I was unduly harsh about Karl Popper’s Open Society and its Enemies . I disagree strongly with the central premise of the book, but I recall thinking that there were some good valid points made by Popper. Secondly, I regret not expan...

With Trump’s inauguration so close what did the Biden presidency offer the world and what impacts might we see under a president roundly labelled as an outright fascist? Why are all the political parties in “western democracies” so avidly breaking institutional norms for reactionary reasons? This episode’s co-hosts Branko , Kyle Timestamps 0:00 Introductions 1:03 Branko on Biden 7:09 Trump Side Ef...

We speak with Katrina Mitchell-Kouttab about the history of Palestine and the work of Palestinians and Palestine advocates in NZ over the last 18 months. https://www.aljazeera.com/where/palestine/ https://www.palestinechronicle.com/ https://www.ochaopt.org/ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bashsoftware.boycott&hl=en_NZ&pli=1 https://bdsmovement.net/ This episode’s co-hosts...

What are the early signs of discourse for 2025, and what might they signal in politics and culture for the year ahead? This episode’s co-hosts Kyle, Ginny , Simone Timestamps 0:00 Introductions 1:25 Christopher Nolan’s Homer’s Odyssey 12:05 “Historic Western” Content 28:35 Capitalism Art 35:56 SEO Art 39:11 Nosferatu The Movie  44:09 Handing Out Cookies 46:19 Imperialism Come Home 54:11 Ship...

Will the rightwing implode in 2025 or is it all theatre? What’s on the cards for Western and NZ politics as we enter a new year. This episode’s co-hosts Simone , Kyle , Ginny Timestamps 0:00 Introductions 1:39 Leopards Eating Blue Checks 11:58 Deindustrialization 22:49 Soldier Worship  29:20 Sinophobic Rhetoric  37:14 Worst Government Since ‘91  48:55 What Can I Do 54:48 Start-Up In...

In the final(??) current events episode for the year we discuss the ways in which western politics, especially on the rightwing, is intentionally creating a policy framework to support fascism. We talk education, criminality, the alignment of capital with the far right, and try to think of some high points. This episode’s co-hosts Ginny , Simone , Kyle Timestamps 0:00 Introductions 2:13 Police Cha...

Oliver Neas spent months this year investigating and conducting interviews to reveal what happened behind the scenes before & after the Wellington council debated selling shares in their own airport. We discussed what processes & principles were at play, how the issue connects to local economy governance, and how best to treat these debates in your community. Before listening, please read...

Pmax’s thoughts on students and teachers at the TPB hīkoi.

The Commerce Commission gets slightly more aggressive as the supermarket duopoly and government lean into failed, repressive carceral policy. The alleged UHC shooter has been caught -what does this mean for populism? TPM’s vote share looks to be on the rise, Māori continue to be the most likely electoral party for driving change. And the spectre of climate change is becoming a very violent polterg...

We host freelance reporter Glen Johnson and genocide researcher Kieran Kelly to discuss the recent events in Syria and what it might mean for the region. This episode’s co-hosts Kyle, Philip, Glen , Kieran Timestamps 0:00 Introductions 1:25 Background on Syria 5:29 US Hegemony in the Region  8:12 Unexpected Pace 11:45 Regime Plausible Deniability  15:20 Regional Politics 19:57 Impact of...