The Good Society is the home of my writing about how we can shape a better world together.
A detail from Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Renaissance fresco The Allegory of Good and Bad Government
The Post: Throwback Budget aiming for ‘holy grail’ target
Trickle-down economics, spending cuts and indvidualism are back, albeit in weaker form.
The Post: The ‘basic dignity’ of hospice care threatened by health crisis
The government doesn’t seem to want to plug a $16m shortfall.
The Spinoff: Once again, workers pay the price in the fight against inflation
That’s the legacy of a 5.1% inflation rate.
The Post: This best-selling book on ‘abundance’ has got it wrong
We have to accept that some things are scarce, and just building more is not the answer.
The Spinoff: A stocktake of all the policies rolling back workers’ rights in New Zealand
Subtly National has been chipping away at labour protections.
The Post: The challenge Trump’s tariffs pose for the progressive left
Even in failing, the tariffs could blacken the name of a beloved progressive policy.
The Spinoff: Is political trust ‘in crisis’? It depends
Trust was at its highest point just a few years ago, though we can’t be complacent.
The Post: Rearranging the road cones while workers are dying weekly
The health and safety minister’s decision puts corporate profits above lives.
The Spinoff: Note to ministers: cutting services doesn’t make need go away
Instead, it just shifts the needs onto others.
The Post: The economic recovery should start at home
National’s economic pitch, overly focussed on foreign investors, opens space for a progressive economic nationalism.