Word of the day

Forblissed – extremely happy; filled with happiness.

Sowell says

and one nation or civilization to another

— Thomas Sowell Wisdom (@TheThomasSowell) November 22, 2023

Did you see the one about . . ?

I still have far too many open tabs to deal with, here’s a few of them:

The inequality debate we should be having – Roger Partridge

Our right to speak – SLP, SLT (anon)

The deficit diaries, six years of red – Oliver Hartwich & Bryce Wilkinson

Neil deGrasse Tyson goes after women’s-only spaces – Jerry Coyne

Faded prestige – Theodore Dalrymple

Love language of politics, how to decode a coalition agreement – Oliver Hartiwch

Brown supremacist bluff and threats – Peter Hemmingson,

It’s about critiquing power, stupid –  Mike Grimshaw

 

No time to be lost

Providing the boards of the National, Act and NZ First parties accept the agreements their leaders have signed, the new government will be confirmed today and Christopher Luxon will be Prime Minister.

Who gets which ministerial position will be of interest to political tragics but what is far more important is the coalition government’s policies.

The late Sir Robert Muldoon lacked ambition when he said he wanted to leave the country no worse than when he took over. That would have been preferable to what the outgoing government has left – a far worse state than when it was elected.

The new government faces multiple big challenges which need urgent attention and it will be severely constrained in what it can spend in addressing them.

All three parties and all their MPs will need to be disciplined, focused and intent on leaving the country in a far better state than it is now.