Gaza needs democracy without elections

By Iain Walker, March 14, 2024, published by the Jerusalem Post. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives regular criticism for failing to share the plan for Gaza after the military role concludes. The lack of an official position on this subject could stem from the fact that all over options are unattractive, and so a new approach is...Continue reading

Convene a Citizens’ Assembly to Address Housing Affordability

By Luca Belgiorno-Nettis, 4 March 2024, published by The Mandarin. The issue of housing affordability isn’t going away – even though it seemed that the Albanese Government had settled the matter last year. Now the Greens are baulking over the ‘Help to Buy’ bill. In September, the government passed what it described as ”Landmark legislation...

A trail of one-upmanship

By Luca Belgiorno-Nettis, in The Mandarin 3/8/2023 The way we do politics is all wrong, and the Voice highlights how bone-headed our system is. As the political scientist and my former co-director, Ian Marsh, said: ‘Firstly, political incentives undercut bipartisanship. Secondly, since the primary channel for the leaders is the media, there is no systemic ability to...Continue reading

Citizens’ juries can help fix democracy

Citizens’ juries can help fix democracy Western polities are ailing — deliberative assemblies would revivify them By Martin Wolf “Brexit has failed.” This is now the view of Nigel Farage, the man who arguably bears more responsibility for the UK’s decision to leave the EU than anybody else. He is right, not because the Tories...Continue reading

Quarterly Essay Correspondence

Quarterly Essay 83 Lone Wolf Correspondence Luca Belgiorno-Nettis The subtitle of Katharine Murphy’s Lone Wolf – “Albanese and the new politics” – is a tease. “New” works every time: new toothpaste, new art, new idea. There was little that was particularly new in the political campaigning of 2022 – except what catapulted six freshly minted...

Do we need a better system for rationing healthcare?

Saxon Connor is a Christchurch surgeon. The views expressed in this column are personal and do not represent those of his employers. OPINION: There is now widespread disruption to the provision of hospital-based healthcare across Aotearoa. The underlying cause is not simply the increased demand from the COVID-19 and influenza. As a nation we have accepted...Continue reading

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