When you think about it, democracy is really the tyranny of the majority. It is where the majority gets to impose it’s will on the minority, regardless of what is right or proper. This was made obvious to me in 1999 when Labour campaigned on introducing extra taxes for the “rich” (ostensibly to improve health), [...]

Today, the Maori party are negotiating with National. Whatever happens at this meeting (and, knowing our Maori folk, it will be the start of a series of huis), the meeting itself is historic. There is still an enormous amount of distrust of National amongst the Maori people, much of it instilled by Labour’s fear-mongering to [...]

In Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Adams describes the ultimate bureaucrat, the Vogon thus: A Vogon would not lift a finger to save his own grandmother from the Ravenous Bug-blatter Beast of Traal without orders signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, lost, found, queried, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried [...]