Category: Foreign Affairs
I have decided to chance my arm on predicting what will happen in 2017. Before doing so however a word about the media, pollsters, elites, and experts, because overwhelmingly the public’s views on matters of public interest are conditioned by these entities.
2016 has been a year of significant political change. Establishment politics has been turned on its head. From the Brexit referendum in the UK, to the election of Donald Trump in the US, the shock waves kept coming.
On Election Day the US electorate delivered a crushing blow to the political establishment. Against all odds, the Republican candidate Donald Trump was elected to serve as the 45th American President.
It's stating the obvious to say Donald Trump’s win was historic. It's actually staggering from various perspectives, but 2016 has been a year of historical outcomes – including Brexit. Democracy though is a remarkable thing!
It’s great to be back in Auckland. I studied economics here in the ‘80s and I’m grateful to Auckland University for sparking my interest in how markets and institutions really work. The windsurfing was pretty good as well. As a newly minted economist I lived in Wellington for eight years working at the Treasury...
Last Saturday, Australian voters went to the polls to vote in a double dissolution election - only the sixth in the country’s history. The Prime Minister had made use of a constitutional mechanism designed to resolve deadlocks between the two Houses of Parliament.
The recent referendum on the whether or not Britain should leave the EU has captured the imagination of those with an interest in public affairs. It is being cited as a part of a pattern of international events, including the rise of Donald Trump in United States, and the failure of the Liberal Coalition to secure an election night majority in Australia.
After one of the most divisive campaigns in British history, the UK is now preparing for a future outside of the European Union. After 43 years as part of the alliance, the Brits surprised all predictions with 52 percent voting in favour of leaving.
No matter what happens next, last week’s stunning “LEAVE” vote on Brexit has permanently disrupted the status quo ante. Both the Conservative and Labour parties are facing major leadership changes; conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned, and Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn has been besieged by his shadow cabinet for his tepid support of the REMAIN option.
Politics is full of surprises. You only have to look at the US presidential race to see the truth in that statement. Here in New Zealand, last week’s announcement by Labour and the Greens, that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to showcase themselves as a viable ‘government-in-waiting’, was also a surprise.
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