Hey!
It's a politics bonanza with the Greens' conference managing to outshine New Zealand First's one to the point we forgot to even mention it here. Metiria Turei's shock admission that she found it necessary to lie to Work and Income in order to avoid depriving her child came as a surprise to literally zero people familiar with our welfare system. National, unable to really criticise people not working for a living or claiming housing expenses, left it to proxy rules-hardout David Seymour to attack.
Also other policies recently announced by Labour and the Greens would slowly begin to un-munt the nation, and find support in unusual corners.
The odd politics of race and empire held by cardigan centrists gets a road-test, with darling Macron dropping some clangers. Radiohead shrug off the BDS movement's call to stand up, in one of the more shrugsome episodes in the band's history. Here's that story about Little Steven.
Hot n Spicy is back, baby. And here's that skateboard...
bumper music!
Dizzee Rascal - Wot U Gonna Do?
John Farnham - You're The Voice
Speedy Ortiz - Screen Gem
Feist - The Wind
Hello,
The bloody rugby! Am I right? Dan and Dave talk sport. Here's a link to a look at the future of football. Does rugby really influence domestic NZ politics?
The impalpable moral landscape of Bill English gets a feeling out from the media as drug decrim/legalisation appears on the horizon. Brands and conservatives talk the talk at Pride events but do they walk the walk?
Gareth Morgan appears on every visible surface like that scene in Malkovich while his political party advocates raising the drinking age. Is "I Told You So" synonymous with "evidence based policy"? Shane Jones gets a hat. And the left's quest for the centre cuts a swathe of disillusionment, but what on earth else can their voters do?
Bumper music;
Haim - Something To Tell You
Agent Fresco - See Hell
Sugababes - Round Round (nb; would this be 'kunekune' in te reo? write in pls)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Ballad of the Sin Eater (ps, read this amazing heartbreaking profile of Leo here, he's a hero)