
Chris Trotter
Writer and Contributor at Stuff.co.nz
Columnist and Commentator at Freelance
Blogger at Bowalley Road
Contributor at The Daily Blog
Chris Trotter is a weekly political columnist and commentator. On occasion he's also been known to sing.
Articles
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6 days ago |
interest.co.nz | Chris Trotter |Gareth Vaughan |David Hargreaves
By Chris Trotter*“Your mission, Mr Hipkins, should you choose to accept it, is to lead Labour to victory in 2026.” Except, as always, the drama of a Mission Impossible movie lies not in the what, but in the how. Of course Chris Hipkins is willing to lead Labour to a win. The real question is whether or not he is prepared to do what it takes to make the election of a stable and credible centre-left government something more than an impossible mission. What will it take?
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1 week ago |
interest.co.nz | Chris Trotter |Gareth Vaughan |David Hargreaves
By Chris Trotter*The perennial problem with budgets is the political noise that accompanies them. The Government of the day devotes tremendous energy to massaging public expectations. The news media struggles to present itself simultaneously as soothsayer, expert, and advocate. Interest groups attempt to insert themselves into the increasingly cacophonous budget conversation. Meanwhile, the citizens on the receiving end of all this noise grow increasingly frustrated and bewildered.
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3 weeks ago |
interest.co.nz | Chris Trotter |Gareth Vaughan |David Hargreaves
By Chris Trotter*The Labour Party has a problem with ‘c’ words, not the least of which is ‘consistency’. It’s not a small problem: not when maintaining a consistent stance of matters economic, cultural and political is such a crucial aspect of rebuilding the electorate’s trust. Certainly, inconsistency raises questions of judgement and competence. A political party caught speaking out of both sides on its mouth on key issues will soon find itself in trouble – big trouble.
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3 weeks ago |
interest.co.nz | Chris Trotter |Gareth Vaughan |David Hargreaves
By Chris Trotter*The National Party will pay a high price for its intervention in the Pay Equity process. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive of a cause celebre more suited to the dominant political passions of the Labour Party. Nor, indeed of the Council of Trade Union’s largest affiliates: the Public Service Association, the Nurses Union, and the two big teacher unions (PPTA and NZEI).
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1 month ago |
interest.co.nz | Chris Trotter |Gareth Vaughan |David Hargreaves
By Chris Trotter*Was it Trump? Was it Dutton? Was it the Liberal-National Party? Or, was it yet another example of just how easy it is to underestimate Anthony Albanese? Having listened to “Albo’s” victory speech, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the Australian Labor leader’s packaging is as important as the product it contains. No one beholding Albanese for the first time is ever likely to mistake him for a politician fabricated in the same Labor factory as Gough Whitlam.
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New Zealand media are describing the declaration of a national emergency as only the third in our history. Actually it's the fourth. PM Sid Holland declared a state of emergency in 1951 under the Public Safety Conservation Act to crush the Watersiders Union.

Scott Hamilton clearly hasn't read my condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine posted at https://t.co/6ShFmnf7L8 on Monday. An apology is due, I think. Here's the link. https://t.co/ie8jX4xAUl

A better New Zealand becomes possible only when its citizens muster sufficient democratic force to guarantee themselves a fair hearing. https://t.co/rSpdHlDNob https://t.co/SGj53gAdzG