The Bull Ring

ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝔼𝕝𝕠𝕟 𝕄𝕦𝕤𝕜 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕏 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕚𝕘𝕘𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕡𝕦𝕣𝕧𝕖𝕪𝕠𝕣𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕖𝕔𝕙 𝕓𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕒 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕓𝕝𝕖𝕞 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕥𝕙 — 𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕙𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕒𝕟 𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕣𝕖 𝕤𝕠𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕟𝕖𝕥𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜 𝕓𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕥 𝕠𝕟 𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕤 E lon Musk has trouble telling the truth. Whether he’s overpromising on what his companies can accomplish or twisting the facts about his own children, it’s clear he doesn’t feel constrained by reality, which is no doubt what made him into the mogul of misinformation he is today. Almost two years after Musk completed his $44 billion takeover of Twitter (now X), he and the platform — where he reigns not just as owner but the most-followed user — have become essential to the life cycle of incendiary falsehoods and conspiracy theories. While mainstream social media companies have long tried to prevent such content from gaining traction, leaving...

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟝 𝔸𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕒 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕣 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟝 𝔸𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕒 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕣: 𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜𝕤. I t’s the in-between year. MPs had 2024 to settle into their new roles, while in 2025, some drama and great change are expected in the political arena. Here is what to look out for in the year ahead. . . January 7: Written submissions close for the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill. This bill sparked the biggest protest Parliament has seen in decades, if not ever, in 2024 - with the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti. Since then, there have been major campaigns from groups both supporting and opposing the Treaty Principles Bill, holding “submissions workshops” and encouraging the public to write in to Parliament’s Justice Select Committee. It will be interesting to see how successful those campaigns have been, from the likes of Toitū Te Tiriti and Te Pāti Māori as well as the ACT Party and Hobso...

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℕℤ ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℕℤ ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕪: 𝔸𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕪𝕤𝕚𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕕𝕖𝕔𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪 T he New Zealand National Party, one of the two major political parties in New Zealand, has a long history of success in the country's political landscape. However, in recent years, the party has faced numerous challenges and setbacks that have led to a decline in support and a series of electoral defeats. This essay will explore the various factors that have contributed to the failure of the New Zealand National Party and examine the implications of these failures for the future of the party and New Zealand politics as a whole. . . One of the key factors that have contributed to the failure of the New Zealand National Party is leadership issues. The party has struggled to find a strong and charismatic leader who can effectively communicate the party's vision and co...

𝔻𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕪 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕘: ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕕𝕖𝕔𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 𝕎𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕤𝕦𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝔸𝕔𝕥 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕝𝕪 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕪 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕤, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕗𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕤 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕨𝕤 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕕𝕖𝕔𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕒𝕟 𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕦𝕝𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝟛𝟠.𝟘𝟠 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝟛𝟚.𝟡𝟜. T his is a significant fall. Most commentators identify three key liabilities for National. Its leader, Christopher Luxon, has poor communication skills and poor judgement, the economy appears to be deteriorating under his watch, and the public does not trust the Government to manage the public health system. National has had a busy year. They’ve delivered on many of their campaign promises, including rolling back most of the Labour Government's policies, cutting taxes and increasing transfer payments, laying off publi...