The Bull Ring

ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕦𝕣𝕘𝕖 𝕃𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕥𝕠 𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕪. 𝕀𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕪𝕡𝕠𝕔𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝? 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕪 𝕚𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕣 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕦𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕚𝕝 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟛 𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟. T he National Party has called on Labour to unveil its policies for the 2026 New Zealand general election, emphasizing the need for transparency and giving voters clear insight into potential governing plans.   In a pointed critique, National leaders have lambasted Labour's perceived foot-dragging, contrasting it with their own history of early and frequent policy announcements.  They argue that proactive releases foster vital public discourse on pressing matters like the economy, housing affordability, and law enforcement, ultimately framing N...

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕠𝕗 ℙ𝕠𝕡𝕦𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 ℙ𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕤 ℙ𝕠𝕡𝕦𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡'𝕤 𝕚𝕞𝕞𝕚𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕫𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℙ𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤' 𝕄ā𝕠𝕣𝕚/𝕚𝕞𝕞𝕚𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕤𝕔𝕒𝕡𝕖𝕘𝕠𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕕𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕪, 𝕕𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕤𝕠𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕤, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕞 𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕖𝕤—𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕟𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝕥𝕠𝕩𝕚𝕔. 𝗘 xtreme right-wing political leaders were promising populist policies to court voters, positioning themselves as saviors of the "common folk" against entrenched elites.  Leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump and Aotearoa's New Zealand First leader Winston Peters and ACT's David Seymour along with Orbán's Hungary and Bolsonaro's Brazil exemplified this surge, blending nationalist fervor with anti-establishment rhetoric. While it taps into real frustrations over inequality and globalization, its downsides are profound, eroding democracy, stal...

𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡𝕤 𝔸𝕞𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒: 𝔸 𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕧𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘. 𝔸𝕞𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒 𝕚𝕟 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟝: 𝔻𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕫𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕗𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕠𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕥𝕪, 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝/𝕘𝕦𝕟 𝕧𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕖𝕣𝕦𝕡𝕥𝕤, 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕤𝕠𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕤 𝕔𝕣𝕦𝕤𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕛𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪'𝕤 𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡'𝕤 𝕕𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕕, 𝕧𝕠𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟. 𝗣 icture a land where trust shatters like glass underfoot, where every headline ignites fury, and families splinter over Fox vs. MSNBC. This is Trumps America—a seething cauldron of polarization, where 80% see deep rifts on core values, up 9 points since June, and 83% declare it worse than five years ago.  Republicans (89%) tout progress; Democrats (78%) wail decline, turning Project 2025's conservative mandates into partisan grenades. Fox News poll criticizes the Trump administration for worsening the U.S. economy. Social divides gape wide: Rur...

ℙ𝕠𝕝𝕝: ℂ𝕠𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ℂ𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕥𝕠 ℙ𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕤 𝔸𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕧𝕒𝕝𝕤 ℙ𝕝𝕦𝕟𝕘𝕖 𝕋𝕍𝟙/𝕍𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖: ℂ𝕠𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕔𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕛𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪; 𝕃𝕦𝕩𝕠𝕟/ℍ𝕚𝕡𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕤 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕧𝕒𝕝𝕤 𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕕 𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕔 𝕡𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕞. 𝗧 he latest 1News-Verian poll , conducted from October 4 to 8, surveyed 1,014 eligible voters in New Zealand (a mix of mobile phone random dialing and online panels).  It has a margin of error of about ±3.1% at the 95% confidence level.  The results show relatively stable party support, with the governing right-leaning coalition (National, ACT, New Zealand First) maintaining a slim majority in projected seats.  However, approval ratings for both major party leaders—Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins—have declined sharply since earlier 2025 polls, reflecting growing public dissatisfaction amid economic challenges like a recent GDP contraction...

𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝔽𝕦𝕣𝕪: 𝔽𝕠𝕩 𝕄𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝔹𝕖 𝕄𝕪 𝕌𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕕 𝕄𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕡𝕚𝕖𝕔𝕖, ℕ𝕠𝕥 𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕕 ℕ𝕖𝕨𝕤 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕤 𝔽𝕠𝕩 ℕ𝕖𝕨𝕤 𝕒𝕤 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕕 𝕞𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕡𝕚𝕖𝕔𝕖, 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕫𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕝𝕠𝕪𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕪 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕓𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕒 𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕖. 𝗗 onald Trump’s latest Truth Social screed against Fox News exposes a core truth: He doesn’t crave a “fair and balanced” press—he demands one that parrots his every word without question.  On October 5, amid a government shutdown standoff, Trump erupted over Peter Doocy’s interview with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) on healthcare costs and expiring tax credits.  “Why is FoxNews and Peter Doocy putting on Democrat Senator Mark Kelly to talk about, totally unabated or challenged, Healthcare?”  He fumed, branding it “FAKE SPIN” that’s “so bad for Republicans” and warning Fox to “get on board, or get off board, NOW!” This wasn’t journalism’s si...

ℕℤ ℙ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕤: 𝕃𝕦𝕩𝕠𝕟 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕥 ℍ𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕃𝕠𝕨𝕤, 𝟜𝟡% 𝕊𝕖𝕖 𝕎𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝔻𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟. ℝ𝕖𝕔𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕤 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝔸𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕒'𝕤 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝-𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕘𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝟜𝟠-𝟜𝟡% 𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕪 𝕒𝕤 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕕𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕃𝕦𝕩𝕠𝕟'𝕤 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕧𝕒𝕝 𝕒𝕥 -𝟙𝟝%, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕤𝕦𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕠𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕥 𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝟜𝟠%. 𝗪 ith the election roughly a year away, polls reveal eroding confidence in the coalition government and record-low ratings for Prime Minister Luxon, alongside widespread views that the country is veering off course. As of October, recent opinion polls indicate that the National-led coalition government (National, ACT, and New Zealand First) is facing significant public dissatisfaction.  A consistent majority of respondents believe the country is heading in the "wrong direction" un...