The Bull Ring

Jacinda Ardern Remains A Polarising Figure. 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘈𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘢: 𝘈𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘰-𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 2025 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘪𝘳, 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘰, 𝘗𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. Published By Bruce Alpine. 𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 . J acinda Ardern, New Zealand's former prime minister from 2017 to 2023, remains a profoundly polarising figure at home two years after her shock resignation.  Once hailed globally as a beacon of empathetic leadership, she now divides Kiwis sharply: admirers laud her crisis handling and progressive vision, while detractors—often fueled by right-wing and hater echo-chambers...

SCOTUS Checks Trump's Power On Illegal Agendas 𝗨𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗮𝘄: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 Opinion: Bruce Alpine - Respecting the Supreme Court in Trump's America Published By Bruce Alpine: 𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 . 𝗜 magine: If men were angels, no government would be necessary.  Yet every authoritarian regime in history has sprung from one man's concealed ambitions.  Constitutions and laws, faithfully upheld, stand as the bulwark against such perils. In the turbulent landscape of American politics, where President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda often pushes the boundaries of executive power, the Supreme Court's role as the ultimate arbiter of the Constitution...

Labour's CGT: A Global Lesson In Fairness For Aotearoa's Future 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿'𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗚𝗧 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗘𝗖𝗗 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀: 𝗡𝗭 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲 Published By Bruce Alpine . 𝗧 he New Zealand Labour Party's pledge to campaign on a capital gains tax (CGT) for the 2026 election marks a pivotal shift toward equity, targeting profits from residential and commercial property sales post-July 2027 at 28%—exempting family homes and farms.  Projected to raise $500 million annually for three free GP visits, it's a direct antidote to healthcare strains and housing woes.  Leader Chris Hipkins calls it "progressive and simple," aligning NZ with the Western world's norm. John Minas i...

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...