Let's twist again
New Zealand Listener|November 25 - December 1, 2023
Waiting for an announcement about who gets what in our new government is enough to send anyone around the bend.
Michele Hewitson
Let's twist again

Have you lost the will to live yet? Don't bother answering. That's a rhetorical question. We have all lost the will to live. At the time of writing - having to write that is the very definition of having lost the will to live - we have been waiting a month for something, anything, to happen. We are all still locked in that room with the clock that stopped on election night.

As political tactics go, it's not a bad strategy. If we've all lost the will to live we won't care about the outcome of National's cobbled-together government, as long as something, anything, happens. Oh, they all agreed Winston Peters can be President for Life? Whatever. Now, can we go back to our lives?

Scoff not. Stranger things have happened in politics. Donald Trump became the president of the United States, and may yet be president again. Meanwhile, in Britain, former Tory prime minister David Cameron has just been made foreign secretary. Cameron was arguably Britain's most divisive leader since Margaret Thatcher because of his bonkers Brexit referendum on leaving the European Union.

Cameron is not even an MP any more. He had banked on Britain voting to stay, and went off in an almighty huff after the vote didn't go his way. No matter. Cameron can be in the Cabinet again, though not in the House of Commons, by being made a peer and sitting in the House of Lords. Political commentator and associate editor of Britain's The Spectator, Rod Liddle, said Cameron's appointment was like "pulling a dead rabbit out of a hat". So there you go: why not Peters as President for Life?

WHERE'S WINSTON?

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView all
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024