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?
Denne historien er fra November 25 - December 1, 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra November 25 - December 1, 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
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.
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?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
