James Robins
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Hey Ed, you can stay at my house
I have a one bedroom apartment in the middle of Auckland. It’s small but has character, and I have a spare mattress on which you, Mr Snowden, are more than welcome to crash in the coming weeks and months.I can’t protect him from the powers that be, ...
June 12, 8:56 pm -
A change in scenery
I’d like to announce a career change.By term one of the next school year, I’ll have found a job at a brand-spanking-new charter school: brought to you courtesy of John Banks, his wealthy pals, and a pliant government determined to a rort an educatio...
June 6, 2:14 pm -
The National: Trouble Will Find Me
The NationalTrouble Will Find Me5/5Although it’s become an illusory term for a misinformed and nostalgic sense of empowerment, The American Dream was once a catch-all for slavish determination.Despite the rarity of such a work-ethic now, The Nationa...
May 29, 7:38 pm -
London attack: Was it terrorism?
I’ve always had respect for Glenn Greenwald –his ability to roam as an apolitical figure in a field of partisan bias is excellent, and his defense of civil liberties is indisputable. But his excuse-making and proselytizing for Islamic extremism went...
May 27, 1:11 pm -
AP, DOJ, GCSB
I've joined Twitter. Follow me here: @James_ARobins“Freedom of the Press, if it means anything at all, means the freedom to criticize and oppose” – George OrwellIt finally happened. Most of us had suspicions, but it’s really happened.It’s long been ...
May 15, 2:33 pm -
Gilmore, Gilmore & Gilmore: public relations experts
I've joined Twitter. Follow me here: @James_ARobinsAs if we needed convincing, Aaron Gilmore, on the eve of his resignation from the echo-chamber halls of Parliament, just can’t handle the truth.First came the woeful non-apologetic apology that conv...
May 14, 1:32 pm -
Gilmore, Horan, and Wilson the Volleyball
Follow me on Twitter: @James_ARobinsIn Castaway, the bizarre film that sees a man stranded on a desert island, Tom Hanks constructs an imaginary friend named Wilson made from a discarded volleyball, which he then becomes distressingly attached to.To...
May 10, 1:12 pm -
Hell hath no fury like a liberal scorned
I've joined Twitter. Feel free to follow me @James_ARobinsAlmost a month on from The Great Queer Victory, a reality check is needed.I almost thought we’d run away with the loot when gay marriage was legalised. The reaction was limited and the Holy R...
May 7, 2:36 pm -
The land of the big gay rainbow
UPDATE 3/5/13: I've joined Twitter! Feel free to follow me here @James_ARobinsWell, two men or two women are allowed to be married, and as far as I can tell, the skies have not yet fallen in.It’s the morning after (so to speak) and the crops haven’t...
April 18, 7:27 pm -
Could he save our schools? An interview with Chris Hipkins
He’s Labour’s chief kneecapper, education maestro, and has taken on the Novopay scandal with much gusto considering the magnitude of the situation. James Robins asks who Chris Hipkins is, and does he want the best for our kids? (Edited by Grace Brad...
April 4, 2:35 pm -
Coming out swinging: An interview with Clay Nelson
UPDATE 6/5/13: I've joined Twitter! Feel free to follow me here @James_ARobinsLouisa Wall’s bid to legalise gay marriage passed another parliamentary hurdle this week after a vote of 77-44 in favour. As the home stretch beckons, James Robins sits do...
March 15, 1:10 pm -
Irreducibly Complex: Religion vs. Education
It’s commonly known that children love fairytales.Even nursery rhymes, superhero stories, and epic fables can stir a young imagination.But we don’t teach our children that Batman is real, nor do we think that a wolf has the ability to gobble up then...
March 12, 7:55 am -
From the rubble: an interview with Bob Parker
As the Second Anniversary of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake drew near, James Robins sat down with Bob Parker to reflect on the Mayor’s experiences, the challenges currently facing the city, and where the community is headed for the future...
February 22, 7:41 am -
An open letter to Richard Prosser
UPDATED 12/2/12 8.07PMDear Mr Richard Prosser,You recently called for a ban on Muslims travelling in aeroplanes, and while your fears are reasonable, I’d like to take a minute and explain why you’re nothing more than a xenophobe hiding in the underg...
February 12, 5:02 pm -
My Bloody Valentine: Is it anything?
My Bloody Valentine have always appeared, according to John Calvert, “stranded, much like the God-note, in a state of nothing”.What little exists of their music has always inhabited that strange, surreal inner-space that defies definition for those ...
February 5, 5:21 pm -
Beware Rihanna fans - Skynet is operational!
I don’t think I’ve ever felt so sorry for a Rihanna fan before.I certainly feel sympathy for anyone drawn in to her Carribean charms – despite the awful tunes – but yesterday’s first fine under the Skynet laws will hopefully cast a skeptical eye ove...
January 31, 12:24 pm -
Hazza's secret weapon: thumbs
As if we needed more reasons for nutty old white men to think that videogames are responsible for mass shootings, Prince Harry reckons playing FIFA makes him good at killing people.Or as Gawker put it: “yesterday, Prince Harry opened his mouth to sp...
January 30, 9:42 pm -
Hump Day Reading #18
Welcome to the eighteenth issue of Hump Day Reading, where I compile a small collection of links to letters, blog posts, articles, opinions, columns, videos, and pictures for your intellectual enjoyment.- First up is the debate over Gerald Scarfe's...
January 30, 9:26 am -
Hump Day Reading #17
Welcome to the seventeenth issue of Hump Day Reading, where I compile a small collection of links to letters, blog posts, articles, opinions, columns, videos, and pictures for your intellectual enjoyment.- I've got some real nuggets for you all toda...
January 23, 2:43 pm -
Storm in a bobby's teacup
Since around 2007, police have been wearing stab-proof vests largely resistant to knife attacks, dog bites, and so on. Our strict gun controls are to thank for this, otherwise our cops would be required to don something far heavier.We don’t live in ...
January 17, 2:22 pm
Latest
- 9:57 pm Jack Yan hears Wellingtonians' alcohol policy concerns
- 9:40 pm Heavy snow and rain for the South Island
- 9:27 pm Severe gales possible over the North Island
- 9:06 pm The Vote 'points to misunderstanding about the plight of children'
- 8:50 pm Aotearoa 'needs more volunteers to give time'
- 8:44 pm Police search for person after car crash
- 8:43 pm Sight lost after attack, four charged
- 8:36 pm Otago farmer braces for the weather
- 8:08 pm Two more arrests after brawl
- 8:00 pm PM seeks to tackle asylum seeker crisis
News Poll
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Opinion
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Ken Ring
June 14, 11:59 amSupermoon coming soonNot many know that the earth’s distance from us can vary each 27-day month by up to 20%. The timing of the closest point is called perigee. There are...
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James Robins
June 12, 8:56 pmHey Ed, you can stay at my houseI have a one bedroom apartment in the middle of Auckland. It’s small but has character, and I have a spare mattress on which you, Mr Snowden, are mor...
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On the radar
May 22, 9:08 amBase jumper escapes death after parachute failsA base jumper who has performed more than 180 successful jumps is lucky to be alive.Matthew Gough's latest conquest would have been a 1,000 foot clif...
