The signing in of Donald J Trump as 45th president of the United States of America is but hours away. To distract/medicate, play the Spinoff drinking game along with his inaugural address. President-elect Trump thought really hard about his big Day One speech. If you, too, are suffering from anxious, get-me-a-laxative-face in the leadup to … Read more
Poor old Donald Trump, struggling to get any of those liberal whack job musician types to take part in his inauguration celebrations this week. But maybe The Donald has missed the ace sitting right there in his deck all along, says Pete Douglas. Unless you have been living in a cave or have been mercy … Read more
What on earth can the left learn from Donald Trump? Quite a lot, as it happens, or so Simon Wilson argues in part five of his week-long analysis of Labour in 2017. The big lesson from Trump is not that progressive policies must now be abandoned. Their effective advocacy is more important than ever – … Read more
Haunted by visions of dystopian jungles, angry walls and terrifying hair, Paul Brislen joins the dots between The Hunger Games and the Trumpocalyptic future. I’ve often wondered about the wider world portrayed in The Hunger Games. I don’t know why – it’s not as if anywhere outside North America (Panem) is even referenced in the … Read more
The reverberations of media misreading of the US election are being felt in New Zealand, where media need to look in the mirror, says Patrick Gower, the Newshub political editor. Freshly returned from witnessing the mind-warping American election of 2016, which saw a man by the name of Donald Trump win the presidency, Patrick Gower … Read more
Comedian and writer Michele A’Court explains why she asked men to pipe down on her Facebook page, and how her request was received. The answer may surprise you… Two days after the election of President Trump, I tried a social media experiment on my personal Facebook page. I asked men to shut up, and give … Read more
Our On the Rag podcast team have an emergency meeting to discuss what happened to the world of women this week, how to cope and what to do next. The morning after the US Presidential election, a friend of mine was walking alone through the Auckland suburb of Kingsland, New Zealand when a group of … Read more
How do you talk about the US election with your children when you’re struggling with your own shock, confusion and fear? By embracing love, says Jared Dennis, and trying harder to be the change you want to see in the world. “At least I don’t have kids.” That has been the one thought I keep … Read more
Government by lottery? Why not, says Nicholas Ross Smith – the lesson of Trump is that combating the rise of post-truth politics requires not better politicians, but systemic change. The unbelievable happened: the United States of America elected Donald Trump to be its 45th president despite his many character flaws and obscene ideas. Much like … Read more
Tax cuts and big state spending on infrastructure in pursuit of growth? Donald Trump’s economic promises make him sound a lot like the famed British economist – and Keynesians won’t know whether to laugh or cry, writes Ryan Greenaway-McGrevy. There is a theory in political economy which states that necessary changes must come from the least … Read more
Free-to-air New Zealand television coverage of the US election night came down a choice between watching President-elect Donald Trump’s acceptance speech on TV3 or competitive cooking show Masterchef on TVNZ 1. These three people watched the former. Alex Casey I spent a lot of yesterday searching for a person in the televised election coverage who … Read more
Feeling depressed? Angry? Self-righteous? Victorious? Nothing? Just feeling? Henry Oliver presents a playlist for nine emotional responses to yesterday’s election. Born Against – Half Mast “Aaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuugggghhhhhhfuckaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuggggghhhhhhhhhhhfuckfuck fuckauughaaaaaaughfuckaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuggghhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuu uuuuuughfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK!!!” Public Enemy – Fight the Power “Don’t mourn, organise! There are only three years, eleven months, three weeks and three days until the next election.” Anohini – … Read more
We asked a range of clever and interesting people: What just happened? And what now? Jacinda Ardern What happened? The horror. And I feel like explaining it almost excuses it. I understand the idea of ‘sending a message’ and people telling institutions that they feel like they’ve been let down or ignored. But I do … Read more
All day we’re publishing responses from interesting and informed New Zealanders to two questions: What just happened? And what now? In this installment, the second today from a former prime minister, Jim Bolger gives his predictions. I was not surprised by Donald Trump’s victory as this was a somewhat typical pocket book and identity election. … Read more
All day we’re publishing responses from interesting and informed New Zealanders to two questions: What just happened? And what now? In this installment, comedians and podcast hosts Tim Batt and Guy Montgomery. Tim Batt I’m somehow both drunk and hungover. Exhausted and in a state of utter disbelief. What just happened? We witnessed a very … Read more
Earlier this year I wrote that a Donald Trump presidency wouldn’t be that bad. Today I’m a whole lot less cheerful, writes Eric Crampton. I expect a lot of kiwis will be tempted to see the Trump phenomenon through an income inequality lens. While rising income inequality is a myth in New Zealand, it isn’t in America. But … Read more
The presidential election reveals a nation frightened, angry and lacking in confidence. The shockwaves will be felt far and wide, writes former NZ prime minister Geoffrey Palmer. First Brexit. Now Trump. The fault lines in the politics of western countries are becoming deep and profound. People are thinking the political institutions and methods are not … Read more
9.00pm (NZ time): Donald Trump has just appeared on stage in New York, saying he has received a call from Hillary Clinton conceding the contest. The Spinoff’s unrivalled team of experts have gobbled up all the available data and pooped them out like coffee beans from an Asian palm civet, to produce a live hazard … Read more
We’ve heard from nearly every celebrity and their dog about which presidential candidate to vote for. But which box would some of our favourite TV characters be ticking tomorrow? Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation “Ron would not like Hillary either. She is a career politician. Ron has no love of career politicians… he would certainly … Read more
Every month host Alex Casey is joined by comedian/writer Michele A’Court and Mana magazine editor Leonie Hayden to discuss what happened in the world of women over the preceding four weeks. Better late than never, they return with help from brand spanking new sponsor BON tampons and dressed by the costume wizards at First Scene. This month, our three raggers reflect … Read more
Millionaire investor and political agitator Gareth Morgan’s launch of The Opportunities Party has been welcomed with Donald Trump comparisons and terrible cat puns. Toby Manhire asks him what he’s up to. Iconoclastic economist, motorcyclist, political agitator and cat predator Gareth Morgan this morning announced a new political party, promising “the opportunity to get a fair … Read more
With the Presidential election just days away, America is on the verge of making history regardless of who wins. Tara Ward watched as Michael Moore made a desperate, and perhaps successful, attempt to talk sense with potential Trump voters. “I think Hilary Clinton will have dead people vote.” It’s indisputable logic like this that makes Wilmington, … Read more
Men, it’s time to call a meeting. The agenda? Actually choosing not to mouth off about titties and pussies and riding women, writes Michele A’Court. I’d like to think there’s a men’s meeting going on somewhere with someone in charge making an important speech. “Fellers, look, you can have your fun and, sure, we all … Read more
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have met for the third and final debate of a face-melting US presidential race. Toby Manhire distills the exchanges into a vile tongue burning hooch. Moderating the 90-minute debate at the University of Nevada is Chris Wallace of Fox News. It is being broadcast on all the world’s channels, streaming … Read more
You think convicted drink driver Adam Holland sounds like an arsehole? It gets worse. Janie Cameron explains. Self-described “anarchist” and Auckland mayoral candidate Adam Holland has been convicted of driving at five times the blood alcohol limit after he rear-ended a stationary car with a mother and two young children inside, TVNZ reported yesterday. “Everybody … Read more
These impassioned posts underscore the depths to which the Republican presidential candidate has fallen – and what it says about America today. The weekend release of a recording revealing Donald Trump bragging about sexual assaults saw many of his supporters in the Republican Party who had stuck beside the controversial candidate disavow him. He subsequently … Read more
Whilst NBC is frantically burying old tapes of The Apprentice, Pete Douglas holds his nose and dives into the YouTube sewer to find some more stellar examples of Donald Trump being terrible. About 10 years ago I visited Trump Tower in New York. This was during the early popularity of The Apprentice and it seemed like … Read more
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump meet again for the second of three debates in the most bonkers and disturbing campaign in the history of the universe. Toby Manhire watches and boils it down into a sticky raspberry jam. Read the five-minute version of the first debate here. Co-moderator Martha Raddatz of ABC: I’m Martha Raddatz. … Read more
For the second presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the American people of the internet have been asked to submit their own ideas for questions. Toby Manhire goes in search of some of the best America is all about its ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’ ethos, and when Abraham … Read more