The burning of books has a long history. That it no reason why we should add to it. If you want to get Burning of the Books: A History of Knowledge Under Attack from the National Library you may have to hurry. It is in the overseas nonfiction section; many books of which are being…
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Unlike in some other places, the New Zealand Government decided that books were not essential goods and closed all bookshops during Alert Level 4. Even during Alert Level 3 you can only buy books online.
On Sunday 9 February 2020, I drafted a Pundit column, discussing the announced proposal to downgrade Concert FM. My practice is to let columns stew before posting them – in this case the plan was to put it up on Tuesday. By Monday the policy turmoil had changed markedly and I had to make major…
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The Issue John Stuart Mill argued it was better to be an unhappy philosopher than a happy pig; that all transactions and assets are not of equal value. However, the New Zealand Government system largely treats heritage assets similarly to other assets. Today’s governance needs to move past the happy-pig approach to one which recognises…
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For launch at Ekor Bookshop and Café, Wellington; 25 August 2016. I have just received the following email. It is from William Henry Hayes. The email address is ‘underworld’. I tried to reply but the lines are clogged by politicians getting advice. It reads Another buccaneer by the name of Voltaire – I…
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Arts and cultural policy seems to be going backward at the moment. Why? Does it matter? In his 1852 inaugural speech as Canterbury’s first superintendent, James Fitzgerald – later to be New Zealand’s first premier – said, ‘There is something to my mind awful in the prospect of the great mass of the community rapidly…
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It is not what Eleanor Catton said about the government, but how we respond to what she said. Sean Plunkett’s intemperate attack on Eleanor Catton is a reminder of just how superficial is tolerance of dissent in New Zealand. I leave others to defend the exact interchange – Danyl McLauchlan was as I normally expect…
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How New Zealand businesses succeed internationally. Pundit: 30 November, 2014. Keywords: Growth & Innovation; Literature and Culture; One of life’s pleasure is sitting with a child on one’s lap reading a book to them: attractive – sometimes mysterious – illustrations, humorous – even mischievous – plots, rhythmic sentences and just enough eccentric…
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If minority interests are to be met, how are they to be funded? Listener: 15 May, 2014 Keywords: Literature and Culture; Macroeconomics & Money; Except for talkback, one thinks of radio as an audience-passive medium. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) was reminded that this is not necessarily the case at an April meeting…
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Can economics make the case for propping up loss-making arts ventures? Listener: 27 February, 2014. Keywords: Literature and Culture; I indulge in the Metropolitan Opera of New York’s Live in HD, cinema releases of live productions for large-screen high-definition viewing. I’m not really an opera fan, but given their quality, I am…
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Literary classics from another era can tell us a lot about today’s economy. Listener: 2 January, 2014. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; This year I’ve been reading early 19th-century novels, partly for their literary quality and narrative, but also because they shed a fascinating light on English industrialisation and…
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Indonesian Muslims don’t necessarily support the opinions and actions of Middle Eastern Muslims. Listener: 8 June, 2013 Keywords: History of Ideas, Methodology & Philosophy; Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; I once flew from Dublin to Vienna – both Catholic but with very different atmospheres. The distance from Mecca to Jakarta…
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Response to an Exhibition at the Wellington City Gallery Off the Eastern coast of Asia are uninhabited islands, such as the Spratley Islands in the South China Sea and the Diaoyus (if you are Chinese) or the Senkakus (Japanese), where territorial disputes could lead to war. Fortunately we have no such disputes, so we don’t…
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An interview by Emma Beer, published in ‘The Wellingtonian’, 24 November, 2011. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; What begins with Michael Joseph Savage and Gordon Coates and ends with Rob Muldoon and Roger Douglas? A new exhibition that catalogues 60 of the most important makers of modern New Zealand, curated by Wellington…
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Lynn Freeman interviews Brian Easton: 27 November, 2011. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; Lynn Freeman interview http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/art/art-20111127-1333-brian_easton_economist_and_art_curator-048.mp3
Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; 60 Makers of New Zealand: 1930-1990:Â is at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery from 24 November 2011 to 12 February 2012. It was curated by Brian Easton. The following is a list of items on the website. At the end is the list of individuals who are…
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60 Makers of New Zealand: 1930-1990: is at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery from 24 November 2011 to 12 February 2012. It was curated by Brian Easton. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; The following are the panels to go with the portraits. (Each is constrained to 250 words.) They are also tell…
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60 Makers of New Zealand: 1930-1990: is at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery from 24 November 2011 to 12 February 2012. It was curated by Brian Easton. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; Thank you for coming this evening. I hope you find the exhibition interesting and provocative. I am sure you will…
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60 Makers of New Zealand: 1930-1990: is at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery from 24 November 2011 to 12 February 2012. It was curated by Brian Easton. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; Choosing 60 New Zealanders to reflect the development of New Zealand was not easy, says Dr Brian, Easton Curator of…
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