Welcome.

  • A Tale of Two Presidents

    Opinion
    Dieuwe de Boer

    In case you missed it: I am hosting a summer series of shows on Reality Check Radio starting Wednesday 14th February—the day after my 29th birthday. Thanks to Paul Brennan and Cam Slater who have done some promos for me on their shows this week.

  • Government Must Go on the Offensive

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    Before I tackle this week's column, I would like to start with a word of thanks to all the paying subscribers of The BFD and also to Juana, our amazing editor, and to the proofreaders who help her in the background.

  • The Heart of Rhodesia in Tauranga

    Review
    Dieuwe de Boer

    I've wanted to go ever since I found out it existed: the Lion and Tusk Museum of the Rhodesian Services Association.

  • The Fall and Fall of Golriz Ghahraman

    Opinion
    Dieuwe de Boer

    Prior to the shoplifting allegations that led to her resignation, I'd almost forgotten about Golriz Ghahraman.

  • In Memory of Auke de Boer (1947-2023)

    Obituary
    Dieuwe de Boer

    My paternal grandfather ("pake" in Frisian) passed away at home aged 76 in the early hours of December 22nd after a long illness. He had been diagnosed with terminal cancer eight years ago and was given nine months to live.

  • Tearing Down the Idols of the Left

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    As part of public religious displays that Iowa allows in its state capitol, The Satanic Temple set up a display of Baphomet. This isn't the first time that has happened.

  • A Good Start

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    A few weeks ago, while the coalition was still negotiating, I wrote about the "measure of success" that the government would need to achieve. After its formation I started work on tracking their commitments.

  • Tracking the Government's Coalition Commitments

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    We have a new government and they've made a lot of promises. The two documents between National-ACT and National-NZFirst contain a total of 213 different commitments with measurable outcomes.

  • A Tale of Two Right-Wing Victories

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    Javier Milei in Argentina and Geert Wilders in The Netherlands both won big this week. What's in it for us?

  • The Measure of Success

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    The formation of a new government is in its final stage, perhaps even complete by the time you read this.

  • Globalism's Imported Contentions

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    While the election results were finalised, and then re-finalised once a journalist found a host of errors, the coalition negotiations carried on quietly. They may be finished by the time this column gets published or they may go on for weeks.

  • Winning The War of Belief

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    It's always an Israeli-Arab conflict that turns everyone back into a warmongering ethno-nationalist in five minutes flat.

  • I'm Taking A Break From Politics

    Opinion
    Dieuwe de Boer

    The final election results are in and so is my decision to hang up my coat.

  • A Preliminary Election Post-Mortem For NZ Conservatives

    Opinion
    Dieuwe de Boer

    The complete annihilation of Labour was great to see, but the election as a whole was a mixed bag. The young progressives turned out well for the Greens and the Maori Party.

  • Thinking About The Roman Empire

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    Like many women, my wife Amie likes to watch Instagram reels. These are little clips, mostly from the lives of women, where the algorithm figures out what you like and feeds you more of it.

  • A biased but true guide to the 2023 election (or, why I still support New Conservative)

    Opinion
    Alister Hood

    My EasyVote pack has arrived and early voting is about to start, so it must be a good time to examine the list of parties on the menu this election, in the order they are presented in the voting pack.

  • Revenge Of The Indigenous Race Realists

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    "... If you're going to treat us like some new breed that's just arrived here, and wipe out our rights, there will be trouble in this country … Tonight, when you go to bed, 25% of all babies under 5 have Maori descent.

  • On Your Bike In Auckland

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    I've been biking, using a pedal-assist e-bike, around Auckland since early February 2021. While I was born in the biking Mecca known as Holland, I had always been sceptical of biking here and claimed it would never work.

  • How Do You Value Your Vote?

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    Family First has released their usual information guide for voters. It shows how politicians have voted on social issues and how party leaders say they would vote on those issues or potential issues today.

  • Why There Can Be No Right-Wing "Alliance"

    Insight
    Dieuwe de Boer

    Bob McCroskie made a video titled "United they stand, divided they…" calling for "conservative-leaning" parties to work together along an Alliance-style setup. We've talked about this and it hasn't worked.