13 April

All through the pandemic people have whinged about National Cabinet arguing and fighting, saying 'can't they all work together'. We find disagreement and argument distasteful. But notice what it produced - one of the best pandemic responses in the world. There's a lesson there about how debate and argument is what we need a LOT more of, and not just in politics. If we don't argue the ideas we live by, one or two of them (usually nasty ones) gradually enslave us.