Yosam

⚠️⚠️ Long rant alert. For years many of us warned that the Islamic Republic’s ideology is inherently expansionist and destabilising. It is not a normal state actor it is a theocratic system built on exporting revolution, funding armed proxies, and embedding militias across the region. Through groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and Shia militias in Iraq and Syria, Tehran created a transnational network designed to project power beyond its borders. That structure cannot be “managed” indefinitely. Even Sunni Arab governments that once tried accommodation eventually faced subversion and destabilisation attempts. The regime’s ideology prioritises sectarian expansion and regime survival over regional stability. Under Donald Trump, the US withdrew from the JCPOA and imposed maximum pressure sanctions targeting IRGC financing. Benjamin Netanyahu consistently argued that allowing the regime to approach nuclear threshold capability would create a far more dangerous Middle East. Whether one agrees with every policy decision or not, the core concern is factual, a regime that funds proxy warfare while advancing uranium enrichment presents a serious proliferation and security risk. Personal dislike of individual leaders should not cloud strategic reality. The debate should be about regional security, nuclear thresholds, proxy warfare, and the long-term consequences of appeasement, not partisan emotion. The last few years alone show the pattern: proxy attacks, regional escalation, and ongoing instability tied directly to Tehran’s external networks. Ignoring that structure does not make it disappear. Wake up.

"They make the roads wider and more accessible for busses but also they protect people from being hit by cars and that is important to me." Ex Wellington City Councillor and current Green Party MP Tabatha Paul explains why in a crucial meeting on 27 May 2021, she voted to double proposed spending on cycle ways. From $120 million to $226 Million. An additional motion for an accelerated waste water renewal program costing $361 million and specifically addressing sewage processing was not passed. A few days ago the city's treatment plant malfunctioned and spewed millions of litres of raw sewage into the sea. This has raised questions as to why the city was spending money on cycle ways when the priority should have been a functioning sewage system. Ms Paul argues it was not her fault as she only voted on what was put in front of her, stating it was stupid to say the council had its priorities wrong. Bottom line- The Green Left are fully in control of Wellington city and that's why its citizens are today swimming in their own excrement. Seeing this, why would anyone sane ever vote them into central govt?

Forget the goodreads count, what were the best books you read for the first time this year?