Results for Opinion

‘Oku ou tui fakapapau ko e feinga ko eni ke liukava’i e ngaue mo e fa’unga pule na’e maa’imoa kiai ‘a Tupou I ‘oku lolotonga fai ‘a e feinga ke fakahoko kamata mei he loto’i Pule’anga ‘o fakatefito ‘i Fale Alea ‘aki e ivi paloti ‘oku nau ma’u ai. – ‘Inoke Fotu Hu’akau.

Te u kole fakamolemole ki he fonua pehe ki he ngaahi Ha’a hotau Fa’unga Fonua na’a takua kuo te tamulea ka ‘oku ‘i ai e tui ‘a e motu’a ni na kuo taimi ke fola e fala ka tau alea telia e mahino ‘e hilioo ai e kaha’u hotau fonua kae ‘uma’aa e Tonga kotoa, “Pehee ne ‘osi hono ‘alo’i o Taufa’ahau pea ne me’a mai ‘a Hoa-mo- Fale’ono ki Tongatapu kia Ma’afu. Lava e ngaahi ta’u kuo toe tu’itu’ia e Ta’ahine ni ‘o pehee e tala ko e tu’itu’ia kia Nuku. - ‘Inoke Fotu Hu’akau.

Ko hono tataki ‘o ha fakalakalaka ‘o ha fonua kuopau ke mahino lelei he fakakaukau ‘a kinautolu ‘oku nau ngaue’i ha fa’ahinga kaveinga fakalelei pe liliu. Ko e taha hono ‘eleminiti mahu’inga ko e tukunga fiemalie mo e nonga e ‘I ai e fonua ‘i hono lao ‘o tokoni kiai ‘etau fatungamotu’a fakasosiale. - 'Inoke Fotu Hu'akau.

The Commons originally elected a Speaker to help it speak truth to power, find strength in numbers, and resist intimidation. The voices of the less important were no longer drowned out or fragmented, and could challenge entrenched authority. Where did the Speaker come from, and why was the position created during England’s so-called “Good Parliament” of 1376? By Marion Turner

Celebrating Easter on the right date has always been a source of worry for the Christian churches. Because what is the right date? In early centuries, one tried to follow the Jewish Passover, but that was wrought with problems. Our calendar, or rather the Roman calendar, as it was in use at that time, is based on the yearly movement of the sun, while the Hebrew calendar follows the moon. By Firitia Velt.

On the Ides of March (March 15), the day by which ancient Romans were expected to settle their debts, young people in 60 countries around the world will stage a school walkout to press world leaders for more urgent action on climate change. It is a tragedy that younger generations are forced to speak out against the injustice they will suffer as a result of choices made by others; yet, at the same time, it is deeply reassuring to witness their power and passion as they try to change the course of history. By Éloi Laurent

We have long known that the accumulation of plastic in the world’s landfills and oceans represents a growing environmental risk. More recently, we have come to understand that plastic poses an urgent – even deadly – threat to public health, too. And yet, global efforts to address the plastic crisis remain consistently focused on the wrong end of the life cycle: waste management. The debate that will resume this month at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) is a case in point, because it will focus on “marine litter and microplastics.” By Lili Fuhr and Jane Patton.

For some activities, the involvement of a machine spoils the experience. Consider social media. Facebook and Twitter cannot reduce loneliness, because they are designed to serve up a biased sample of social experience. Like digital sugar, they can make a social interaction instantly gratifying, but they always leave an empty feeling behind. By offering merely a simulation of social experience, they ultimately make us lonelier.

A key challenge for the Forum is to maintain its solidarity as staunchly pro-Blue Pacific...where we are custodians of some of the world’s richest biodiversity and marine and terrestrial resources. Leaders have articulated a desire for a shift in the development trajectory for the Pacific, through the Blue Pacific narrative and through it the opportunity to exercise our will. This is the strategic lens through which any conversation over China, and the associated geopolitical and geostrategic environment we find ourselves in, must occur. Our political conversations and settlements must be driven by the well-being of our Blue Pacific continent and its people, not by the goals and ambitions of others. By Dame Meg Taylor.