The Leighton Smith Podcast

Over the last few years there has been much scientific dispute.

Climate dominated much of the last forty years, followed and outranked by Covid-19. Both remain very much in the headlines.

Science itself has suffered in the battle over truth. "Settled science” is more fallacy than fact.

Fortunately, there is an increase in push-back on false or unsubstantiated claims.

Guy Hatchard was a senior manager at Genetic ID; a food safety te...

Ramesh Thakur has a world of history, literally, in international affairs.

He has taught at a number of Universities including Otago and the ANU, Canberra.

But his time spent at the United Nations, culminating as an Assistant Secretary General, provides a wealth of knowledge.

That makes his comments on Iran, Israel, and Donald Trump a must listen in Podcast 290.

And after The Mailroom we offer some thoughts on multiculturalism.

Fil...

The similarities between Ukraine’s attack on Russian bombers and the Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites have been noted. But the parallels don’t stop there.

The U.S. is involved in both conflicts and the script for each is flexible on a daily basis. The influence upon each is Donald J Trump.

Geopolitical authority George Friedman opines on both wars, employing the theory of geopolitical cycles as explained in his book “The Stor...

Romanians are still navigating the difficult path of building democratic institutions and a culture of transparency.

At the same time, widespread perceptions of corruption and cronyism have caused many Romanians to see little change from communist leadership.

Antonia Colibasanu, a lecturer on International Relations at the Romanian National University, backgrounds Romania’s position and future influence in Europe and analyses the d...

This week we talk with Patrick Basham on President Trump's approval ratings and the Democracy Institute’s latest poll, “Is Trump Fixing America or Breaking it?” 

Patrick gives a very good analysis on the most critical issues on the planet; Iran and nuclear developments, Ukraine and the drone strike on Russia and the South Korean and Polish elections.

And we visit The Mailroom with Mrs Producer.

File your comments and complaint...

The rush of technology that is confronting us has gone unnoticed by most of the world’s inhabitants.

That is, until now. The moment we, as individuals start to recognise the magnitude of A.I. is likely to rearrange our view of the future: both short and long term.

The question is, how do we handle it going forward.

Nigel Horrocks and Justin Matthews recently established a Substack, CREATIVE MACHINAS.

Nigel has had an illustrious ca...

Consulting power supply engineer Bryan Leyland updates us on the dire straits confronting the nation. And why we should be very concerned.

We address a second matter of public importance; New Zealand’s Gene Technology Bill fails the public interest transparency test, according to submissions from PSGR (Physicians & Scientists for Global Responsibility).

Sociologist J. R. Bruning explains the need for that concern, including the...

Prior to Covid-19, Dr Pierre Kory was an internationally renowned pioneer in the field of critical care ultra-sonography;  equally so in other areas of medicine.

In 2023 he published “The War on Ivermectin: The medicine that saved millions and could have ended the pandemic." 

The challenges that were to confront him over the next few years changed his life.

He was confronted with deceit, corruption, threats and dismissal....

Whichever way you look at it, Australia is in political turmoil after the May 3 election.

There are plenty of theories as to why, and plenty of propaganda along with accompanying lies. The question is, what’s next?

Nick Cater returns to analyse how a government with such a poor record in its first term could eliminate its opposition so decisively.

What does it mean to important issues like free speech, taxation, defence, climate, e...

Educated in India and Canada, Ramesh Thakur has had an amazing career as an academic, lawyer and government adviser.

He has taught in universities in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore.

He offers broad commentary on judicial “adventurism" and growing tyranny, India, Pakistan, China, the U.N. and W.H.O..

His advice on global affairs would unquestionably aid the NZ Government in some of their misguided ideas.

We share a me...

After a brilliant academic career, graduating with multiple degrees in various subjects, Kurt Schlichter joined the military and served in Operation Desert Storm, the Gulf War and in Kosovo.

He co-founded a law firm in Los Angeles in 1994 and has been a freelance writer since 1984. Andrew Breitbart seconded Kurt to help establish Breitbart News and now writes three columns a week for Townhall.com. And all that is only part of the s...

The Australian election on May 3 is just as important as the next New Zealand election in 2026.

With the flood of Kiwis who have fled this country as a result of the Ardern devastation, most have moved to Australia.

The outflow has been horrific and most of them will not return.

Nick Cater covers issues of relevance to any prospective NZ emigrants that could influence how their future is affected.

Following the Mailroom we address ...

The term “lawfare” is getting plenty of attention; basically it represents the corruption that’s becoming more widespread in the courtrooms of the Western world.

Judicial activism and the politicisation of the law and legal system makes for a duo of issues that need addressing by the legislatures of countries which are the targets of the misuse of such activities.

In what we think is a very productive discussion on a number of curr...

Matt Margolis is an independent author of books and editorial opinion.

His first successful book was “The Worst President in History”.

We talk at length about judicial activism and its proliferation, and other broader issues.

We share the opinions of Ramesh Thakur and Kurt Schlichter, along with some very good correspondence in the Mailroom with Mrs Producer.

File your comments and complaints at Leighton@newstalkzb.co.nz

Haven't li...

On March 16, the New York Times published “We Were Badly Mislead About The Event That Changed Our Lives”. It reports that 77 Nobel Laureates and 31 scientific societies were involved in the cover up that included deliberately planning to mislead journalists. (Actually, the NYT can be accused of failing to do its job).

Guy Hatchard analyses what really took place in New Zealand and elsewhere under the heading of "A strange mental il...

Dr Michael De Percy is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Canberra. He graduated from both the Australian National University and the Royal Military College, Duntroon.  

He was also appointed to the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts in 2022. 

Sound interesting? I can only say that if he’d been my lecturer at ANU, I might well have chosen a different career path.  

We have an ex...

Ex-politician Rodney Hide is fighting a battle. It began a couple of years ago, and it continues today. 

It involves the 'Relationship and Sexuality Education Curriculum' being taught in his daughter’s school. It’s actually taught in all schools. 

Rodney is not the only parent unhappy about what’s being taught, but he stands almost alone in trying to address it. To him it is a matter of principle.

But we also discuss othe...

James Roguski is a fighter for what he regards as the truth.

He is a researcher, author, natural health proponent and activist.

Three years ago, Roguski uncovered documents regarding proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations and contributed to them being rejected. 

But the battle goes on.

The WHO, mRNA, and other controversial areas are his concern. Controversial, yes, but worth listening to.

We contribute in...

The unforeseen arrangements between China and the Cook Islands have induced greater interest in South Pacific geopolitics than we can ever remember.

How we deal with this surprise confrontation will be fascinating to observe.

One thing is obvious; the Kiwi's “benign strategic environment” has had its feathers ruffled.

In 2019 George Friedman published “The Storm Before The Calm”, which suggested the sort of events we are now experi...