Hi and welcome to the 45th edition of Werewolf, in which we interview Conservative Party leader Colin Craig - about his attempts to ensure that his formerly religious niche party is reborn as a secular party of wide general appeal , just in time for Election 2014. These days, Craig presents himself as a tolerant, non-divisive figure : a virtual blank slate onto which New Zealanders of all ages and persuasions can project almost any belief, provided it doesn’t entail state dependency. Over the course of a wide ranging interview, Werewolf tried to find the boundaries of Craig’s political bonhomie, and of his recent career as a political troll .

The Texas oil company Anadarko has been a controversial presence in New Zealand waters during 2013. In this issue, Werewolf reports on the impact on Anadarko of the massive, multi-billion dollar penalties it now faces in the wake of a long running pollution suit in the US, one quite separate from its role in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster . As part of our long-running reportage on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, we also explain why the TPP failed to reach completion in Singapore this month, and why it faces a rocky road during 2014 , given the looming shadow of the US midterm elections. This month, Chile elected a new government, and in this issue we discuss its plans to provide free tertiary education of good quality to all Chileans. By contrast in the Ukraine, attempts are being made to dislodge an unpopular government, and we examine the reasons behind the current unrest and brutality on the streets of Kiev .

In his film essay this month, Philip Matthews names ( and justifies) his choice of the Ten Best Films of 2013 . In similar vein in our music column The Complicatist, we pick the top acts amid the line-up at the next Laneway festival in late January, and offer some samples of their work that (hopefully) justify our choices . In his column this month, satirist Lyndon Hood mind-travels to a fantastic, unbelievable planet where a parallel universe version of Finance Minister Bill English shockingly ignores the results of a public referendum on the partial privatisation of state assets , and - with a thrill laugh and an imperious toss of his head - claims to have speedily sold down said assets in order to depress the turnout in said referendum ! Quite fantastic, yet Hood presents his wild premise with such eery consistency that even Colin Craig would have to say “I don’t know” if asked whether there could be a smidgeon of truth to the tale...

Thanks once again to Lyndon and to Alastair Thompson for helping me post this online this month. And to everyone who’s shown an interest in reading Werewolf and keeping it going this year…thanks a bunch, and all the best for you and those dearest for the Christmas break and the New Year. During 2014, if you want to be involved and talk over some story ideas, contact me at gordon@scoop.co.nz

Cheers,
Gordon Campbell
Werewolf/Scoop
gordon@werewolf.co.nz