On Peter Jackson and the West Memphis Three
At first glance, the news earlier this week that Peter Jackson has just completed a documentary on the West Memphis Three case might seem somewhat […]
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On income inequality
The OECD report this week that has found New Zealand to have one of the fastest growing income gaps in the entire OECD will come […]
On charter schools
Since its inception. Act has been the party of American Crackpot Theories, so we should probably be thankful that the coalition agreement between Act Party […]
On the Labour Party leadership race
Newness is in the air, in every sight and every sound. Both candidates seeking to become Labour’s next leader have been citing the need for […]
On the upcoming Cabinet re-shuffle
Prime Minister John Key has indicated that a Cabinet re-shuffle is on the cards. In all likelihood that re-shuffle won’t be moving Bill English, Tim […]
On David Shearer, and the Maori Party
Of the three Davids contesting the Labour leadership, David Shearer’s main appeal is as the anti-candidate, the guy who aspires to the top job after […]
On the challenges facing Labour’s new leader
While some are urging Labour to take its own good time over deciding on a new leadership team, there is little reason to think that […]
On the election outcomes
Well, at least the election has pinpointed the site of Labour’s Last Stand – on Saturday night, south Auckland was almost the only place in […]
On Information Shearing
“If God did not want them to be sheared, He would not have made them sheep” — Calvera, the bandit leader, explains the nature of […]
On why even financial analysts are jumping ship on the asset sales plan
Barring a miracle, John Key will be getting the green light in 48 hours time to sell off a 49% stake in several of our […]
On child poverty
Last night, if you missed Bryan Bruce’s brilliant TV3 documentary on child poverty in New Zealand –or would like your relatives and friends to see […]
On last night’s TV3 debate
Phil Goff’s won last night’s TV3 leaders’ debate handily, such that it seemed as if John Key has already decided that Goff is no longer […]
On the Greens’ end game this week
Illustration by Tim Denee – www.timdenee.com Into the home stretch, and National is moving the campaign focus from one diversion (the Epsom tape) to the […]
On whether politicians should have the same rights to privacy
Eight days before an election. The Police are poised to search major newsrooms to try and validate the government’s determination to conceal (at least until […]
On Epsom, and dodgy aspects of the asset sales programme
Illustration by Tim Denee – www.timdenee.com So last night, even Peter Dunne – always a reliable weathervane on which way the political wind is blowing […]
On the cuppa tea tape and billboard circuses
First the secret cuppa tea tape, then the billboard defacement plot. Just when the election campaign looked like the mainstream media might have to focus […]
On the Banks/Key taping saga
Bringing in the heavy legal artillery to suppress the contents of the Banks/Key conversation – the Police and/or a court injunction if necessary – may […]
On the election campaign’s fixation with the future
Less than two weeks to go. And what is NOT being talked about in this campaign is at least as important as what appears on […]
On the Nats’ secret agenda for MMP, and a political star in the making
One of the odder subtexts of the campaign is the serial ‘spontaneity’ with which National Party candidates are endorsing the SM (Supplementary Member) system in […]
On credibility, and the government’s irrigation plans
Like the Biblical loaves and fishes, the government’s Future Investment Fund from asset sales just keeps on giving – $1 billion for schools and hospitals […]
On the only foreign policy issue in this campaign
Ten years ago come Saturday, the Taliban fled Kabul as the US–led forces of Operation Enduring Freedom reached the gates of the Afghan capital. Things […]
On some possible options for the Greens
Is it written in the Green Party’s DNA that they will eventually become the nation’s sole centrist party? Events seem to be conspiring to push […]
On National’s asset sales debacle
The concession by Finance Minister Bill English that National may not get the $5-7 billion it expected from its asset sales programme is a hammer […]
On the first week of the campaign
Labour needed to make inroads early in this campaign. It had to capture voter attention – hey, maybe this could be a real fight after […]
On Phil Goff’s debacle in Christchurch
Any points Phil Goff may have won in the television debate a few days ago went west during last night’s public debate in Christchurch – […]
On the welfare reform proposals
Remember the so called ‘underclass? Remember when John Key in 2007 went walking down McGehan Close in Owairaka, and took 12 year old Aroha Nathan […]
On last night’s debate between John Key and Phil Goff
Has John Key lied about raising GST? The ‘explanation’ he offered during last night‘s debate was that he had made the promise not to raise […]
On evidence that New Zealand is a more socially just society than Australia
Illustration by Tim Denee – www.timdenee.com Before this election campaign began, there was a lot of angst about our income gap with Australia. We will […]
On Labour's plans to raise the retirement age
Labour’s plan to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67 by 2033 (with exemptions for some manual workers) and to gradually lift employer Kiwisaver […]
On our election campaign opening, and Tunisia’s election triumph
As the election campaigns of the major parties kick off, our own Electoral Commission should take inspiration from its counterpart in Tunisia, and in particular […]