John Key opened Pandora’s Box when he revealed that Australia had considered using its navy to shepherd a boatload of asylum seekers to New Zealand, but nobody seems to want to look inside. It isn’t a pretty sight.
It isn’t surprising that the people-smugglers and asylum seekers intercepted by the Australian Navy say they’re really heading for New Zealand. Anywhere other than Australia’s off-shore “processing “ centres on Nauru or Manas Island would be a sound choice.
People won't change how they vote because some spies over-stepped the mark. But the Dotcom-GCSB saga still poses a threat to the government, one it can't afford to ignore
As I've been watching politics over the years I've started building up a few rules that seem to apply regardless of party or circumstance – and with just enough exceptions to prove them. I must start writing them down! But there's one that I've been banging on about for years to anyone who will listen. And if John Key isn't careful it could start coming into play for him.
Tough as it may be to blame the PM for what looks like an extravagent car upgrade, it's the sort of mud that sticks and recalls another car-related mess and another PM's pleas of ignorance
This National government is often criticised for its political management, be it the lack of a strategic plan, how beholden it is to polls or its over-use of urgency. In recent days it has been damned for nearly setting an inconvenient precedent allowing foreign leaders to speak on the floor of the House whilst it's sitting and for rushing through the Marine and Coastal Area Bill.
Sir Geoffrey Palmer's Gaza flotilla inquiry already looks beset by political storms, but could it turn out to be another step up the ladder for Helen Clark at the UN?
Already it's begun. Within hours of Israel relenting and agreeing to a UN-led inquiry into its attack in May on the Gaza aid flotilla, the political games and attacks are underway. In the coming weeks, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, our former Prime Minister, will learn the true meaning of "damned if you do, damned if you don't".
Political junkies take note--the leadership battle across the Tasman is about to get really interesting
In 2007 Helen Clark knew Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister of Australia before Kevin Rudd did.
Here’s how that happened and why political junkies should be looking across the ditch at a fascinating fight shaping up in Federal Australia.
