It's getting late in the day for Labour to get it together, because its problems aren't first impressions but rather go much deeper
Read MoreClickbait: Do the Internet Party's rules breach the Electoral Act?
The Internet Party's candidate selection rules very well might breach the Electoral Act. This probably doesn't matter.
Read MoreThe Government's deficit is not like my credit card debt (this is not a blog about Dotcom)
The economy, thank God, does not resemble my household budget.
Still, National will tell us they have the books in order because they’ve listened to our grandparents' voice of reason: ‘don’t spend more than you earn, and if you get into debt, spend less and save more. Batten down the hatches and wait for the recession to pass.’
Imagine a country so blue, backwards it's adanaC
Canada's Conservative Government is in the middle of trying to change its election rules to benefit itself - while its PM Stephen Harper has become the thing he once most hated.
Read MoreState tenant subsidies, stigma and spirit
Stigma against state tenants is perpetuated when journalists fail to get the facts right
Read MoreHow the left could still win
I wrote a column in the National Business Review this weekend, and it’s driving right-wingers there nuts.
Parata & Sharples detective agency: 'I lost my money at home' - 'Let's look in the car'
When is a subsidiary not a subsidiary, but an independent and untouchable private fortress? When it's being investigated by the keystone cops at Parata & Sharples Detective Agency
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday March 20
New concerns for Syria; China dismisses any link between Uighur ethnic minority and missing Malaysian Airlines flight; Taiwanese activists break into parliament to protest trade deal with China; Ukraine's naval headquarters seized; Sri Lanka releases two human rights activists; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday March 19
Putin moves ahead with plan to annex Crimea; Thailand to lift Bangkok's State of Emergency; owners of Fukushima nuclear plant turning to unskilled workers to decommision site which may have contributed to recent leak; and more
Read MoreNZ First conundrum - the road more or less travelled
New Zealand First, we know, could go either way. And this weekend we learnt a little more about what Peters and his crew will be considering if they end up as the pivot party
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday March 18
Crimea declares independence from Ukraine; missing Malayasia Airlines flight strains international co-operation; China rejects UN report accusing North Korea of crimes against humanity; Russian arms exports surge; as US withdraws from Afghanistan, Pakistan eyes unwanted military equipment; and more
Read MoreWhy the Crimean border matters to New Zealand
There’s been a nasty dose of ‘border relativism' in the debate about Crimea and it misses the point; you can’t have a referendum at the point of a gun, doesn’t matter what history says.
Read MoreThe Reserve Bank Act - time for a review
This year marks 25 years since the Reserve Bank Act 1989 was passed. While it has enjoyed a high degree of cross-party support over that period, the original settlement is unwinding and it is now time for a review. That need not involve throwing the anti-inflation baby out with the bathwater, nor the politicisation of a significant public institution.
Read MoreLiving in fear of full employment
The doctrine of the pre-emptive strike against inflation is self-immolating. Controlling (suppressing) demand growth invariably limits investment in new capacity and so the ability to improve productivity and/or maintain competitiveness.
Read MoreThe takeaway from Judith's Chinese dinner
While Judith Collins was in China, she perhaps should have read some Sun Tzu: “If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.”
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday March 14
UN urges restart of Syria peace talks; Chinese economy cools; US investigators believe missing airliner flew four hours after last contact; Libyan PM flees; more killed in Venezuela protests; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday March 13
CIA accused of violating US Constitution; Chinese are using popular bank card to smuggle money out of country; middle class expands in North Korea; Swedish journalist killed in Kabul; Obama shows support for new government in Kiev; and more
Read MoreCollins & Cunliffe – how to win friends & influence people
Perception matters immensely when it comes to politics, but reality matters even more. So let's talk about realities
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday March 12
Unrest intensifies in Venezuela; North Korea getting around UN sanctions by using embassies in Cuba and Singapore to facillitate illegal weapons trade; Thailand cops flak in continuing search for missing airliner; Pakistan suffers heavy losses in conflict with Taliban; Tibetans arrested to prevent anti-China demonstrations; new claims as to responsibility for Lockerbie bombing; ousted Ukrainian president insists he is still commander in chief; and more
Read MoreFood, cheap glorious food
Forget the hype, food is as cheap as it ever was
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