Whatever the answer, what are we going to do about it?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday July 10
Greece extends bank closures; Chinese stock market rises after 10 days of falling prices; US and Japanese officials meet ahead of TPP meeting; Syrian refugees top four million; Nigerian troops arrest bombing 'mastermind' responsible for 69 deaths; and more
Read MoreGreece's Tragic Predicament
Within possibly just hours the fate of Greece could be known. Either way - in or out of the EU - the population of this crippled country faces only more hardship. Some players are more to blame than others, but none is exempt.
Read MoreKeep it in perspective, eh?
National's attempt to downplay economic concerns is like telling the All Blacks not to worry about playing without their front row
Read MoreLet’s Not Turn Greek Debt into a Democratic Deficit.
We need to distinguish the sovereign state from the people it governs, and the other political institutions between.
Read MoreAn open letter to Murray McCully
Bad things are happening in Nauru. Some of us think Murray McCully needs to do more in response.
Read MoreDoes Income Inequality Reduce Equality of Opportunity?
Recent publications suggest that the children who live at the bottom in economies with high inequality have reduced life chances.
Read MoreNew twists in the state house sell-off
A start of my post on state housing sales... More to come later, but feel free to start discussing now
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday June 26
US Senate approves fast-track trade authority; Burma votes to maintain military's veto power; Japanese military forces may join patrols in South China Sea; India pledges further $1 billion to Nepal reconstruction; South Africa to review membership to International Criminal Court; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 25
Greek bailout falters; ethnic clash kills 18 in China; Australia joins Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as founding member; more than 800 die in Karachi heatwave; US spied on France, according to Wikileaks; and more
Read MoreJe ne suis pas Charlie say NZ MPs: eroding free speech
New Zealand MPs are so keen to be seen to be "doing something" about cyber-bullying that they are about to pass a poor piece of law that will do something terrible
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday June 24
US-China talks on trade, cybersecurity and climate change begin in Washington DC; UN opens human rights office in Seoul; suicide bomber kills 35 in Nigeria; nearly 1000 migrants picked up off Libyan coast in one day; and more
Read MoreTime to have that talk on euthanasia Parliament keeps saying we need to have
Parliament - or, at least, a committtee of Parliament - is finally getting the chance to allow the public discussion of end of life choice that (most) everyone says is needed in the wake of Lecretia Seales' court case. Will it now do its job?
Update: Yes. Yes it will.
Read MoreAnother little Conservative politician train wreck...
The advent of another self proclaimed family-values politician facing a morality-linked comeuppance may be compelling to watch, but the reality is it is no longer a surprise.
Read MoreExplaining the New Zealand economy to a Latin American
The following response to three questions (in italics) was published in a prestigious Uruguayan weekly newspaper Brecha. It may be of interest because I am responding to the Latin American economic debate which is slightly different from the New Zealand one (but only slightly). Sorry for the included material necessary for an audience outside New Zealand. Thankyou. Nicola, for checking the translation from Spanish.
Read MoreThey
We're told it is inevitable that a boat carrying asylum seekers will one day arrive in New Zealand. This is one imagining of that meeting.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday June 19
Pope urges action on climate change; Hong Kong votes down electoral reform package; Japan to lower voting age from 20 to 18; Islamic State works to expand influence in Afghanistan; Chad launches air attacks on Boko Haram; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 18
EU membership at risk for Greece; Hong Kong debates electoral reform; Australia and China sign free trade agreement; Palestinian government to dissolve; Swiss investigators look into FIFA accounts; and more
Read MoreWhy can't we all just get along?
There may be a question mark as to whether the Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club is acting unlawfully in stopping Sikh men from eating at its restaurant. But there's no question that it is acting stupidly.
Read MoreA most "awkward characterization" of "biological wiring"
Canada's top General has attributed a climate of sexual abuse within his forces to a bit of the old boys will be boys. He called it biological wiring. It all boils down to a telling insight.
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