Labour's public upset over the TVNZ debate moderator is a sign of more ill-discipline and prompts the question if it's time for a rejig in David Cunliffe's office
Read MoreMatt McCarten
The Left starts to fracture - and thats a good thing
I'm picking that Laila Harre's appointment as leader of the Internet Party will be good for Internet-Mana, but the impact on this year's election will be determined by the relationship with Labour. If Internet-Mana do well this year, though, there might be an important shake-up that will strengthen the broad left in the longer term.
Read MoreThe left missed a chance to score today
The announcement of the election date was an opportunity for the left to define the campaign. It can’t afford any more missed opportunities.
Read MoreWe need to talk about rape culture
It’s been exclusively men, so far, who have been trying to persuade me of my flawed understanding of rape politics since I posted about the issue, and Willie and JT, on Friday. Left wing bloggers Giovanni Tiso and Egonomist just tweeted that I’m ‘crazy’ and my views ‘embarrassing’.
Hello and Goodbye: Why Hone's win is the beginning of the end
Hone Harawira is back in parliament, but his rebirth looks to spell the end for the Maori Party's dream of a united Maori voice. For all the talk of conciliation, the more likely outcome is a battle to the death
Read MoreGoff’s green smalls, and the new old Alliance
Labour leader Phil Goff tossed off another election strip-tease item yesterday; underneath was something green
Read MoreMana from Matt & Loves Labour’s Lost
The Mana by-election was Labour's pre-campaign test. It flunked
Read MoreWelfare reform: Do we get tough or take the 'corduroy' option?
As the welfare debate again rises from the grave over the next few weeks, it'll pay to remember that life is messy and keep asking 'where are the jobs?'.
Read MoreMatt McCarten stands for Mana, promising to "change the campaign"
The union boss is taking his show on the road... all the way to Mana. McCarten wants to "make them work for it", and it's a safe bet both Labour and National will be on the receiving end of his sharp tongue
Read MoreNational's rampage against hobbits and workers reaps its own reward
National is certainly on the offensive with its employment and welfare reforms, even proposing a law change specifically to benefit producers of The Hobbit; but it faces a new mood of resistance and dissent
Read MoreHow to lose voters and alienate people
John Banks' campaign has him peering over motorways and turning up on television at the eleventh hour. Len Brown, meanwhile, is everywhere
Read MoreWill Pammy's bordello survive?
Equality in prostitution is fine principle, but are women the same as men when it comes to shopping for sex?
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