The story of the government's first hundred days is one of confidence over strategy and a hail Mary attitude that could cost us in the long run
Read MorePolitics
Correcting Corrections
The Department of Corrections is accused of putting public safety at risk, but with a huge workload and our swelling prisoner population, department staff seem to have been given a Mission Impossible
Read MoreDear John: the environment IS the economy
The environmental implications of the government's first 100 days are worrying, but not for the obvious reasons
Read MoreFiscal stimulus: how Treasury's graph was spun
Looking at the graph the government used to claim our fiscal stimulus was the third biggest in the world prompts some surprising revelations...
Read MoreGiving something back: it could be John Key's legacy
The government's idea of a four day working week for struggling business appeals for its short-term economic gain. But more vitally it has the potential to re-invent what it means to be a New Zealander
Read MoreBill English's axis of economic evil
The finance minister has identified his three big economic targets, and exports are on the list. So how are our seven largest trading partners handling the recession so far?
Read MoreWhat's Rodney Hide up to?
With Auckland's governance inquiry drawing to a close soon, we can be pretty sure that our shiny, new, super-slim minister for Local Government is developing a cunning plan
Read MoreObama's first overseas visit and Pakistan 'the capitulator'
As Ottawa indulges in a little Obama-mania, the economy, Afghanistan, and the rise of sharia law in Pakistan hang heavy over the new Commander-in-Chief
Read MoreBig bangs, bailouts, and bulldust
Governments around the world are getting it in the neck for doing too much or too little to pull their economies out of the global recession. So why should John Key go scot-free when he talks about bailing out F&P Appliances – and what is he doing to stimulate the rest of us?
Leaked: National plans reveal the government's continued reluctance to spend
Leaked Cabinet plans list the government's infrastructure projects and show that even facing the worst economic crisis in half a century, the government intends to restrain its spending
Read MoreThe truth about National's so-called stimulus: not a penny more
Pundit has finally received answers from Bill English's office about the government's stimulus package. Contrary to the spin, the government is re-announcing already promised money, it has not added a cent to its spending since December, and while the rest of the world ups the ante, New Zealand is sitting on its hands
Read MoreSo what happened to that Buy American rule?
Just what the final US stimulus package says about only buying US-made goods remains vague, but here we explain the issue and what's at stake
Read MoreHelen Clark's OE
While the Machiavellian world of United Nations appointments means Helen Clark won't find it easy securing her international role, it's one to which she's ideally suited
Read MoreMessage to Obama: Toughen Up
Three weeks into the job and Obama may have just reaslied he has to toughen up if he is to stay ahead of the great Republican machine and pass the legislation his team wants to get through – after all, they won the election didn't they?
Read MoreThe $9 billion bait and switch
National claims its $9 billion stimulus package is one of the largest in the world and will protect New Zealand from the worst of the recession. But much of package is in fact old spending re-announced, including most of the previous government's 2008 Budget and the purchase of KiwiRail that National so vehemently opposed
Read MoreThe spy who didn't love Keith
Blofeld beware, Keith Locke is here... The SIS' decision to target the mild-mannered Green MP as a security threat is another sign the agency has lost its way
Read MoreForgotten war heats up
Military leaders in Afghanistan are dramatically re-thinking their strategies, but the ministerial briefings given to the new government reveal little planning and even less urgency
Canada fears being frozen out of the US recovery deal
In the bleak midwinter, Canada is fighting to ensure it doesn't lose billions of dollars as a protectionist US Congress pushes forward with its 'Buy American' legislation
Read MoreWhat path is Key choosing?
John Key is finally dragging his government out of its lethargy, hinting at insulation plans and major building projects. But today's speech showed a man still wrestling with a core question: Who should pay for the crisis we're in
Read MorePlease, let's get money out of our politics
The Electoral Finance Act is up for repeal, but what will take its place?
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