Last week National made some promises about water, and copped plenty of flak on the way. That move signalled the soft launch of National's election campaign, as it starts to tidy up the policies that put victory in September at risk
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My little gonzo academic electoral law experiment
Is it now legal to use TV and radio to run mean-spirited, hatchet-job attack ads on your political enemies? I decided to find out ... so here's a reprise of what happened, having previously been recounted over at The Spinoff.
Read MoreWhy you can't call Donald Trump a liar (yet)
There's a growing number of media calling out President Donald Trump for saying things that aren't true. But does that make him a liar?
Read MoreNational v Labour: Someone unelectable is going to beat the odds
As the polls start to swing back into action, a look across the electoral battlefield sees two major party leaders both struggling to get firm footing and take the high ground
Read MoreLet me count the ways; three potential governments in 2017
Come September 24, there are really only three likely scenarios as to who could form a government, and odds-on Winston Peters will face two difficult choices
Read MoreSome innocents 'scape not the thunderbolt
Willie Jackson is right that the low voting turnout amongst younger age groups is a real problem. But he's wrong to blame the Electoral Commission for following the law that Parliament has made.
Read MoreNo, not that one. The other dangerous bit we could inherit from the US election campaign
Recent elections and votes in America, Britain and Australia have been brutal and brittle affairs with plenty of rancour, and some fear the same here this year. But I wonder if they're looking in the wrong direction
Read MoreHere's one for the fans
Could the Labour Party end up in court over its party list? Probably not, but this is the Labour Party we're talking about!
Read MoreA revolt against the future
In the days of Trump and Brexit, it could be time for those who want a society based on openness, knowledge and new opportunities to revisit an out-of-fashion idea
Read MoreWhy we should reject the politics of despair
A message to Kiwi politicians this election year: Must try harder
Read MoreWhen Donald calls Bill... make him an offer
Bill English has the chance to be heroic without indulging his inner Hugh Grant. He can be on the right side of history, China and even Ronald Reagan, if he seizes the moment
Read MoreWhat Donald & Hillary can teach New Zealand
It's easy to play the anti-establishment and change cards or go on the attack. But the real challenge for our politicians and journalists is to allow voters to hear balance
Read MoreThree takes on Miller (the Brexit case)
R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union is going to keep constitutional lawyers in the UK (and elsewhere in the Commonwealth) very busy for the upcoming months and years. Here's my humble early offerings on it.
Read MoreNational's 'right track' strategy for Election 2017
The rights and wrongs of National's election strategy will come down to three main points... and coalition partners
Read More2016: Hero & anti-Hero of the year
Who stood out for me this year? I want to talk about two people who changed the conversation, for better and worse
Read More2016 in politics: A spinoff from The spinoff
The Spinoff last week asked me to consider the political highs and lows of 2016. So I did that and saw there first package come out over the weekend. So here are my thoughts on all that
Read MoreKicking the can down the road
Why is the Crown fighting a court case it knows it is very unlikely to win? Because doing so stops it from having to face cases it really would prefer not to deal with.
[Update: see important revisory note at post's end!]
Read MoreWait or go? The big choice for the substitute Prime Minister with a tail wind
Despite the polls, an English win at next year's election would be an historic achievement. Which makes the choice of when to go to the country, so very important
Read MoreShearer: the one that got away or a fish out of water?
As David Shearer looks to hit the road, some are asking whether he was Labour's golden opportunity missed. So is that nostalgia or wise hindsight speaking?
Read MoreDoing the right thing
Today the right thing was done for two individuals by public officials who were not forced into doing so. Let's just take a moment to savour an occasion when things worked the way they should.
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