British voters have "had quite enough of austerity politics", says Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn. He should know. He came from nowhere to within a whisker of defeating the Conservatives preaching anti-austerity. Are voters thinking the same way in New Zealand? If so which party will benefit in the September election?
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Out of the biscuit tin, into the House
It's a quirky part of our lawmaking processes that important legislative developments may depend upon the right token getting pulled out of a biscuit tin. Today it was the turn of Euthanasia/Aid in Dying and Medicinal Marijuana to come out.
Read MoreBrownlee's resolution revolution: Is it Israel or bust?
Despite Bill English's assertion that Gerry Brownlee has found the "right language" to discuss Israeli settlements and New Zealand's position on a controversial UN resolution, the foreign minister seems to still be following his own path
Read More"Wellington, this is Auckland calling. Let us out of this maze"
Auckland is like a rat in a maze of the National government's making. But Phil Goff is determined to find his own way out... and he just might be about to find a door
Read MoreWhy 'the housing crisis' only cuts so deep
Housing may be top of the pops as an election issue for some, but it's not as many as you might think... and it won't be as easy to fix as you might think
Read MoreTaylor strikes again (but still has no right to take his place in the human race)
The Court of Appeal has upheld Arthur Taylor's challenge to the ban on prisoner voting under the NZ Bill of Rights Act ... except that he personally shouldn't have been able to bring the case in the first place, and he still won't be able to vote. But still - exciting!
Read MoreArthur Taylor wins again ...
... or, rather, the fellow prisoners who joined his application to have the legislative ban on prisoners voting declared inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act win again.
Read MoreIs it enough? Budget 2017 dissected
It's a Key-less budget giving National a new selling point... an Election Year Budget... and a Catch-Up Budget. And it's a budget that starts the thaw after the frozen years. But is it enough for New Zealand and New Zealanders?
Read MoreWork for it: On Rohan Lord & the L'Oreal candidates
Rohan Lord's decision to bail on Labour is perhaps representative of the rise of a political class who aren't prepared to import kumara to earn a seat, but rather take the L'Oreal approach to politics
Read MoreWhy the TPP11 will have to go back before Parliament
Bill English seems to think that New Zealand could become a part of a new, non-US Trans Pacific Partnership trade bloc without Parliament having to look at the issue. I'm pretty sure he is wrong about that.
Read MoreExplaining NZ's record high prison population
The prison population has hit 10,000 - an all-time high. 56% of these inmates are Maori - another all time high. What's going on?
Read MoreBetter a Banker in Rolls Royce than a Fascist in a Tank
The new President of France, Emmanuel Macron, wants French people to "embrace the future". Time will tell if he can make that possible, but his is a better message than the Trumps of this world who want to embrace the past
Read MoreIt's a Sicilian message
Alfred Ngaro appears to think the Government can stop its critics taking part in government programmes. That's not just wrong from a political morality standpoint, it's flat out illegal.
Read MoreTrump's firing of James Comey - what on earth is going on?
Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey either means that he's covering up his campaign's criminal links with Russian agents, or he's punishing a top law enforcement official for not doing exactly what he wants. Neither explanation bodes well for the USA.
Read MoreRepealing blasphemous libel - what took us so long?
The Irish might be going to prosecute Stephen Fry for blasphemy? Quick - let's amend our laws so that we don't ever end up doing something so silly!
Read MoreThe case for open doors
Put aside the populism and look at what immigration really brings us and what choices we really face
Read MoreWhy Matthew Hooton is wrong - again
Matthew Hooton being wrong about something is not usually worth writing a post about. But when he speaks ill of one of my friends ... well, action must be taken.
Read MoreHas fiscal responsibility become a false idol?
With most of the economic policy options for the coming NZ election now in front of us, it would appear we are continuing down the route of GDP growth, low inflation, government surpluses and Triple A credit ratings as measures of economic policy success. But, these are only means towards some desired ends or ultimate goals?
Read MoreHow to drive voting & policy debate this election... and how not to
What odds a policy debate this election? And how do we elevate it above more sensationalism and dirty politics? Here are some dos and don'ts
Read MoreHow to lose when you win
Jordan Williams' apparently crushing defamation victory from last year carried within it the seeds of its own demise. And in overturning that victory, the High Court has some less than complementry things to say about his own behaviour.
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