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
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Some 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 MoreA Social Democrat Assesses How is the Land Faring?
Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates, and men decay:
Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade—
A breath can make them, as a breath has made:
But a bold peasantry, their country’s pride,
When once destroyed, can never be supplied.
The Deserted Village: Oliver Goldsmith
This column follows on from ‘Whence Europe; Whither Europe’.
Read MoreQualified addiction counsellors not wanted in NZ prisons
Up to 90% of prison inmates have problems with substance abuse and addiction. But Corrections does not require the counsellors who provide rehabilitation programmes for them to have a graduate degree in the assessment and treatment of addictive disorders. In fact, they don't even need a degree - just a qualification.
Read MoreDonald Trump – scaring the spies out into the cold
President Donald is going to be a headache for the intelligence community. He can't keep his own secrets safe, so how can they trust him?
Read MoreAll things in moderation, including even Trump, Brexit & judges
Just because Donald Trump is a shoot from the hip president, doesn't mean we should fall into the same trap
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 MoreFrom Whence Europe? Whither Europe?
Although completed a decade ago, Tony Judt’s history of postwar Europe presaged some of the challenges that it faces today.
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 MoreEdward Snowden spy inquiries: Watching the watchers
The inquiry reports into Kiwi issues raised by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden are nearly complete. Gwyn's reports are likely to shed great light on how our intelligence agencies operate.
Read MoreBig Data – Good?
Big data can be used for good and it can be used for evil. Some recent public research illustrates the former but there are doubts about some private uses.
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 MoreThe No Man’s Land of Studying Distributional Economics
Economists and policy analysts have paid insufficient attention to the distributional consequences of change. Hence the rise of the angries.
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 MoreWhat Do We Really Know about the Distribution of Wealth in New Zealand?
Far too much public commentary on wealth inequality obscures what is actually is going on.
Read MoreTrump Inaugurated: The con is on
Today's short and grim speech reinforces and reveals how Donald Trump will govern as the 45th US president, and it won't serve his people well
Read MoreWill Many Americans be Healthcareless without Obamacare?
What can we learn about health care systems and the US from the muddle that America is getting into over Obamacare?
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