The economy, thank God, does not resemble my household budget.
Still, National will tell us they have the books in order because they’ve listened to our grandparents' voice of reason: ‘don’t spend more than you earn, and if you get into debt, spend less and save more. Batten down the hatches and wait for the recession to pass.’
Canada's Conservative Government is in the middle of trying to change its election rules to benefit itself - while its PM Stephen Harper has become the thing he once most hated.
Read MoreStigma against state tenants is perpetuated when journalists fail to get the facts right
Read MoreI wrote a column in the National Business Review this weekend, and it’s driving right-wingers there nuts.
When is a subsidiary not a subsidiary, but an independent and untouchable private fortress? When it's being investigated by the keystone cops at Parata & Sharples Detective Agency
Read MoreNew concerns for Syria; China dismisses any link between Uighur ethnic minority and missing Malaysian Airlines flight; Taiwanese activists break into parliament to protest trade deal with China; Ukraine's naval headquarters seized; Sri Lanka releases two human rights activists; and more
Read MorePutin moves ahead with plan to annex Crimea; Thailand to lift Bangkok's State of Emergency; owners of Fukushima nuclear plant turning to unskilled workers to decommision site which may have contributed to recent leak; and more
Read MoreNew Zealand First, we know, could go either way. And this weekend we learnt a little more about what Peters and his crew will be considering if they end up as the pivot party
Read MoreCrimea declares independence from Ukraine; missing Malayasia Airlines flight strains international co-operation; China rejects UN report accusing North Korea of crimes against humanity; Russian arms exports surge; as US withdraws from Afghanistan, Pakistan eyes unwanted military equipment; and more
Read MoreThere’s been a nasty dose of ‘border relativism' in the debate about Crimea and it misses the point; you can’t have a referendum at the point of a gun, doesn’t matter what history says.
Read MoreThis year marks 25 years since the Reserve Bank Act 1989 was passed. While it has enjoyed a high degree of cross-party support over that period, the original settlement is unwinding and it is now time for a review. That need not involve throwing the anti-inflation baby out with the bathwater, nor the politicisation of a significant public institution.
Read MoreThe doctrine of the pre-emptive strike against inflation is self-immolating. Controlling (suppressing) demand growth invariably limits investment in new capacity and so the ability to improve productivity and/or maintain competitiveness.
Read MoreWhile Judith Collins was in China, she perhaps should have read some Sun Tzu: “If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.”
Read MoreUN urges restart of Syria peace talks; Chinese economy cools; US investigators believe missing airliner flew four hours after last contact; Libyan PM flees; more killed in Venezuela protests; and more
Read MoreCIA accused of violating US Constitution; Chinese are using popular bank card to smuggle money out of country; middle class expands in North Korea; Swedish journalist killed in Kabul; Obama shows support for new government in Kiev; and more
Read MorePerception matters immensely when it comes to politics, but reality matters even more. So let's talk about realities
Read MoreUnrest intensifies in Venezuela; North Korea getting around UN sanctions by using embassies in Cuba and Singapore to facillitate illegal weapons trade; Thailand cops flak in continuing search for missing airliner; Pakistan suffers heavy losses in conflict with Taliban; Tibetans arrested to prevent anti-China demonstrations; new claims as to responsibility for Lockerbie bombing; ousted Ukrainian president insists he is still commander in chief; and more
Read MoreForget the hype, food is as cheap as it ever was
Read MorePro-Russian forces seal off another military airport in Crimea; search for Malaysia Airlines jet continues; North Koreans endorse government in Parliamentary elections offering just one candidate per seat; Middle East drought threatens global food prices; Nigerian healthcare hit by Boko Haram violence; and more
Read MoreThe announcement of the election date was an opportunity for the left to define the campaign. It can’t afford any more missed opportunities.
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