David Mitchell's latest work, The Bone Clocks, is a great read. I'm just not sure it's a very good book.
Read MoreWhat Labour needs to hear: the 4th voice
Who will determine Labour's future – the MPs, the members, the unions? The fact is that after a 24 percent election result they are the wrong people to listen to and the truth may be every hard to hear
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday October 1
Afghanistan and US sign security deal; Hong Kong stock market falls in reaction to protests; South Korea proposes 500 percent import tariff on rice to protect local farmers; 12 killed in Ukraine despite ceasefire; Iran 'most dangerous country in world', says Netanyahu; and more
Read MoreHow sustainable is New Zealand?
One of the biggest issues missed during the election campaign was the sustainability of National's economic, environmental and even social policies. So what do you do if the government's not thinking long-term?
Read MoreThe original broad church
I know this will make me even more unpopular on The Standard and The Daily Blog. Being Catholic will probably be seen as another reason to question my right to represent the Left; which is odd, given that there is a proud tradition of social justice in the Catholic church.
Read MoreSusan St John accuses
Susan St John accuses me of “visionless pro-work rhetoric” for writing in my blog about Labour’s position on extending the Working For Families tax credit to families not in work.
Read MoreHow David Cunliffe is like Scarlett Johansson
Labour has to take the blame for creating a bizarre mystique around David Cunliffe's motivations, and his supposedly aloof nature. The problem is not really Cunliffe, it's PR
Read MoreNot another column about the Labour leadership
Time to stop talking about the Opposition and focus on what will really effect us over the next three years: what will the National government do to protect Kiwis from another looming recession?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday September 25
World leaders at UN Climate Summit commit to fight climate change; China pledges emissions limits; Japan and US begin high-level talks on Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact; India sends orbiter to Mars; US drone strike in Pakistan kills six; Nicaraguan farmers protest new canal; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday September 24
US launches airstrikes in Syria; Uighur scholar in China sentenced to life in prison; police and students clash in Hong Kong during pro-democracy protest; Liberia and Norway sign logging deal; British photojournalist appears in second ISIS video; and more
Read MoreWhat Labour forgot: You've got to earn it
Whether or not Labour changes its leader, the MPs gathered in Wellington today need to stop blaming everyone else and take a long, hard look at themselves
Read MoreLabour and Greens voters are more alike than different
If voters can see the commonality between Labour and the Greens, why can't political analysts?
Read MoreThe truth about our 'rockstar economy'
A softening of the housing market, falling dairy prices and potential weakening of the Chinese economy do not bode well for New Zealand
Read MoreA healthy dose of humble pie
In which your author admits to (at least) two big mistakes about the 2014 election, and then proceeds to risk making another one.
Read MoreLabour must change
If just changing the leader was the solution, then Labour would have solved its problems long ago. We've had three leaders since 2008.
Read MoreThe Key to a 4th term
An emphatic win for National raises a whole series of questions, especially for a left-wing struggling to understand middle New Zealand... and then there's Dotcom
Read MoreThe story's not done yet - a final post
Will Judith Collins cost John Key his third term?
And other assorted closing thoughts on this most unusual of election campaigns.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday September 19
US House of Representatives agrees to arm Syrian opposition; China lowers borrowing costs; 15 arrested in Australian anti-terror raids; journalist killed in Afghanistan; Scotland votes; and more
Read MorePerson votes vs Dollar notes
On the eve of the election, let's not forget the influence of 'dollar-voters' on the outcome
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