While Donald Trump and Jeremy Corbyn are blindingly different politicians, their current and probably short-lived attraction to their respective bases is eerily similar in the world of anger politics.
Read MoreGreen and peaceful land
On June 25, Greenpeace New Zealand did an action at Parliament. That afternoon I knew that, were I raising children, it would be as activists
Read MoreBubble, Bubble, Boil and Auckland Housing Trouble.
Treating the Auckland housing bubble as a supply-side problem doesn’t work; neither does blaming some group without a careful analysis of what is happening. What might work?
Read MoreSmith: I can tackle Auckland's housing shortage by 2017
Lots of new houses are being consented in Auckland, but supply is still not keeping up with demand. So why is National so keen to talk about supply?
Read MoreGeneration Rent may yet lead the way
Do we need more regulation in the housing market? Probably not -- existing regulation may be inflaming the problem of lack of supply
Read MoreHistoric Iran nuclear deal…finally...
After a marathon last push, the world's major powers and Iran have agreed on a deal which restricts and inspects Iran's nuclear programme, in exchange for lifting years of crippling sanctions. No surprises in who sees it as true diplomacy at work and who is screaming capitulation and death to the deal.
Read MoreWhat's in a name... and a number?
Cries of "racism" have surrounded Labour's release of data on the impact of foreign buyers on the Auckland property market. But what's really upsetting people?
Read MoreIs the Economy Heading Into a Recession?
Whatever the answer, what are we going to do about it?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday July 10
Greece extends bank closures; Chinese stock market rises after 10 days of falling prices; US and Japanese officials meet ahead of TPP meeting; Syrian refugees top four million; Nigerian troops arrest bombing 'mastermind' responsible for 69 deaths; and more
Read MoreGreece's Tragic Predicament
Within possibly just hours the fate of Greece could be known. Either way - in or out of the EU - the population of this crippled country faces only more hardship. Some players are more to blame than others, but none is exempt.
Read MoreKeep it in perspective, eh?
National's attempt to downplay economic concerns is like telling the All Blacks not to worry about playing without their front row
Read MoreLet’s Not Turn Greek Debt into a Democratic Deficit.
We need to distinguish the sovereign state from the people it governs, and the other political institutions between.
Read MoreAn open letter to Murray McCully
Bad things are happening in Nauru. Some of us think Murray McCully needs to do more in response.
Read MoreDoes Income Inequality Reduce Equality of Opportunity?
Recent publications suggest that the children who live at the bottom in economies with high inequality have reduced life chances.
Read MoreNew twists in the state house sell-off
A start of my post on state housing sales... More to come later, but feel free to start discussing now
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday June 26
US Senate approves fast-track trade authority; Burma votes to maintain military's veto power; Japanese military forces may join patrols in South China Sea; India pledges further $1 billion to Nepal reconstruction; South Africa to review membership to International Criminal Court; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 25
Greek bailout falters; ethnic clash kills 18 in China; Australia joins Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as founding member; more than 800 die in Karachi heatwave; US spied on France, according to Wikileaks; and more
Read MoreJe ne suis pas Charlie say NZ MPs: eroding free speech
New Zealand MPs are so keen to be seen to be "doing something" about cyber-bullying that they are about to pass a poor piece of law that will do something terrible
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday June 24
US-China talks on trade, cybersecurity and climate change begin in Washington DC; UN opens human rights office in Seoul; suicide bomber kills 35 in Nigeria; nearly 1000 migrants picked up off Libyan coast in one day; and more
Read MoreTime to have that talk on euthanasia Parliament keeps saying we need to have
Parliament - or, at least, a committtee of Parliament - is finally getting the chance to allow the public discussion of end of life choice that (most) everyone says is needed in the wake of Lecretia Seales' court case. Will it now do its job?
Update: Yes. Yes it will.
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