Ten reasons for Labour people not to worry about the polls

1. That's not what I'm hearing when I'm out and about talking to ordinary people.
2. Something or other about how fixed phonelines skew the results.

Trevor Mallard decides to bury the hatchet

Labour Party MP Trevor Mallard says he has decided to “bury the hatchet” in an effort to bring unity to the party’s caucus.

Divisions within Labour’s caucus have rocked the party since David Shearer took over the leadership, resulting in the demotion of David Cunliffe to the backbenches. and leaving party members in despair.

Hollywood star loves NZ

Actor and film director Ben Affleck insists he "loves New Zealand and New Zealanders," despite the way his latest film portrays the country's people.

Affleck was forced to defend his award-wining film following criticism that parts of the film lacked accuracy and depicted New Zealand in a negative light.

Blogger issues fatwa recall notice

The following statement is given in response to the blogpost by Professor Andrew Geddis published on Sunday 24 February:

It’s my fault. My fatwa was a foolish attempt to seek justice, but I should have known that there was no justice in this world.

Blogger issues "fatwa" against law professor

Blogger Scott Yorke today issued a “fatwa” against Otago University academic Professor Andrew Geddis.

Mr Yorke said he had issued the edict to “take my revenge on that dirty thief.”

Sell them all

I see that Solid Energy has financial problems. This just goes to show that governments should not concern themselves in loss-making ventures.

So isn't it time we told our politicians to stop throwing money into things that can't even pay their own way?

My last week in politics: a short summary

14 February

It's Valentines Day and I'm loving this!

Person likes Seven Sharp

The producers of TVNZ's embattled Seven Sharp show have had a huge boost, after someone admitted to liking the show.

Seven Sharp's ratings have plummeted since its launch on TV One a couple of weeks ago, raising serious questions about the future of the show.

John Key forgets he is the PM

There was confusion during the Prime Minister's post-Cabinet press briefing today, after John Key appeared to forget that he was in government.

Mr Key took aim at Labour during the press briefing, blaming that party for the dire state of the economy.

Charismatic humanitarian returns to Parliament

The retirement of Lockwood Smith from politics has allowed former MP Aaron Gilmore to return to Parliament.

Gilmore was an MP between 2008 and 2011. Although not a household name, Gilmore made a huge impact during his time in Parliament.

A special thank-you to Richard Prosser

We've all been giving Richard Prosser such a hard time this week, but he's actually done us a favour.

Thanks to Prosser's intemperate language and offensive views on race and religion, bigots have been flushed out from all sorts of hiding places.  He has made a fool of his publisher, Ian Wishart, and left various knuckleheads who usually agree wholeheartedly with his views scrambling to defend themselves on blogs and other forms of social media.

Richard Prosser's top tips for flying

Guest columnist Richard Prosser has some great ideas on how to make your flight a more enjoyable and comfortable experience

Always carry a knife: You never know when one of those stone-age religion types might decide to sit next to you.

An open letter to the College of Cardinals

Your Holinesses,

Forgive me if I have breached any sort of protocol by writing this letter. Am I allowed to even call you that? I had no idea how to go about addressing you, so I decided to take a punt on "your holinesses". I figured it was safe, as you would probably hold out some claim to be righteous dudes, and one of you is probably going to be the next pope, after all. Although I've some thoughts of my own about that, as you'll soon discover.

We're being flooded already

I agree with John Key. It's time we took firm steps to stop the influx of all these boat people.

Forgive me please

I make a habit of attacking, mocking, and vilifying people on this blog, but I try now and again to put things right.

I do try not to get too personal when I'm writing a piece, but I'm not perfect and this is the internet, so sometimes I will cross the line into nastiness or pettiness.

SBW's next opponent may be his toughest yet

Sonny Bill Williams' manager has announced details of the fighter's next opponent, only days after the star controversially defeated Francois Botha in the ring.

He will fight Titewhai Harawira in April.

The next step in the grand plan

We have witnessed over the last few weeks various stages in Gareth Morgan's grand plan to make New Zealand a better place.

He first announced a plan to eradicate cats. Then he suddenly began to show an interest in New Zealand's rivers and waterways.

Why we must have a four-year parliamentary term

Let me put the debate to rest once and for all. Here are four compelling reasons.

Elections slow down decision-making and they tend to have a negative impact on the economy. 

So said John Key, our wise leader. And it's a fact that countries that have four or five year parliamentary terms have better-performing economies. Like Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

Joyce Reveals Plan For New School Payroll System

As more and more teachers report problems with their pay, the minister in charge of fixing the Novopay mess has today announced details of a new temporary payroll system.

Steven Joyce today called a press conference to explain the steps being taken by the government to address the crisis.

Support Shearer And Stop This Unholy War: A Guest Post By George Darroch

Regular readers will know that my "guest posts" aren't always to be taken seriously. But this guest post is a genuine one. 

The post was written five days before the Labour leadership ballot, and sent to a prominent left blog who did not run the post. I thought it deserved a wider audience.

I had to write. It's got to the point where I can no longer hold my silence. Dear Labour members who write and comment here: Either support Shearer, or destroy the Party, and rebuild it again.

Thanks David

I was going to write a post about how wrong Josie Pagani is, but then David Farrar gave her post the Kiwiblog seal of approval, so my efforts are no longer required.

Seven Sharp: A Concise Review

It didn't work.

Keep The Debate Going!

David Shearer will almost certainly receive a 100% endorsement from his caucus when they meet to vote on his leadership today.

This will horrify some on the left who are convinced Shearer is a liability and must go. Personally I don't care any more, because there doesn't really seem to be an end to the criticism of Labour's leader, and what good does it do? Is anyone listening?

Tributes To Paul Holmes Pour In: Mass Flooding Reported

Birds and aircraft tumbled from the sky, and car crashes were reported all over the country, as news broke that Sir Paul Holmes had died.

Outside the Auckland offices of Newstalk NZ eight veteran journalists self-immolated in a glowing tribute to the departed broadcaster.

Reflections On The Passing Of Paul Holmes

As we all remember the veteran broadcaster and his legacy, one thing remains foremost in my mind.