National's State Services spokesman Roger Sowry has welcomed a judge's decision which means the Christine Rankin case will be considered by the Employment Court.

"The Government, through the State Services Commission, was attempting to keep this issue out of the Employment Court because it did not want the case to fall under the ambit of its own Employment Relations Act. I welcome the fact they have not succeeded in twisting the rules to suit themselves.

"If the Government attempts to appeal this case no-one will be fooled. Such a move would be purely motivated by the fear that the details of this case will prove to be a significant political embarrassment for Social Services Minister Steve Maharey," Mr Sowry said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>