Prime Minister Helen Clark today congratulated Tony Blair and the British Labour Party on their general election victory.

Helen Clark said that Tony Blair's achievement in winning a second mandate by such a large margin was remarkable and historic.

"In both New Zealand and Britain, voters are opting for pragmatic centre-left governments with positive and inclusive visions for the future.

"Those visions combine the rebuilding of public services with the push towards 'smarter' knowledge-based societies and economies.

"The rebuilding of Britain, like the rebuilding of New Zealand, is a long-term project. In winning a second term, Tony Blair has received strong endorsement for his project of building an inclusive society and a strong economy.

"In September this year the Progressive Governance group of leaders to which Tony Blair and I belong is due to meet in Stockholm. All members of the group will be heartened by his victory. It encourages us all to continue our work to build societies which are fair, inclusive and economically strong," Helen Clark 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>>