Brash flip-flop welcome

Finance Minister Michael Cullen today welcomed Opposition Leader Don Brash’s policy flip-flop on the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, saying it would help secure the long term viability of NZ Super.

Dr Cullen was responding to Dr Brash’s confirmation that National would support Parts One and Two of the New Zealand Superannuation Act 2001.

“The announcement was robbed of any surprise factor because members of Dr Brash’s caucus stole his thunder by leaking the news to the media last week.

“That lack of discipline creates questions around Dr Brash’s ability to control his colleagues and therefore around his ability to enforce any agreement the National Party might enter into.

“But it took a huge u-turn for Dr Brash to embrace the Fund as he has been scathing of it in the past. He described it in July, 2002 as “a serious mistake” and, as recently as March this year, as “nothing more than financial smoke and mirrors,” Dr Cullen 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>>