Labour Leader Helen Clark said today that the Prime Minister's constantly shifting stance on her involvement, and the involvement of her staff, with Timberlands and its public relations company comes as no surprise.

"A clear pattern of behaviour develops when Mrs Shipley is under pressure. Initial statements are qualified and then qualified again in a way which contradicts her earlier blustering assertions.

"Mrs Shipley's pattern of denials over the Timberlands scandal parallels her pattern of denials over the Kevin Roberts and John Hawkesby fiascos.

"In such matters, the public acknowledges that one lapse is careless. A second raises questions. A third, as in this case, points to a serious pattern of behaviour.

"Under pressure this Prime Minister changes her story," 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>>