ACT Leader Richard Prebble said he thought it was an excellent idea that the first leaders' debate should be in Westport on the West Coast.

He said the ACT party would be prepared to front up, but doubted whether Jim Anderton would be much keener than Helen Clark to come to the West Coast.

Mr Prebble, currently campaigning in the South Island, said he was saying to heartland New Zealand that ACT shared their values and would be privileged to represent them.

"The Labour party has told heartland New Zealand that Labour's values have 'moved on' and that they are surplus to requirements," Mr Prebble said.

"I'm writing to Prime Minister Shipley to suggest she insists the debate be on the West Coast."

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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>>