New Zealand First's status as the joke party of the election is much enhanced by the news that its top-ranked woman candidate is charged with tax offences, says Labour campaign spokesperson Pete Hodgson.

"Mr Peters' announcement that NZ First will conduct its own investigation of the charges against Suzanne Bruce cheers me up no end," Mr Hodgson said. "No doubt he is already filling his winebox.

"I have every confidence that Mr Peters will pursue this matter to the utmost limits of the law - including the Privy Council, if necessary - without regard for personal expense. 'Keeping them honest' obviously starts at home for NZ First.

"Mr Peters' knack with his party list and candidates is extraordinary. Only a comic genius could get it so wrong, so often. Truly it is a case of can't pick 'em, can't keep 'em, can't trust 'em."

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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>>