A centre-left government with a Green Party component offers more stability than the last National government which was held to ransom by New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters.

That's according to Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons, who today welcomed the news that the Greens are polling around six per cent in TV One and TV Three polls released last night.

That would translate into at least seven Green MPs in parliament.

"Green MPs in the next Parliament offer much greater certainty than any government where New Zealand First was holding the balance of power," Ms Fitzsimons said.

She said the Green Party aimed to make MMP work the way it was meant to.

"Votes cast in Parliament should reflect votes cast in the election.

"This means parties should vote for the policies they put to the electorate, not trade them away for cabinet positions."

Coalitions or agreements on confidence should be structured around an agreed policy programme, with parties free to vote separately on issues where they disagree, she said.

"This provides accountability as well as stability."

Labour and the Alliance were advocating a similar position, she said.

© 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>>