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| THE
KEY . . . GOOD MANNERS, CIVILITY & RESPECT FOR THE LAW ~ 27
November 2006 |
| This Government is getting a reputation for arrogance and bad manners.
The graceless comments by its leader when National Party leader, Don
Brash, announced his retirement, was only matched by the refusal to
congratulate Jenny Shipley, who became the first women Prime Minister...read more |
| IT’S
NOT ALL BAD NEWS AT THE WTO 07 ~ November 2006 |
| The World Trade Organisation’s important work continues despite
the present stand-off in negotiations to conclude the Doha Development
round. Headlines suggest “Trade war looms,” “Crisis
between the European Union and the U.S. on aircraft,” or, “China
to face trade war over exports,” none of this ever happens...read more |
| WHO
LET THE DOGS IN ? ~ 29
October 2006 |
| Australia, the United States, Germany, most nations like
us, have taxpayer funding of political parties because they see strong,
stable political parties as fundamental to the functioning of the
democratic process. The clearest system pays political parties a few
cents for each vote after a general election...read more |
| MUHAMMAD
YUNUS - MICRO CREDIT ~ 12
October 2006 |
| Three cheers for the Nobel Committee awarding its Peace Prize
to Bangladeshi economist, Muhammad Yunus, for his pioneering, on-the-ground
success by inventing the idea of micro-credit and that has assisted
millions...read more |
| THE
BRETHREN – DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE ~ 02 October 2006 |
| This is a difficult column to write. I feel like those in the American
Council for Civil Liberties who, for years, fought on behalf of African-Americans
and their rights, but were obliged to defend the rights of the Ku
Klux Klan. Prime Minister, Helen Clark, dismissed as ‘paranoid’
by some in the media, was vindicated in her claims about the elusive,
exclusive Brethren...read more |
| BANGLADESH
– A FRAGILE DEMOCRACY ~ 23
September 2006 |
| I recently spent some time in Bangladesh as a member of a team organised
by the National Democratic Institute...read more |
| IN
PRAISE OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE MAORI PARTY ~ 19
September 2006 |
| We New Zealanders were all ‘boat people’ at some stage,
or in recent times, ‘plane people’. No-one arrived in New
Zealand without a memory...read more |
| UNREASONABLENESS
REQUIRED ~ 01
September 2006 |
| In the early 1990’s I had great sport teasing the over-earnest
proponents of political correctness who wanted to ban toy guns, hot
cross buns, and the word “manhole” in municipal planning...read more |
| "MORAL
HAZARDS" ~ 28
August 2006 |
| In economics there is a concept of ‘moral hazard’ often
linked to the insurance industry where it’s used to explain the
theory that, e.g., fire insurance increases the incentive to commit
arson...read more |
| ROUND
AND ROUND WE GO ! ~ 22
August 2006 |
| The present stand-off in trade talks at the World Trade Organisation
is the crisis that we have to endure, it happens in every trade round...read more |
| THIRD
WAY OR THIRD WORLD ? ~ 30
July 2006 |
| It’s always irritated me to read New Zealand commentators
or politicians, short of a cliché, complaining that New Zealand’s
becoming a third world country...read more |
| IT’S
NOT OVER YET ~ 28
July 2006 |
| News out of the World Trade Organisation in Geneva that the
Doha Development round has reached a deadlock was hardly new or news...read more |
| SUCCESS
OR FAILURE AT ST. PETERSBURG ~ 21
July 2006 |
| A year ago at Gleneagles in Scotland, the G8 group of the strongest
industrialised economies, met in a spirit of hope and generosity and
agreed to attack the problems of poverty in Africa...read more |
| "NOW
WHAT ?" ~ 05
July 2006 |
| Last week’s informal mini-Ministerial meeting of about 50 Trade
Ministers failed to bridge the differences amongst members of the
World Trade Organisation...read more |
| TRIANGULATION
OR STRANGULATION - THE THIRD WAY ~ 03 July 2006 |
| Australia and New Zealand labour were New Labour when Tony Blair was
at school...read more |
| OUTSIDE
RULES TO DRIVE UP INTERNAL REFORMS ~ 13
June 2006 |
| In a 10-day period, I attended a meeting of the United Nation’s
high level panel on the legal empowerment of the poor, visited the
Baltic States...read more |
| WHAT’S
EATING LATIN AMERICA ? ~ 23
May 2006 |
| I recently spent time in Peru, a place of fabulous resources, gold,
gas, gems, phosphate, fish, great agricultural opportunities...read more |
| THE
FERVOUR OF RELIGION ~ 21
May 2006 |
| Bookshops
are among my favourite places. Especially when I’m stuck at airports.
At Changi Airport, Singapore recently, I noticed a curious phenomenon...read more |
| WHAT’S
HAPPENING TO THE DOHA TRADE ROUND ? ~ 13
May 2006 |
| If
you only read the headlines you would be forgiven for thinking the
Doha Development Trade Round had failed and that the World Trade Organisation
had been consigned to the rubbish bin...read more |
| NEW
ZEALAND PARLIAMENT – MISSING IN ACTION? ~ 10
May 2006 |
| People
have always sneered that Parliament’s standing and standards
have never been worse. Alas, it might be coming true...read more |
| AUSTRALIA
& NEW ZEALAND POLITICS ~ 10
April 2006 |
| The impatient and unsettling struggle for the Prime Minister’s
job in the U.K. between Prime Minister Blair and his Chancellor, Gordon
Brown, is a re-run of what happens in many nations that enjoy the
British Westminster system of government...read more |
| THE
RETURN OF THE MAGINOT LINE ~ 29
March 2006 |
| "Why has Europe lost its nerve?" With the non vote beating
off the misunderstood European Constitution, it was a safe bet that
the ‘pause button’ would be pressed...read more |
| NGO’s
– THE BEST AND WORST OF THINGS TO COME ~ 05
March 2006 |
| NGO’s – Non Government Organisations – are now major
actors on the domestic and international stage...read more |
| A
PROGRESSIVE GOVERNANCE VIEWPOINT ~ 20
February 2006 |
| I’m on the Board of one of the more interesting global groups
that brings together centre left political leaders, and personalities,
past and present, to discuss and study the great issues of today and
tomorrow...read more |
| THE
HIGHER THEY GO - THE BETTER WE’LL BE .... EVENTUALLY ~ 05
February 2006 |
| A few days ago, I visited The Ukraine to discuss with politicians
and officials, Ukraine’s bid to join the World Trade Organisation.
It was minus 20, that’s cold...read more |
| ADVANTAGE
NEW ZEALAND ~ 20 January 2006 |
| I’m
now resident back in New Zealand after 6 years in Europe. People ask
me what’s changed the most since I’ve been away...read more |
| BEYOND
THE BOTTOM LINE! ~ 18 January 2006 |
| The
first responsibility of a business is to make a profit. Some say it’s
their only responsibility...read more |
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