OPINION

In the cult TV comedy Arrested Development, a character called Tobias Funke starts a folk band called “Dr Tobias Funke’s 100% good-time family band solution.” He and his family travel to medical conferences singing folk tunes persuading people to buy a lifestyle drug produced by a big pharma called Teamocil. Unfortunately, the sense of wellness in relationships created by Teamocil turns out to be the first sign of complete pituitary shutdown. Read more

The most remarkable feature of the global financial crisis is its sheer duration. For five years now, developed economies have been in trouble – much longer than ‘ordinary’ recessions usually last. Read more

Few things in politics look more certain than a change of government after the next Australian election in 2013. The Gillard Labor government is polling abysmally and plagued by constant leadership quarrels. Read more

The National Party has announced it will reduce the number of long-term beneficiaries by 30 per cent in five years. Ambitious stuff, but notably absent from the government’s Better Public Services programme is a commitment to ignore industry requests for state lifelines that may arise. Read more

As the Olympics begin to wind up, and countries reflect on their performance, the inevitable calls for reviewing funding arrangements are beginning to pour in. So far, these calls in New Zealand have been muted, mainly because we have done well – with the added bonus of winning more gold medals than Australia for much of the games. Read more

Of all the reasons why Europe’s monetary crisis keeps dragging on, the lack of a common language is not the most obvious one. Why should it matter when the predominant language of finance, politics and diplomacy is English? Read more

The Western world since the Enlightenment has been shaped by the inviolability of rule of law, a commitment to scientific enquiry, and an adherence to democratic process. But at the root of all of these values lies an openness to ideas and a willingness to discuss them. Read more

Thirty years ago, it was an everyday experience to see New Zealanders smoke in meetings, restaurants and even on public transport. Today, such activities are socially unacceptable and often outright illegal. Read more

And did the Countenance Divine Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here Among these dark Satanic mills? Read more

While the rest of Europe was still debating fiscal solutions to the debt crisis, Mario Draghi reminded us that the answer may well be monetary. By signalling the possibility of strong ECB intervention in bond markets, the ECB president did not only calm the markets temporarily; he also revealed where the EU is heading. Read more

Click image for larger view. Read more

Debates about the letter of the recovery – “V”, “U”, “W”, “L”– assume the inevitable return to robust economic growth. Economic growth has become the universal solution for all political and economic problems, from reducing poverty to now solving the problems of over-indebted individuals, businesses and nations. Read more

With the London Olympics about to start, it is time to reveal the medal tally. China will win 102 medals (gold, silver and bronze), followed closely by the United States (100), Russia (71), and the United Kingdom (71). Read more

The Government has a website (New Zealand Now) that markets New Zealand to the world as “a great place to live, invest and do business”. A great many New Zealanders, including the strongest opponents of foreign investment, would probably agree. Read more

Europe’s politicians are quick learners. It has only taken them about 2½ years to realise that Greece cannot be saved within the eurozone. Read more