Helen Clark maybe did us a favour by denying the Maori Council a chance to now head for London

So where can the Maori Council turn next in its vexatious efforts to nobble your hard-working government’s efforts to flog off a stake in Mighty River Power?

Nowhere.

There was a time when their lawyers would be suggesting they head for London and the Privy Council.

But the Clark Government put an end to that in her ill-considered efforts to reduce this country’s links with the Mother Country, the Monarch and all that…

Maori voters – if they happen to sympathise with the Maori Council and fancied their chances before the law lords – should remember that, next time they go to the polls.

Brendon Burns – all the news that’s fit to print

You’d think a bloody journalist could keep his blog up to date. Or maybe Brendon Burns can’t find much news that’s fit to print on his side of the House.

Burns became a Labour member of Parliament last year after a career including 12 years in the Parliamentary Press Gallery (much of it for The Press) and editorship of The Marlborough Express for seven years.

With credentials like that, it should be reasonably easy to maintain a blog.

But obviously not if you (a) want it to be readable while (b) using it to push the party line.