Colin JamesColin James

Colin James is a political journalist of nearly 40 years' experience. He is the author of six books, including 2017's Unquiet Time: Aotearoa/New Zealand in a Fast Changing World.

Jacinda Ardern and transforming the would-be transformer

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The self-proclaimed governors of transformation have not so far infused the ‘wellbeing’ idea they trumpeted into everyday speech. Do they dare do so now, asks Colin James. Jacinda Ardern claimed a “mandate” on election night to “accelerate our response [to Covid] and our recovery”. Does that portend the “government of transformation” she proclaimed three years … Read more

The Covid aftershocks will upend the global power structure for years to come

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We’re only just beginning to understand the vast political ramifications of the coronavirus, both here and around the world, writes Colin James. What comes after Covid-19? Not business as usual. The global virus is a disjunctive shock and such a shock sets up a chain reaction that changes the order of things. That there is … Read more