“Who on the left still talks to you Josie?” he once asked. “You mean apart from you, Jim?”

Jim defined leadership as being able to see a different world and then working towards that. How different to the leadership of the past 15 years that has been about personal popularity, symbolism and vibes.

Jim spent his last years pointing out that the economics of the 1990s failed. The gap between haves and have-nots grew too big. Nearly all the fruits of reform were captured by a few. Inequality is the cause of growing instability and backlash across democracies around the world.

Jim possibly achieved more clarity in retirement about what New Zealand needs, but he never lacked for courage.

Josie's obit for the former PM is here.

Josie joined Trish Sherson and Heather du Plessis-Allan on Newstalk ZB to discuss the government's changes to welfare rules for teenagers, protests outside Winston Peters' home, and a payout for the former Reserve Bank Governor.

Like last night’s pizza, Cold War confrontation is back. This time with shooting.

Global cooperation to prevent world wars is our best way of avoiding another one. Right now, though, as Europe skirmishes on the edge of a metastasising conflict, no one is reading the news to find out what the UN is doing for a ceasefire in Ukraine or Gaza.

In the absence of effective peacemaking, the next best way to stop war from spreading is for Ukraine to defeat Russia. I have just listened to six hours of podcasts explaining the origins of World War II. Just as then, the institutions that help to prevent war are malfunctioning. And the shooting has started.

Read Josie's column in the Post.

Josie joined Heather du Plessis-Allan and Tim Wilson on Newstalk ZB's Huddle to discuss changes to earthquake strengthening laws and the government's decision not to recognise a Palestinian state.

Josie joined Ryan Bridge and Trish Sherson on Newstalk ZB's Huddle to talk about whether the Government's announcement of half a billion dollars of school infrastructure spending will move the dial, recognition of Palestine, and how many speed bumps is too many?