Gordon Campbell on what we could do for Hong Kong, if only we dared
There has been something repulsive about PM Jacinda Ardern’s assurances that our joint 5 Eyes criticism of China’s actions over Hong Kong – and China’s […]
Columns
Gordon Campbell on National’s weekend of doing wheelies, going nowhere
Evidently, a year is not a long time in politics. The National Party for example, has just chosen to end this year much as it […]
Gordon Campbell on Stuart Nash’s plan to turn New Zealand into a playground for wealthy tourists
But first, a Covid-19 vaccine update. Early results from stage three trials on at least two Covid-19 vaccine contenders have been highly positive, at 90% […]
Gordon Campbell on Chris Liddell, the RCEP, and reviving our trade with Iran under Biden
Being nominated by US President Donald Trump to head a key international organisation should have been the kiss of death for any nominee, even before […]
Gordon Campbell on Adrian Orr’s lending scheme, the Collins reshuffle and the Trump coup
Does anyone under 50 know why “Muldoonist” is a bad word? David Seymour was one year old when Robert Muldoon lost the 1984 snap election. […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s reshuffle, Pfizer’s vaccine & Trump’s non-exit strategy
Good to hear there is at least one Covid vaccine in the pipeline, and that Pfizer is claiming a 90% level of efficacy for it. […]
Gordon Campbell and 22 short takes on the US election
Finally, the long night of Donald Trump’s presidency is over. To date, the courts have been given no cause to conclude that the exhaustively lengthy […]
Gordon Campbell on the results (so far) from the US election
UPDATE: Biden supporters shouldn’t count their chickens just yet. There is still a victory path for Trump if Biden loses Arizona, and Trump wins Pennsylvania […]
Gordon Campbell on the when and where of election results, vote suppression, reasons to panic etc
In the final hours before polls close at 1pm tomorrow (NZ time) in the US election, at least four major question marks remain: namely, the […]
Gordon Campbell on how the US Supreme Court is undermining American democracy
If Joe Biden is elected President next week, here comes the bad news. If Biden tries to defend Obamacare, combat climate change (via say, a […]
Gordon Campbell on why herd immunity isn’t a valid option, and what’s with our reluctance to wear masks ?
Herd immunity has recently bounced back into the headlines as a tool for managing Covid-19, and as a supposed alternative to lockdowns. In the US, […]
Gordon Campbell on National being shafted by its own creation
As it licks its wounds, let’s hope the National Party can still find time to look back with some pride at what it has achieved […]
Gordon Campbell on why the Greens shouldn’t join the government
We know she’s a miracle worker, but can Jacinda Ardern really find a cure for capitalism? Tough job. Especially when Ardern is being expected to […]
Gordon Campbell on some electorates to watch on Saturday night
On the eve of Election Day, Judith Collins can claim that she has done exactly what she was chosen to do: namely, she looks like […]
Gordon Campbell on National going rogue, and US militia madness
In the wake of Judith Collins descent into negative politicking, the real question has to be – did she slip, or did she jump? Was […]
Gordon Campbell on flirting with Act, and on the euthanasia/cannabis measures
Less than convincingly, Judith Collins says that if elected to govern, she would not be enacting any of the austerity measures and welfare cuts advocated […]
Gordon Campbell on why sport just doesn’t seem to be so important during a pandemic
During a pandemic, what role does sport play? That question suddently looks more complicated than it had first seemed. Back during the first lockdown an […]
Gordon Campbell on last night’s debate, and beyond
It really hasn’t been a good week for Judith Collins to be wheeling out her Little Me impression of Donald Trump, yet the similarities have […]
Gordon Campbell on four-year terms of Parliament, and on how the US courts are dismantling democracy
Last week, the issue of four-year parliamentary terms surfaced again. Infuriatingly, it is being discussed purely in terms of its convenience for political parties. They’d […]
Gordon Campbell on debates as game-shows, and why mixing politics and religion is a bad idea
Political debates have dominated the week’s campaign cycle, here and elsewhere. Routinely, leaders’ debates ( and polls) are the roadside diners and comfort stops on […]
Gordon Campbell on the SFO’s investigation of New Zealand First
On one level, New Zealand First has been the agent of its own misfortune. The New Zealand First Foundation handling the donations at the centre […]
Gordon Campbell on whether this election is already a foregone conclusion
Currently, this election looks like being a no contest. The weekend’s Newshub poll has the centre left enjoying a roughly 57-36% lead over the centre […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s rampant pandering to the farming vote
What on earth has happened to the political parties n the centre-right? Once upon a time in the US, the party of Lincoln was a […]
Gordon Campbell on last night’s leaders debate
Do political debates change voter intentions, and cause voters to switch sides? According to a 2019 Harvard Business School study conducted across 61 elections in […]
Gordon Campbell on that $4 billion hit to National’s economic cred
National released its economic and tax policy last Friday. Weirdly, the plan was announced right at the end of the news week, when whatever impact […]
Gordon Campbell on tourism’s endless sense of grievance
Sad that a once in a century pandemic should have come along before the government had a clearly thought out plan for rescuing all the […]
Gordon Campbell on the transTasman tinkering with Covid-related poverty
On September 25, the government’s Covid-19 rent freeze will expire. A fortnight ago, the Commerce Commission (in response to a complaint) sent out a letter […]
Gordon Campbell on campaign politicking
The microdoses of policy that get released on the campaign trail are not meant to be ego-shattering psychedelic events that transform our concepts of political […]
Gordon Campbell on saving small firms, and disowning Peter Thiel
According to Business NZ, over 97^ of New Zealand firms employ only 20 or fewer staff. One of the political myths about such firms is […]