Gordon Campbell on the reasons for opposing AUKUS
In the early 1980s, New Zealand walked out of the ANZUS pact on principle, rather than be an accomplice to nuclear war. We now seem […]
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Gordon Campbell on rules for lobbyists
As predicted in this column on Monday the Trump indictment has turned out (a) to hinge on New York state law 175.10 on the falsifying […]
Gordon Campbell on hiking up interest rates
Elsewhere in the world, some central bankers are showing signs of re-considering the wisdom of barrelling on with the crusade against inflation. For fear that […]
Gordon’s Campbell on Auckland’s dysfunctional mayor, and air travel chaos
As Auckland’s cantankerous mayor stumbles from one crisis to the next, the hope is not that Wayne Brown will learn on the job – that’s […]
Gordon Campbell on the banning of Tik Tok
For a serial offender like Stuart Nash, it was inevitable that another skeleton would emerge from his closet, and end his ministerial career. This one […]
Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull fallout, and the zombie revival of national standards
Oh, the irony. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has made a career out of inciting public hostility against the trans community, only to find herself on the receiving […]
Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will […]
Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – […]
Gordon Campbell on firing Stuart Nash, plus a music playlist
Here’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins, Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. […]
Gordon Campbell on the Hipkins cutbacks, and the major Saudi/Iran deal
Most days, Chris Hipkins and James Shaw seem a bit like the Seals and Crofts of the centre-left: Earnest, inoffensive, and capable of quite nice […]
Gordon Campbell on AUKUS and Australia’s decision on nuclear subs
Update: Evidently, Reuters were correct in the major details reported below on Werewolf, prior to the official AUKUS announcement. Yes, the US will begin to […]
Gordon Campbell on using the trade weapon against China
Yikes. First Rob Campbell, now Steve Maharey. It seems we are going to fire – or expect public self-flagellation –from every chair of a Crown […]
Gordon Campbell on childcare as an election bribe
Down the years, centre-right parties have always found male voters to be receptive to a mix of hard-line economic politics and harsh stances on welfare. […]
Gordon Campbell on the sacking of Rob Campbell
Unfortunately, truth was not a defence available to Rob Campbell. He will now be replaced as chair of Te Whatu Ora, the organisation set up […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s “do nothing” alternative to Three Waters
There are sound economic reasons (and equally good reasons to do with social equality) why the Three Waters scheme would centralise water management into four […]
Gordon Campbell on the mauling of Maureen Pugh
National MP Maureen Pugh’s claim that the jury is still out on human-induced climate change – and her rapid conversion to the opposite POV – […]
Gordon Campbell on how the US Supreme Court could ruin the Internet
For obvious reasons, we’ve all been a bit cyclone-fixated this past week, while the rest of the world has kept ticking over regardless. For example: […]
Gordon Campbell on disaster politics
Most of us have been the CEOs of our own lives for long enough to realise that Cyclone Gabrielle has done a massive amount of […]
Gordon Campbell on the protests inside Israel
This week in Jerusalem, about 100,000 Israelis took to the streets to demonstrate against plans by the recently elected coalition government of Benjamin “ Bibi” […]
Gordon Campbell on why we’re facing fewer, more intense, cyclones in future
As Cyclone Gabrielle leaves its mark on New Zealand, there are still limits on what the scientific research can say definitively about how climate change […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s selling of its “social investment” policy
There’s a 19th century flavour to National’s “social investment” strategy, in that it aims to seek capital from philanthropists and charitable organisations – some of […]
Gordon Campbell on extending the fuel/public transport subsidies
As PM Chris Hipkins says, it’s a “no brainer” to extend the fuel tax cut, half price public subsidy and the cut to the road […]
Gordon Campbell on counting the ways Auckland was failed by its mayor
In some alternative universe, Auckland mayor Efeso Collins readily grasped the scale of Friday’s deluge, and quickly made the emergency declaration that enabled central government to immediately throw its resources behind the rescue and remediation effort.
Gordon Campbell on the bad outlook for fuel and transport costs
Ok, there’s good news and bad news in this week’s inflation figures, but bad > good. Our inflation rate held steady but hey, at a […]
Gordon Campbell On The Shrinking Of Labour’s Vision
Labour has begun 2023 with the centre-left bloc behind in the polls and losing ground. That being so, did his colleagues choose Chris Hipkins as […]
Gordon Campbell on Ardern, business confidence, and the worth of sanctions
The decision by Jacinda Ardern to end her term as Prime Minister on February 7 has come as a stunning surprise. It turns the task […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s fraught journey back to the centre
Ever since Christopher Luxon became leader, National has adopted a “small target” strategy. This consists of offering nothing to distract the media from its focus […]
Gordon Campbell on the cult of political boldness
The next recession is shaping up as the most predicted event since the Second Coming. While we have to take it on faith that it […]
Gordon Campbell on Fiji’s journey back to the future
For wealthier New Zealanders and Australians, Fiji is just one option among many for their tourism resort experiences, poolside. Obviously, the country amounts to a […]
Gordon Campbell On Becoming A Nation Of Political Paranoids
Reportedly, there’s a crime wave sweeping the nation, even though the vast majority of us are not experiencing it first hand. That’s partly because the […]