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 […]
general election 2020
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 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 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 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 […]
Gordon Campbell on the election delay
Hi, team. While the majority of the team of five million has gritted its teeth and obeyed the rules throughout the Covid-19 crisis, a sizeable […]
Gordon Campbell on Judith Collins’ apparent inability to read the public mood
The basic skill that a successful politician needs is the ability to “read the room” and gauge the public mood. If National Party leader Judith […]
Gordon Campbell on the new lockdowns, leadership and Lebanon
As Melbourne has shown, the webs of urban life overlap so extensively that community transmission can be very hard to trace, let alone control. Each […]
Gordon Campbell on the Greens’ attempts to look like underdogs
The Greens’ opposition to homecoming New Zealanders being required to pay about $3,000 towards the cost of their two week Covid-19 quarantine, needs to be […]
Gordon Campbell on the mainstream media’s romance with Judith Collins
Crikey. It feels like the media and Judith Collins should just get a room and be done with it. Such has been the commentariat’s love […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s Great Leap Backwards
It isn’t surprising that at the height of its disarray, National should have looked for certainty and picked the least introspective candidate on offer. With […]
Gordon Campbell on the Todd Muller resignation
Given the factions within National’s own caucus, anyone picked as the new leader of the National Party will struggle to unify their own troops, let […]
Gordon Campbell on the Clark exit, convention centres, and the killing of Hachalu Hundessa
Goodbye, David Clark. In the end, the outgoing Health Minister decided that in the midst of a pandemic the best thing he could do for […]
Gordon Campbell on the media collusion with National’s attack lines
For most of the past week, any consumer of this country’s management of Covid-19 would think New Zealand was actually Brazil, or Texas. The media […]
Gordon Campbell on Labour’s list, and our Victorian monuments
We’re currently in the “phoney war” stage of the 2020 election campaign, before the contest begins in earnest. Yesterday’s release of Labour’s party list rankings […]
Gordon Campbell on why women with opinions can be SO annoying
Good grief. Well, we shouldn’t be all that surprised at National MP Paul Goldsmith and his “ stick to your knitting” comment yesterday. Sexism and […]
Gordon Campbell on the Twitter wars, and the Muller muddles
Whatever the failings of our own politicians, spare a kind thought for the majority of Americans who did not vote for Donald Trump. Sure, it […]
Gordon Campbell on why welfare reform has no champions in Parliament
Ever since Victorian times, the unemployed have been a problem for those more fortunate, wealthy and powerful. Down the ages, society has been torn between […]
Gordon Campbell on not buying what Todd Muller is selling
Chloe Swarbrick is number three in the Greens Party list released this morning. Todd Muller has released his new party line-up today, which will excite […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s day of reckoning
Congratulations. You are one of the 55 members of the National caucus being called together tomorrow to choose who will lead you to either (a) […]