Gordon Campbell on the recent upheavals inside Iran, and Coldplay
In the fortnight since the Internet got switched back on in Iran, the ferocity of the crackdown on the recent demonstrations has become evident.
World – Middle East
Gordon Campbell on betraying the Kurds, and the criticism of Adrian Orr
The Americans have now thrown the Kurds under the bus and created the ideal conditions for an IS comeback – all done so that Donald Trump can brag he brought the US troops home.
Gordon Campbell on NZF’s ability to maintain the ban on prisoner voting
Justice Minister Andrew Little has indicated that he will be taking a paper to Cabinet with the aim of repealing the prisoner voting ban. Good luck with that.
Gordon Campbell on yesterday’s cosmetic banking reforms
An extraordinary level of profit-taking still being extracted by the Australian Banking Gang from ordinary New Zealanders.
Gordon Campbell on our Wild West banking culture, and Iran’s role in Armageddon
David Hisco’s nine years as CEO of ANZ (while his expense claims went by unbothered by board oversight) has been a weird echo of the nine years of social neglect by the previous National government.
Gordon Campbell on asking the banks to be nicer to farmers
Farm debt in New Zealand has exploded by 270% in the last 20 years, to around $63 billion.
Gordon Campbell on the (lack of an) end game for the teachers strike
The education sector looks like one of those games of American football where its hard to keep your eye on where the ball is… Neither side seems to have much of a plan for advancing to the end zone.
Gordon Campbell on Iran’s options, 40 years after its revolution
As it turns 40 years of age this week, Iran’s Islamic Revolution is experiencing a fullblown mid-life crisis.
Gordon Campbell on the West’s role in arming Khashoggi’s killers
Of all the crimes committed by the Saudi regime, it has been this revenge killing ordered by the Saudi Crown Prince that has finally brought universal condemnation.
Gordon Campbell on nine Trump lies about the Iran deal
The cascade of Orwellian lies that US President Donald Trump has used to rationalize why his country is reneging on the commitments it made under the Iran nuclear deal should be posing a genuine problem for our media.
Gordon Campbell on the political risks of the rising price of oil, and Harry/Meghan
The price of oil at the pump is always a highly political issue.
Is This Guy the World’s Most Dangerous Thirtysomething?
Saudi Arabia seems out of control
Gordon Campbell on the banning of a leading Iranian film-maker
For the past fortnight, New Zealand has been obsessing on the reputational risk to this country of being seen as a tax haven – despite […]
Gordon Campbell on the SIS crying wolf, the Syrian end game and Max Edwards RIP
In the wake of the Cullen/Reddy review of the security services – and the suggested extension of their powers – it seems healthy to highlight […]
Gordon Campbell on where Hillary Clinton may be worse than Trump
Anyone with misgivings about Hillary Clinton’s presidential ambitions had them confirmed in spades by Clinton’s appalling speech this week on the Israel/Palestine conflict. In one […]
Gordon Campbell on our underfunded Syrian refugee intake, and dairy industry carnage
Once again, our little show pony Prime Minister is prancing around the world offering to take in refugees – from Syria, from Nauru – while […]
Gordon Campbell on the bogus Syrian peace deal, and Judge Antonin Scalia
The good thing about the Syrian peace deal announced on Friday is that it might create a small space for humanitarian relief, but… the ceasefire […]
Gordon Campbell on the US pressure to expand our role in Iraq
Tomorrow, Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee and Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Tim Keating will be in Brussels for a ministerial meeting of the so-called […]
Gordon Campbell on bribing the Saudis and Oscar racism
Does this sound familiar? In the mid 2000s, New Zealand wanted to pursue a humanitarian policy, on live sheep exports. This happened to offend a […]
Gordon Campbell on Paula Bennett’s fantasy politics and Iran
We seem to be living in an era of virtual government, where governments promote only an illusion of policy kapow! rather than the sort of […]
Gordon Campbell on our Feeble Response to Atrocities in SA
With an ally like Saudi Arabia, who needs enemies? In the past 15 years, the West can thank the House of Saud for • Providing […]
Gordon Campbell on the rejection of a Pakistani polio worker
Too bad that the New Zealand Immigration and Protection (hah!) Tribunal don’t know how to use Google. If they did, their bizarre decision to send […]
Gordon Campbell on Labour’s endorsement of a combat role
Normally, it is governments that drop their unpalatable measures in the shadow of Christmas, but this time the Labour Opposition is doing so. Apparently, if […]
Gordon Campbell On Turkey And Russia
So why did Turkey shoot down that Russian plane? According to the Russian president Dmitri Medvedev, it was all about Turkey (a) being hand in […]
Gordon Campbell on Islam and the Paris attacks
According to polls, a third of Republican voters in Iowa want Islam to be criminalized. Unfortunately, the cornfields of middle America aren’t the only place […]
Gordon Campbell on our role in the deliberate non-defeat of Islamic State
Unlike the US and (allies like New Zealand) Russia and Iran have a very clear goal for their intervention in Syria. Russia and Iran want […]
Gordon Campbell on Putin’s diplomatic coup over Syria
There’s a simple historical precedent for what is occurring in Syria. During WWII, the Allies joined forces with a known butcher and tyrant – Joseph […]
Gordon Campbell on selecting refugees, Aussie generosity and a cat video
Now that we know how many Syrian refugees New Zealand will accept, the focus can shift onto how they’ll be selected, and the criteria in […]
Gordon Campbell on our response to the Syrian refugee crisis
The full scale of the New Zealand government response to the Syrian refugee crisis – reportedly, the world’s biggest humanitarian challenge since the post-war formation […]
Gordon Campbell on Refugees, the Flag and Bo Diddley
There’s a simple statistical reason why New Zealand should increase its refugee intake. Our UN quota has remained static – or fallen slightly – over […]