Gordon Campbell on Christopher Luxon’s trashing of the poor
For years, Nicola Willis and Chris Bishop have been routinely described as belonging to the “liberal” wing of the National Party, as if National is […]
Columns
Gordon Campbell on how, and whether the Ukraine war might end
It is pretty safe to assume that the Kremlin did not expect Ukraine’s resistance to be as strong and effective as it has been. It […]
Gordon Campbell on new Covid research, and Jane Campion
As the Omicron wave sweeps across the land, here’s a quick overview of some of the latest vaccine news and research findings. Omicron vaccine: Over […]
Gordon Campbell on Luxon’s “cost of living crisis” gambit
Clearly, no-one should underestimate the political pulling power of a suit offering tax cuts. Last week’s rise of Christopher Luxon and the National Party in […]
Gordon Campbell on the peace flotilla and the oligarch
As the peace flotilla converges on the Northland luxury resort owned by Russian steel magnate Alexander Abramov, the government is putting in place the full […]
Gordon Campbell On Supermarket Rip-offs
If you make the land available, they will come. The cargo cult thinking behind the key recommendation of the Commerce Commission’s final report into the […]
Gordon Campbell on the flaws in the Ukraine sanctions response
The Achilles heel in the West’s punitive sanctions against Russia has always been pretty obvious. Russia may be highly dependent on its oil and natural […]
Gordon Campbell on Luxon’s tired tax plan
Like a broken record, National Party leader Christopher Luxon is offering a 40 year old formula of tax cuts that (inevitably) will be paid for […]
Gordon Campbell on the impotence of onlookers
Against its will, the world has become conditioned to driving by acts of genocide and peering at them through the window with alarm – before […]
Gordon Campbell on the protests, Putin’s Pyrrhic victory, plus a playlist
The protest encampment at Parliament long ago ceased to have any rational purpose beyond perpetuating its own existence. Social media has already condemned the way […]
Gordon Campbell on the tentative response to Putin, plus Putin’s mentor
Plainly, Russia’s war on Ukraine isn’t something Vladimir Putin dreamed up overnight, or did on impulse. With hindsight, Putin has been working for years to […]
Gordon Campbell on Ukraine, and blokes in peril
A great darkness is falling over Ukraine, and it will last for decades. In launching a full scale invasion, Russian president Vladimir Putin is doing […]
Gordon Campbell on what Ukraine and the West Bank share in common
Russia’s tactics in Ukraine are not new. In August 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia after the breakaway region of South Ossetia declared […]
Gordon Campbell on the Ottawa precedent for Police action
First contain, then clear. This morning’s belated “traffic management operation” by the Police is clearly a containment exercise meant to create boundaries beyond which the […]
Gordon Campbell on freedom, and government mandates
The Omicron surge to 1160 cases a day will inevitably motivate the public to reduce all occasions of risk wherever possible, whether those venues have […]
Gordon Campbell on the Olympics of ultra-nationalism
Before this year’s winter Olympics Games even began, Human Rights Watch had already condemned China’s intention to use its hosting role as an opportunity to […]
Gordon Campbell on why compromise isn’t an option
Gosh, as one academic advocated on RNZ this morning, why don’t some politicians just go out and meet the protesters, listen to them, and suggest […]
Gordon Campbell on the Police tactics at Parliament
Canada is better known for being the home of relentlessly nice people. Yet its trucking protests have become an unlikely model for social disruption, as […]
Gordon Campbell on the crisis – what crisis? – over Ukraine
Is Russian leader Vladimir Putin going to invade Ukraine, or is he just bluffing (for now), much as China was a few months ago? A […]
Gordon Campbell on last night’s political poll, and Lata Mangeshkar
Great poll results last night for the centre left. The Newshub/Reid Research poll had Labour up by 1.6 points to 44.3%. Taken together with the […]
Gordon Campbell on Luxon’s second-hand clothes
According to National’s leader Christopher Luxon and the fawning media coverage of the caucus gathering in Queenstown, its “game on!” Not a great metaphor, folks. […]
Gordon Campbell on the crisis in renting
House prices and rental costs are two related areas where New Zealand truly does punch well above its weight. This country happens to have the […]
Gordon Campbell on our local responses to the global problems of inflation
In the United Kingdom, inflation is running at its highest rate in 30 years. In the US, inflation hit 7% during 2021. You wouldn’t want […]
Gordon Campbell on rapid antigen testing
National Party leader Christopher Luxon is being allowed to get away with murder. Luxon is not being challenged over his repeated assertions that the rest […]
Gordon Campbell on the ethics of Omicron treatment, plus a playlist
As the Omicron infection wave prepares to break across New Zealand, the “red” condition is likely to be more of a form of gestural politics, […]
Gordon Campbell on responding to the need in Tonga
The power of the Tonga eruption (and the size of the aid response being mounted) have been sobering indications of the scale of this disaster. […]
Gordon Campbell on sending an Orion P-3 to Tonga
Because the undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga cut communications with the more remote parts of the country, it wasn’t at all surprising that as a […]
Gordon Campbell on the global war against plastics
Compared to Covid and climate change, the threat from plastics seems like a low rent version of planetary disaster. Can that plastic bottle, this fast […]
Gordon Campbell on Australia’s failed model of Covid best practice
In decades gone by, New Zealanders tended to diss this country by comparing it to how much better things were in the States, or in […]
Gordon Campbell on the obscure Bill that erodes our system of justice
The pandemic continues to bury any number of major news issues. Understandably, there has been a deluge of stories in recent weeks about the beginnings […]