Gordon Campbell on the media’s hissy fit over Naomi Osaka
Last Sunday as we all now know, Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open. She had felt that the compulsory after-match press […]
Columns
Gordon Campbell on why it’s getting harder to walk the tightrope between China and the US
This morning, China announced it is changing its “two child” family limit to a “three child” policy. This looks like a desperate attempt to fix […]
Gordon Campbell on whether we’re anywhere near ready for our mass vaccine rollout
As the commencement date for New Zealand’s mass vaccination rollout looms and recedes– and it has now been pushed back until late July at the […]
Gordon Campbell on a theoretical way to reduce the scandals over political donations
Political donations have become a reliable source of scandal. Last Monday, the courts continued the name suppression of six people associated with a donation made […]
Gordon Campbell On The Gaza Aftermath, And The Attempted Coup In Samoa
Mere days after the Israeli/Hamas ceasefire, some things have immediately returned to normal. Israeli police have reportedly been in action again against Palestinians gathered at […]
Gordon Campbell On Bob Dylan At 80
Bob Dylan turns 80 today. And at such a moment, are we gathered here to praise him, or to bury him and erect a monument? […]
On Budget 2021’s successes and failures
In some realms of the centre-right, Budget 2021 has been portrayed as a “peak Labour” exercise in which the government has veered sharply leftwards in […]
On the next Governor-General
The next Governor-General will have to be named quite soon. Dame Patsy Reddy (appointed 2016) is nearing the end of her five-year term. At the […]
Gordon Campbell on what triggered the carnage in Gaza
At last count, 195 Palestinians have reportedly died in the latest round of violence, 55 of them children. Roughly ten times that number have been […]
Gordon Campbell on cancel culture and the ‘hate speech’ laws
If there really is anyone out there who feels genuinely panicked about what ‘cancel culture ‘ is doing to our precious freedoms, then maybe they […]
Gordon Campbell on the compelling case for meatless meat
Talk about living in a bubble. As vegetarianism and veganism become normalised – there are more options on restaurant menus! – it can be easy […]
Gordon Campbell on why Fair Pay Agreements should be embraced
Are Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) truly the work of the devil? Given the vehement response to them last week by (a) employer groups and (b) […]
Gordon Campbell on yesterday’s big parliamentary air kiss to China
In order to obtain support from the two major parties, Act Party deputy leader Brooke Van Velden twice had to soften the language of her […]
Gordon Campbell on our determination to ignore China’s human rights abuses
For nearly two decades, New Zealand has been juggling our dependency on China when it comes to trade, while expecting our traditional allies to look […]
Gordon Campbell on Collins’ desperation, and Joe Biden’s left-wing image
The difficulty with translating the Treaty partnership into the realities of parliamentary rule is that at best, Maori have been treated only as co-pilots, still […]
Gordon Campbell on how the animals fare within a racing industry in decline
Somehow, the office sweepstake on the Melbourne Cup is still likely to be a thing, even in the year 2021. Probably though, most non-punters would […]
Gordon Campbell on the demonisation of film and TV subsidies
Yesterday’s big winner at the Oscars was Chinese-American director Chloe Zhao and her film Nomadland…. And Weta Digital happens to be listed here among the […]
Gordon Campbell on welcoming the major health reforms
Usually “reform” of government agencies is a cost cutting exercise in disguise, but this morning’s revision of the health system looks totally different. These reforms […]
Gordon Campbell on the implications of the travel bubble
A midst the coverage of the hugs and kisses and reunion tears one hates to be a killjoy… But there has been little attention paid […]
Gordon Campbell on the Erebus memorial in Parnell
Social media can be a wonderful tool for bringing people together in a common cause. It can also be a seedbed and spreader of mis-information […]
Gordon Campbell on Labour refusing to lead a progressive drugs policy
Once again, Labour has chosen not to use (a) its parliamentary majority and (b) the huge mandate it was given at the last election in […]
Gordon Campbell on why raising corporate taxes has become a hot new political cause
Surprisingly, “raising taxes” has become a very fashionable political idea in 2021. That’s right. After decades of being seen (at best) as a necessary evil, […]
Gordon Campbell on bubble economics, and the new pro-gun, pro-hunting firearms panel
The travel bubble with Australia will throw a lifeline to tourism operators, who have first-hand experience that thrifty domestic tourists are no real substitute for […]
Gordon Campbell on how the tourism industry pressured the government to create the travel bubble
Today is when the fate (and date) of the trans-Tasman travel bubble will be announced by PM Jacinda Ardern and -already– Opposition leader Judith Colins […]
Gordon Campbell on the battle to bring some humanity into Amazon’s work practices
Whenever we use Amazon for online shopping delivery, we should feel guilty. The company’s labour practices are notoriously unsafe. Shop floor employees in Amazon warehouses […]
Gordon Campbell on why China’s pact with Iran is a big deal, and why a vaccination target isn’t
One of the most significant developments in global politics in a generation has flown in almost entirely beneath the radar of the Western media. On […]
Gordon Campbell on Labour’s less than radical housing package
Houses are now like Bitcoin with a street address, a speculative currency priced beyond the reach of ordinary humans. The public is not impressed. Don’t […]
Gordon Campbell on why Emirates Team New Zealand is a really, really bad look
Now that the patriotic frenzy has died down, maybe we should all look in the mirror and reconsider the implications of our America’s Cup victory […]
Gordon Campbell on why re-defining “terrorism” won’t make us any safer
All very well to talk about “modernising” our terrorism legislation (hey, it was written back in 2002 in the wake of 9/11) in order to […]
Gordon Campbell on abortion safe access zones, and the need for the Police and SIS to go open source
Yesterday, the abortion law reform organisation ALRANZ celebrated 50 years of existence since its founding AGM in 1971 – and in marking the anniversary, former […]