Gordon Campbell on the argument over whether lives or livelihoods are more important
It is hardly business as usual, but this week is shaping up to be all about business and its needs, how the economy will emerge […]
Columns
Gordon Campbell on the changes that Covid-19 is causing, plus a Spotify playlist for y’all
Will life (and the economy) ever be the same again after the Covid-19 crisis is over? Obviously not, even leaving aside the impact on people […]
Gordon Campbell on the rationing of PPE gear, masks and everything else
From the outset, the perceived need to ration our scarce resources seems to have driven the response to Covid-19. Rationing still appears to be limiting […]
Gordon Campbell on the ethics (and some of the economics) of lifting the lockdown
As New Zealand passes the half-way mark towards moving out of Level Four lockdown, the trade-offs involved in life-after-lockdown are starting to come into view. […]
Gordon Campbell on the lockdown, masks and aerosol transmission
I ronically, our relative success in suppressing the exponential spread of Covid-19 is only increasing the pressure to ease back from those measures, on a […]
Gordon Campbell on wage cuts, and the Listener’s demise
Various levels of across the board wage cuts – 10%? 15% ?- are being mooted for workers in some of our larger firms, in order […]
Gordon Campbell on the changes hitting the economy, work, and the benefit system
The economy may be falling like a rock but it hasn’t hit the bottom of the well yet, here or anywhere else. Time is so […]
Gordon Campbell on buying ventilators, and expanding the testing for Covid-19
Before getting into recent developments….. who knew that Covid-19 was so powerful it could make NZ parliamentarians act like adults, and make them pose intelligent […]
Gordon Campbell on our (fatal?) shortage of ventilators
With a few honourable exceptions there has been a striking lack of focus on the (insufficient) number of ventilators in our intensive care units – […]
Gordon Campbell on what leadership ( and the lack of it) looks like
L eadership is an intangible quality, but most New Zealanders will be thanking their lucky stars for what’s being provided by PM Jacinda Ardern and […]
Gordon Campbell and six short takes about the lockdown
To begin with, a correction : in yesterday’s column I said that there were 650,000 New Zealanders in Australia that do not qualify for income […]
Gordon Campbell on Australia’s callousness, and grandparents as parents amid Covid-19
Reportedly, there are some 650,000 New Zealanders living in Australia. Many will lose their jobs in the economic crash caused by Covid-19, and none of […]
Gordon Campbell on how long lockdowns need to last, and the ventilator shortages
The lockdown announced yesterday by PM Jacinda Ardern is consistent with the advice from the Imperial College Covid-19 team in London, whose blueprint the NZ […]
Gordon Campbell on going to Level Four (and scrapping the Olympics) right now
Sure, there’s a logic to having four stages of response to Covid-19, flexible enough to vary region by region. The idea being…. The stepped response […]
Gordon Campbell on the sudden clamour for government bailouts
So many U-turns, in such a short period of time. Pity poor old Fox News, which had been dutifully pushing the Trumpian line that the […]
Gordon Campbell on the economic stimulus package
Obviously, yesterday’s massive $12.1 billion economic stimulus package (4% of GDP !) will not totally insulate people from the economic hardship caused by the coronavirus, […]
Gordon Campbell on the use of existing drugs to reduce the effects of coronavirus
So now, we’re all getting up to speed with the travel bans, the rigorous handwashing and drying, the social distancing, and the avoidance of public […]
Gordon Campbell on the global panic, and the local plans to deal with Coronavirus
Yesterday, US President Donald Trump gave Americans and Europeans a lot of good reasons to panic and/or bristle with outrage. Instead of providing leadership and […]
Gordon Campbell on the loss of abortion safe zones
No doubt, last night’s defeat of abortion law reform provisions that would have created safe zones around abortion clinics will be portrayed, by some, as […]
Gordon Campbell on the oil price smackdown, and on National’s fatuous crusade against red tape
Safe to say, Vladimir Putin did not expect the response he has received amidships from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Earlier, Russia chose to […]
Gordon Campbell on 22 short takes about Super Tuesday
With obvious apologies to the Simpsons… Here’s my 22 short takes on the 14 Super Tuesday primaries that combined yesterday to produce a common narrative […]
Gordon Campbell on Shane Jones as the liability no-one needs to bear anymore
New Zealand First has needed a diversion after weeks of bad coverage over its dodgy handling of donations, but it really, really doesn’t need what […]
Gordon Campbell on the US (and NATO) surrender in Afghanistan
The deal that has just been has struck to end the involvement of the US and its NATO allies in Afghanistan bears the usual hallmarks […]
Gordon Campbell on where the politically-donated bucks should be stopping
By now, it seems crystal clear that something is deeply amiss with the way that New Zealand political parties solicit, receive and report their funding. […]
Gordon Campbell on Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid
Bernie Sanders’ campaign for the Democratic nomination is taking on an air of inevitability, and that likelihood has been met with elation by some people, […]
Gordon Campbell on our unreal optimism about the economic impact of coronavirus
At this week’s Chinese New Year celebrations, PM Jacinda Ardern was resolutely upbeat that business with China would soon bounce back to normal – better […]
Gordon Campbell on the political donations scandals
Even paranoids have real enemies. While there has been something delusionary about the way New Zealand First has been living in denial about its donations […]
Gordon Campbell on the addiction to Chinese student fees, and a possible future for RNZ Concert
Last week, Australian PM Scott Morrison extended its ban on foreign visitors from or passing through from mainland China – including Chinese students – for […]
Gordon Campbell on the rise of Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bloomberg
Oh, the burden of being the front-runner. In 2016, when he was still the feisty underdog, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders set his campaign alight by […]
Gordon Campbell on Concert being bled to enable RNZ’s youth station
Release the frequencies! If only all political crises could be resolved with such (suspicious) ease. In December, the RNZ board signed off on the idea […]