Gordon Campbell on what any White Island inquiry might look like
Presumably, if there is to be a ministerial inquiry (at the very least) into the Whakaari/White Island disaster, it will need to be a joint ministerial inquiry.
Columns
Gordon Campbell on why raising benefits is a better option than spending on infrastructure
If New Zealand has a pressing need to stimulate its flagging economy, it seems very weird to meet this need with a $12 billion package of infrastructure spending…
Gordon Campbell on the Whakaari/White Island eruption
New Zealand itself is at risk of being seen as a tourism destination where commercial factors determine the boundary line of acceptable risk
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.
Gordon Campbell on stoking fears about cannabis law reform
It was always going to be hard to have a rational debate on cannabis reform. Far easier for politicians to win votes by stoking alarm.
Gordon Campbell on the likely role of PPPs in Labour’s infrastructural spending
The same argument that Robertson has made for these projects apply equally to why the government should borrow the money to build them itself
Gordon Campbell on the alleged sins of New Zealand First
Be it the scandals he has uncovered (eg the Winebox) or the scandals he has featured in… Winston Peters is, as they say, good copy.
Gordon Campbell on China’s bad week, and Labour’s tribalism
Even before the local body election results came in from Hong Kong, China had been having a p.r. nightmare this week.
Gordon Campbell on the welcome restoration of prisoners’ right to vote
One one front, the government has now done the right thing, and has partially restored the right of prisoners to vote
Gordon Campbell on why New Zealand should be compensating the Afghan civilian casualties on its old firing range
Reportedly, there have been 17 civilian deaths and injuries (seven of the dead were children) caused by ordnance left behind on the firing range of our Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Bamiyan province.
Gordon Campbell on Labour’s age problem, and the battle for Port Hills
Labour has been steadily improving its gender balance… yet just as steadily losing the generational battle to the Greens
Gordon Campbell on why the public is losing patience with the farming sector’s persecution complex
The narrative that our farmers are ‘doing it tough’ plays into a number of wellworn stereotypes…
Gordon Campbell on why Sustainable NZ isn’t self-sustaining
Asking whether this new, environmentally focussed party can make the 5% MMP threshold may be the wrong question…
Gordon Campbell on National’s anointing of Christopher Luxon
Clearly, the National Party hierarchy is very, very excited about Christopher Luxon
Gordon Campbell on giving the Police unnecessary new powers, and Spain’s elections
Police pursuits have a track record that makes them more dangerous than the original risk. Armed police units belong in the same category. The more insidious examples have to do with terrorism.
Gordon Campbell on National’s Stone Age package of welfare proposals
Gordon Campbell on National’s Stone Age package of welfare proposals Bad enough that the National Party led by Simon Bridges is still aiming to run […]
Gordon Campbell on the killing of the Islamic State leader
Gordon Campbell on the killing of the Islamic State leader So…as a few other reports have noted, the US has now killed the Islamic State […]
Gordon Campbell on the Greens learning to love a global destroyer of native forests, and women at work
Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage has allowed a Japanese-owned forestry company called Pan Pac Forest Products to bypass the Overseas Investment Office, and buy thousands of hectares of New Zealand land, without prior vetting and (apparently) without conditions attached.
Gordon Campbell on yesterday’s election ‘victory’ by Justin Trudeau
Yesterday in Canada… was a bad, bad election outcome for the fossil fuels industry.
Gordon Campbell on Simon Bridges trying to paint himself as a warrior against political correctness
Having failed all year at being a credible alternative Prime Minister, National leader Simon Bridges has lowered his aspirational target this week to something more within his range.
Gordon Campbell on global factors contributing to the possible demise of TV3
Oaktree has come under pressure to shed and/or streamline underperforming assets. So TV3 and Bravo are being peeled off from MediaWorks and put on the block.
Gordon Campbell on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal
While his new deal is flawed, British PM Boris Johnson has achieved the impossible by coming up with a formula that (a) significantly differs from […]
Gordon Campbell on China’s ability to infringe free speech in other countries
Luckily for us, China seems to have no interest in rugby, netball or cricket. Therefore, New Zealand is probably safe from the amazing erosion of […]
Gordon Campbell on the fallout (so far) from the selling out of the Kurds
Less than a week can seem like a long time in politics…Reportedly, the US betrayal of the Kurds in northern Syria has not only trashed […]
Gordon Campbell on the local body election result in Wellington
For obvious reasons, politics is more of a big deal in the capital city than anywhere else in the country. Even so, fewer than four […]
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 a superb new book on the leaky homes scandal, and Cowboy Bebop
The real value of Dyer’s book lies in how thoroughly he has unpicked all the various factors that came together to turn this entirely preventable disaster into an inevitability.
Gordon Campbell on British apologies and interest rate fiddling
In the 1990s, the awesome powers of central bankers would cause markets to tremble… Nowadays, central bankers can hack away at interest rates and nothing will happen.
Gordon Campbell on whether a Kiwi version of Boris Johnson could succeed in suspending our Parliament
Two experts cited at length by the NZ Herald seem to agree that our courts couldn’t reach a decision like the UK Supreme Court’s here, because our laws would expressly rule it out
Gordon Campbell on the Saudis (not) getting away with murdering Khashoggi
On October 2nd last year, the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by a hit squad of assassins acting on the orders of the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman.