Gordon Campbell on New Zealand First’s stellar balancing act
At this point, New Zealand First needs to more than double its current poll numbers to survive beyond Election Day, 2020… but that’s what Winston Peters is so very good at doing.
Columns
Gordon Campbell on the usual grumbling about subsidising the Lord of the Rings TV series
We seem to have won this production largely because of the mature film industry infrastructure that NZ has built on the back of those previously subsidized productions.
Gordon Campbell on how the Americans are helping us realise the scale of the Operation Burnham fiasco
New Zealand lawyers have been forced to rely on the relatively open US military and FOIA processes in order to be able to participate adequately in a New Zealand inquiry
Gordon Campbell on the ways the public is being left unprotected by the public service reforms
In a town like Wellington that’s full of public servants, the fact that the public service is facing its biggest shake-up in 30 years sounds like a very big deal.
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 this week’s Operation Burnham revelations
Eight centuries ago at Beziers in France, the papal soldiers besieging the town faced much the same problem as the New Zealand troops engaged in […]
Gordon Campbell on the likely benefits (and costs) of the gun buy-back scheme
There is ample reason to conclude that the buy-back and amnesty scheme announced this morning will indeed save lives in New Zealand.
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 war-fighting purposes of our massive spend-up on Defence
If you’re willing to believe Defence Minister Ron Mark, our defence forces will be operating in future like a high-tech version of Oxfam…
Gordon Campbell on the military withdrawal from Iraq
One fascinating aspect of this withdrawal decision is that it is not a case of victory over ISIS having being declared and everyone else going home at the same time, too.
Gordon Campbell on how the Treasury debacle reflects New Zealand’s wider security problems
The scenario of Treasury being victimised by demon hackers was still being allowed to be peddled in public, even after Treasury was told no such hack had occurred.
Gordon Campbell on the fallacy of political moderation
The belief that it is the moderate middle who will decide the outcome of Election 2020 is a deeply ideological stance.
Gordon Campbell on the ‘morning after’ feeling from the Wellbeing Budget
Allegedly, there are 628 different synonyms for “ well-being” on this website so there should be one that fits your own response to the Wellbeing […]
Gordon Campbell on the Budget leak
No doubt the Police will carry out their investigation of the Treasury Budget hack with more courtesy and nuance than their pursuit of the Dirty Politicssource.
Gordon Campbell on Europe’s non-surrender to far right extremism
Yesterday’s European Parliament election results show that the feared gains by far right populism did not eventuate.
Gordon Campbell on coal’s negative message to today’s school protests
As schoolkids around the world commit today to another round of protest action against climate change, the re-election of (a) the Morrison government in Australia […]
Gordon Campbell on reforming Parliament’s toxic culture, and the Christian right
Long ago, politics was defined as a blood sport, and many MPs feel pretty chuffed about their take-no-prisoners approach…
Gordon Campbell on why we shouldn’t genuflect to calls for secrecy
Reportedly most (and possibly all) of the Royal Commission investigation into the Christchurch mosque shootings will be closed to the general public and to the media.
Gordon Campbell on the Christchurch Call, and Lizzo
The zigzagging nature of the Christchurch Call To Action’s content reflects the genuine tension that exists on this subject.
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 yesterday’s token moves on climate change and interest rates
Yesterday, a visiting Martian would reasonably conclude that New Zealanders takes the threat of inflation a lot more seriously than climate change. To all outward […]
Gordon Campbell on the government’s timidity on welfare reform
Only six months ago, the jury was still out on whether the Ardern government would enter the history books as a radical force for change, or as mere tinkerers with the status quo…
Gordon Campbell on the rites of collective punishment in Venezuela
Yemen, Venezuela, Iran, Gaza… each currently share one thing in common: their citizens are being subjected to collective punishment, in order to bring about regime change.
Gordon Campbell on the media’s novel rules for the Christchurch shooter’s trial
The main news outlets in New Zealand have jointly agreed to limit their coverage of the upcoming trial of the Christchurch shooter…
Gordon Campbell on why we should support the junior doctors strike
The powers that individual DHBs are seeking look like a throwback to the early 1990s. Then, as now, the rationale was that this local “flexibility” was necessary.
Gordon Campbell on the left-wing victory in Spain
Portugal and Spain continue to be striking exceptions to the rise of rightwing populism in Europe.
On Ardern and Macron’s campaign against violent social media content
In the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings, there is now a strong political appetite for some sort of regulatory action.
Gordon Campbell on Islam’s view of Easter
There are about 100 verses in the Koran that mention Jesus Christ, but only one of them mentions the crucifixion…
Gordon Campbell on scrapping the capital gains tax
With the wisdom of hindsight, the Labour/Greens combo never did have the numbers to get a meaningful capital gains tax (CGT) across the line…