Gordon Campbell on National’s misleading policy packaging
Truth in packaging can be a political rarity, but the gap between what the Luxon administration says it is doing and what its policies will […]
Columns
Gordon Campbell on the politics as a morality play
To a striking extent, the working class vote in Western societies has been going to right wing demagogues, not to left wing social democrats. Even […]
Gordon Campbell on tomorrow, and the spirit of Moana Jackson
Since ACT is sponsoring the Treaty Principles Bill, it is understandable that David Seymour should be catching most of the flak being generated by the […]
Gordon Campbell on ACT’s flat tax fever
Party on, dudes. Repeatedly, the policy adventures of Christopher Luxon and David Seymour are taking New Zealand back in time to the most excellent year […]
Gordon Campbell on wasting money on Defence, and Melanie, RIP
On the weekend, the government signalled once again that “ bold” and “brave” decisions were looming on Defence. That’s political code for lavish spending on […]
Gordon Campbell on how Christopher Luxon is turning NZ into a US proxy
How many students can pack into a phone booth? Surely, nowhere near as many as the double standards the Luxon government is packing into its […]
Gordon Campbell on Treaty principles, and Nikki Haley’s false dawn
So the government wants to “debate” the principles of Te Tiriti, even though its own Māori Development Minister has been simultaneously assuring us that these […]
Gordon Campbell on charter schools, and the Ghahraman blame machine
According to Act Party leader David Seymour, if we gave 16 year olds the vote and allowed teachers to teach civics classes in high school, […]
Gordon Campbell on the Gaza genocide hearings
Don’t hold your breath for a final judgement from the International Court of Justice as to whether Israel is, or isn’t, committing genocide in Gaza. […]
Gordon Campbell on Biden v Trump, and the Taiwan election
If the allegations against Golriz Ghahraman are found to have substance – or even if they merely result in an official Police investigation – then […]
Gordon Campbell on immigration’s role in the Gaza carnage
If the world was in any doubt about what Israel’s endgame in Gaza might be, this (Google translated) Christmas Day report in the Israeli media […]
Gordon Campbell on Nicola Willis’ impersonation of a Finance Minister
“I don’t make merry myself at Christmas, and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support [the poorhouses]…. They cost enough, […]
Gordon Campbell on the government’s politics of nostalgia
There’s a thin line between “conservative” and “reactionary.” The former strive to retain the best of current practice, while the latter want to pull everything […]
Gordon Campbell on the ferry follies of Nicola Willis
Cook Strait can be one of the roughest stretches of water in the world. Thanks to Finance Minister Nicola Willis, New Zealand is now going […]
Gordon Campbell on how the state aims to dictate what the unemployed are allowed to buy
At first glance, ACT deputy leader Brooke Van Velden might seem an odd choice to oversee workplace relations. However, if the aim is to atomise […]
Gordon Campbell on the skewed media coverage of Gaza
Now that he’s back as Foreign Minister, maybe Winston Peters should start reading the MFAT website. If he did, Peters would find MFAT celebrating the […]
Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide […]
Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and […]
Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon […]
Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when […]
Gordon Campbell on coalitions, and hostage deals
Reportedly, National has finalised the details of its separate policy programmes with (a) the Act Party and (b) with New Zealand First. Terrific. Yet surprisingly, […]
Gordon Campbell on secret coalition talks, plus a music playlist
Routinely, the centre-right complains that Big Government treats people like children. Huh. Have to say, National, Act and New Zealand First are doing a pretty […]
Gordon Campbell on why prescription fees are no way to fund cancer drugs
Who is this Christopher Luxon fellow, really? Over the past two years, we have had so many invitations to find the pearl in the oyster. […]
Gordon Campbell on why abortion rights offer the best chance of beating Donald Trump
Remarkably… Although the US opinion polls continue to track the declining popularity of Joe Biden, the Democrats still scored important victories this week in a […]
Gordon Campbell on the blockade against Chloe Swarbrick’s right to speak freely about Gaza
The tut-tutting about what Green MP Chloe Swarbrick said and how she said it, and whether she could have/should have expressed herself in other ways […]
Gordon Campbell on the third person in this political marriage
Depending on the recounts and the by-election, the centre-right will still have won only 59 seats in what will be a 122 or 123 seat […]
Gordon Campbell on breaking up the supermarket duopoly
Someone better tell Mark Mitchell, because the two big supermarket gangs – the New World Crips and the Countdown Bloods – seem to be operating […]
Gordon Campbell on how the Americans helped put Hamas in power in Gaza
To all intents, Hamas suddenly sprang out from behind the Oort Cloud on October 7 as a force of incomprehensible evil… Just when some important […]
Gordon Campbell on why Chris Hipkins is living on borrowed time
Currently, Chris Hipkins is serving as a place-holder leader until other colleagues do the numbers and figure out their capacity for taking on what can […]
Gordon Campbell on church and state in Mt Roskill
The interval between election night and the formation of a new government has been restfully free of bickering and posturing, and it would be nice […]