Gordon Campbell on the death of library browsing
For many of us, the word “library” has comfortable connotations. It suggests rows of books in which to browse, make discoveries and pass them on […]
Articles
Gordon Campbell on the US opposition to mortgage interest deductibility for landlords
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and […]
Gordon Campbell on Labour’s fear of commitment
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax […]
Gordon Campbell on the attack of the tax cut zombies, and a music playlist
As long ago as 2007, New Zealanders were telling pollsters that while they wanted tax cuts, a majority of the public opposed tax cuts if […]
Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) […]
Gordon Campbell on Luxon’s landlord myths, and the needless nightmare of high interest rates
During the PM’s post-Cabinet press conference yesterday, Christopher Luxon claimed that renters will be feeling “grateful” for the way the government is putting “downward pressure“ […]
Gordon Campbell on the government’s fast track to trashing the environment
With Shane Jones as the watchdog, who needs predators? Mining on DOC land now seems to be a fait accompli. Plainly, New Zealand‘s conservation estate […]
Gordon Campbell on the Supreme Court’s collusion with Trump
This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. In the week preceding the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses, a US Supreme Court stacked with Trump appointees […]
Gordon Campbell on the flaws in anti-gang laws
Google “Christopher Luxon“ and “mojo” and you get nearly 60,000 matching responses. Over the past 18 months – here and here and again, here – […]
Gordon Campbell on the Newshub/Smokefree twin fiascos
Here’s a tale of two sunset industries. One has a track record of quality investigative reporting, and sound reportage of the 24/7 news cycle. The […]
Gordon Campbell on the perils of joining AUKUS Pillar Two
The lure for New Zealand to join the AUKUS military alliance is that membership of only its “second pillar” will still (supposedly) give us access […]
Gordon Campbell on National spreading panic about the economy
It is a political strategy as old as time. Scare the public with tales of disaster and stampede them into supporting your ideological agenda because […]
Gordon Campbell on National passing bad policies under urgency
If National really had faith in its welfare policies, it wouldn’t be ramming them through Parliament under urgency – a step that means the policies […]
Gordon Campbell on five of Luxon’s Gaza absurdities
Earlier this week, PM Christopher Luxon met with 48 public service CEOs to make sure they were on board with his plans to cut spending […]
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 […]
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 […]