Gordon Campbell On Budget 2025
Underwhelming, as promised. All week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis had actively reduced public expectations by saying that her second Budget would not be filled “with […]
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Gordon Campbell On NZ’s Silence Over Gaza, And Creeping Health Privatisation
Since last Thursday, intensified Israeli air strikes on Gaza have killed over 500 Palestinians, and a prolonged Israeli aid blockade has led to widespread starvation […]
Gordon Campbell On The Mock Horror Over Political Profanity
Heavens to Betsy. Let me get this right. In her own opinion column, a female journalist (the fearsome Andrea Vance) used a bad word to […]
Gordon Campbell On The Parental Panic Over Young Kids Online
Creating a policy group to investigate a R16 ban on social media provides the government with a perfectly designed soapbox. The findings don’t have to […]
On The New Pope, And The Israeli Attack On Peter Davis
The election of any Pope tends to be retro-fitted in ways that make the choice seem inevitable. God’s will, no less. If the new Pope […]
Gordon Campbell On Surviving Trump’s Trip To La La Land
The film industry was probably naive to think it would be spared from Donald Trump’s war on globalisation. If you believe Trump, every dollar being […]
Gordon Campbell On Aussie Election Aftershocks And Life Lessons
While Donald Trump is being widely cited as a reason/explanation for Anthony Albanese’s landslide victory on the weekend, that’s like blaming the icing for the […]
Gordon Campbell On The Aussie Election Finale
The only spectre haunting Anthony Albanese’s government going into Election Day tomorrow will be the way the polls got wrong the likely 2019 election outcome. […]
Gordon Campbell On Our Austerity Fixation And Canada Staying Centre-left
Truly, these are tough times for our nation’s leaders. In future, how on earth are they going to find the sort of money they’ve been […]
Gordon Campbell On A Neglected, Enduring Aspect Of The Francis Era
Now that the formalities of saying goodbye to Pope Francis are over, the process of selecting his successor can begin in earnest. Framing the choice […]
Gordon Campbell On The Trump Upside, And Peters Persecution Of Trans People
A recurring aspect of the Trump tariff coverage is that it normalises – or even sanctifies – a status quo that in many respects has […]
Gordon Campbell On Papal Picks, And India As A Defence Ally
Once the formalities of honouring the late Pope wrap up in two to three weeks time, the conclave of Cardinals will go into seclusion. Some […]
Gordon Campbell On The Left’s Electability Crisis, And The Abundance Ecotopia
There are any number of reasons why anyone thinking of heading to the United States for a holiday should think twice. They would be giving […]
Gordon Campbell On Why The US Stands To Lose The Tariff Wars
Deputy PM Winston Peters likes nothing more than to portray himself as the only wise old head while everyone else is losing theirs. Yet this […]
Gordon Campbell On Marketing The Military Threat Posed By China
As Donald Trump zigs and zags on tariffs and trashes America’s reputation as a safe and stable place to invest, China has a big gun […]
Gordon Campbell On Peter Dutton’s Fading Election Prospects.
So New Zealand is about to spend $12 billion on our defence forces over the next four years – with $9 million of it being […]
Gordon Campbell On The Clash Between Auckland Airport And Air New Zealand
Plainly, the claims being tossed around in the media last year that the new terminal envisaged by Auckland International Airport was a gold-plated “Taj Mahal” […]
Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Latest Ferries Scam
Has Winston Peters got a ferries deal for you! (Buyer caution advised.) Unfortunately, the vision that Peters has been busily peddling for the past 24 […]
Gordon Campbell On The Americanising Of NZ’s Public Health System
One of the odd aspects of the government’s plan to Americanise the public health system – i.e by making healthcare access more reliant on user […]
Gordon Campbell on Israel’s murderous relapse, and Peters’ sad decline
In the past week, Israel has reverted to slaughtering civilians, starving children and welshing on the terms of the peace deal negotiated earlier this year. […]
Gordon Campbell on Winston Peters’ bad trip, and the return of the PPPs zombie
According to RNZ’s embedded reporter, the importance of Winston Peters’ talks in Washington this week “cannot be overstated.” Right. “Exceptionally important.” said the maestro himself. […]
Gordon Campbell On Luxon’s Survival Chances, And The India FTA
Whenever Christopher Luxon drops a classically fatuous clanger or whenever the government has a bad poll – i.e. every week – the talk resumes that […]
Gordon Campbell On Winston Peters’ Battle Against The Phantom Legions Of The Woke
In a month’s time, the Right Honourable Winston Peters will be celebrating his 80th birthday. Good for him. On the evidence though, his current war […]
Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Stubborn Refusal To Invest For Growth
Economists have earned their reputation for jargon and tunnel vision, but sometimes, it takes an someone as perceptive as Simplicity economist Shamubeel Eaqub to identify […]
Gordon Campbell On Why GP Practices Are In Crisis
In a week when PM Christopher Luxon and Health Minister Simeon Brown have been blowing their own trumpets about how supportive they are of GPs, […]
Gordon Campbell On Why Having Elections Less Often Is A Bad Idea
Are we feeling the country is in such capable hands, that we can afford to take a longer break between elections? Outside the parliamentary bubble […]
Gordon Campbell On School Lunches, And The Coalition Government Eating The Young
The school lunches saga gets worse by the day. Bland, repetitive menus, failures in heating, failures in timely delivery, failures to deliver halal meals that […]
Gordon Campbell On Why Our China Panic Is About To Get Expensive
Allegedly, the defence environment has changed, and New Zealand thus needs to spend significantly more on Defence. The rationale is that China (our main trading […]
Gordon Campbell On The Fall And Rise Of Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid
Good to see that this year, the New Zealand film societies are celebrating what would have been Sam Peckinpah’s 100th birthday with what they are […]
Gordon Campbell On Why Europe Is Being Made To Go It Alone
Now that the US has ripped up the Atlantic alliance, Europe is more vulnerable now than at any time since the mid-1930s. Apparently, Europe and […]