Gordon Campbell On Having The Backbone To Restrict Our Defence Spending
Lynda Topp can look after herself. Yet the rejoinder by Paul Goldsmith to her criticism of our irresponsible spending spree on Defence was so patronising […]
China
Gordon Campbell On Our Willingness To Earn US Approval, Via China-Bashing
The Chinese Embassy is right. The recent joint statement by Australia and New Zealand condemning China’s actions in the South China Sea reads like a […]
Gordon Campbell On The West’s Indifference To The Carnage In Iran
The mullahs in Iran must be feeling very pleased with themselves. They have just carried out versions of the Tiannenmen Square Massacre over and over […]
Gordon Campbell On The Secret Pact On Rare Earth Minerals, And The India FTA
Drill and dig, baby. The week began with the coalition government giving an Australian mining company the green light for an open cast gold mine […]
Gordon Campbell On The Uniquely Odd Aspects Of The US Attack On Venezuela
The extremely weird nature of the US assault on Venezuela is becoming more apparent by the day. This hasn’t been the usual US imperial conquest […]
Gordon Campbell On The Decline Of Winston Peters, And The Attacks On Helen Clark
As usual, last weekend’s New Zealand First conference in Palmerston North was very much about the Dear Leader. Alas, and like many other gentlemen of […]
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 Luxon in the NATO pressure cooker
New Zealand is one of six countries invited as onlookers to this week’s NATO summit in Washington. As such, PM Christopher Luxon will be made […]
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 why China isn’t a real military threat
Not that anyone would know it, but there has been quite a massive spendup on Defence since 2017 by the Labour government. The big ticket […]
Gordon Campbell on what China’s current economic woes signal for us
For 99% of the time, our worries about China revolve around the military and diplomatic threat that Beijing allegedly poses to New Zealand and to […]
Gordon Campbell on dancing with NATO on Defence
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has been keeping some serious company of late. He’s been signing a free trade deal with the EU, shooting off to […]
Gordon Campbell on the ripple effects from the Titan submersible disaster
As clickbait, the saga of OceanGate’s Titan submersible belongs to the same genre of real time news countdowns as the boys trapped in the Thailand […]
Gordon Campbell on China, University Funding, Ukraine
Gosh. According to a tip leaked to a journalist from the Australian newspaper by an anonymous source whose identity cannot be disclosed for secret squirrel […]
Gordon Campbell on how private profits are driving Defence spending
Speak of the devil. The Australian website Crikey has just launched an investigative series about the notorious lobbying firm Crosby Textor, or C/T as it […]
Gordon Campbell on tax injustice, and on being prepped for war with China
The IRD’s significant research proves that the rich (on average) are taxed on their income at less than half the rate paid by ordinary wage […]
Gordon Campbell on China’s Big New Power Troika
Rather than run the risk (and suffer the indignity) of putting Rupert Murdoch on the witness stand, Fox News has paid the $US788 million required […]
Gordon Campbell on the reasons for opposing AUKUS
In the early 1980s, New Zealand walked out of the ANZUS pact on principle, rather than be an accomplice to nuclear war. We now seem […]
Gordon Campbell on the banning of Tik Tok
For a serial offender like Stuart Nash, it was inevitable that another skeleton would emerge from his closet, and end his ministerial career. This one […]
Gordon Campbell on the Hipkins cutbacks, and the major Saudi/Iran deal
Most days, Chris Hipkins and James Shaw seem a bit like the Seals and Crofts of the centre-left: Earnest, inoffensive, and capable of quite nice […]
Gordon Campbell on AUKUS and Australia’s decision on nuclear subs
Update: Evidently, Reuters were correct in the major details reported below on Werewolf, prior to the official AUKUS announcement. Yes, the US will begin to […]
Gordon Campbell on using the trade weapon against China
Yikes. First Rob Campbell, now Steve Maharey. It seems we are going to fire – or expect public self-flagellation –from every chair of a Crown […]
Gordon Campbell on Fiji’s journey back to the future
For wealthier New Zealanders and Australians, Fiji is just one option among many for their tourism resort experiences, poolside. Obviously, the country amounts to a […]
Gordon Campbell on the US attempt to regain lost ground
The brief fist bump between Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader Mohammad bin Salman was the most memorable image from the US President’s […]
Gordon Campbell on the Pacific Islands Forum gathering
In recent months, China has been widely portrayed as a major strategic threat to the Pacific region, yet the Pacific states themselves beg to differ. […]
Gordon Campbell on the Penny Wong visit
Good grief. Has foreign policy commentary really devolved to the point where our diplomatic effort is being measured by how many overseas trips have been […]
Gordon Campbell on Sinai, where it suits us to waive international treaties
Farmers are currently enjoying the highest prices and payouts in the history of this country. They will never be better placed to acknowledge that their […]
Gordon Campbell on New Zealand’s surrender to the US, plus a playlist
Like a unicorn, New Zealand’s independent foreign policy is a fabulous creature – highly treasured, rarely seen but credited with magical healing powers. Some say […]
Gordon Campbell on the panic in the Pacific over China
For years, it has been no secret that China wants closer security and trade ties with the small nations of the Pacific region. All part […]
Gordon Campbell on Ukraine, and blokes in peril
A great darkness is falling over Ukraine, and it will last for decades. In launching a full scale invasion, Russian president Vladimir Putin is doing […]