Gordon Campbell on Islam and the Paris attacks
According to polls, a third of Republican voters in Iowa want Islam to be criminalized. Unfortunately, the cornfields of middle America aren’t the only place […]
General Politics
Gordon Campbell on John Key’s do’s and don’ts list when it comes to detainees
Since Prime Minister John Key plainly has trouble with the leadership thing, maybe we should keep it simple for him. So, here’s a list of […]
Gordon Campbell on the John Key smear attack, Russia’s sports doping and Allen Toussaint
The rationale behind Prime Minister John Key’s smear attack against Labour yesterday (and the subsequent walkout from Parliament) was obvious enough. When you’re in a […]
Gordon Campbell on being accountable, and holding the powerful to account
Don’t know how you feel about it, but the selective unavailability of Ministers and senior public servants to media scrutiny seems to be a growing […]
Gordon Campbell on Malcolm Turnbull, and rugby mania
When Malcolm Turnbull took over as PM across the Tasman, much was made of him citing the populist touch of Prime Minister John Key – […]
Gordon Campbell on the lessons of the Canada election result for the Labour Party
So Canada has delivered a resounding goodbye and good riddance to Stephen Harper and his Conservative government. Yesterday’s ‘landslide’ victory for Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party […]
Gordon Campbell on Australia giving us the flick
Nice bloke, but you wouldn’t want him to run the country. Once again, the failings of John Key on the world stage have been cruelly […]
Gordon Campbell on Labour-bashing over the TPP and Canada's election
Should we be surprised that Labour has ended up as the media’s cheap and easy target over the TPP? Clearly, it would be more risky […]
Gordon Campbell on our apparent inability to stand up to Australia
If you fight your bullies, the TV series Freaks and Geeks suggested, it can be painful at the time… but you earn respect and they […]
Gordon Campbell on John Key’s trip to Iraq
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has just returned from a quick visit to our troops in Iraq, where he reportedly discovered that (a) Iraq […]
Gordon Campbell on Serco’s emerging role as the government’s favourite corporate crony, and the TPP fallout
There’s no success like failure, as Bob Dylan once said, and Serco’s failures mean nothing but trouble on the horizon for ordinary New Zealanders. Unfortunately, […]
Gordon Campbell on the TPP deal reached in Atlanta
If the TPP was the Rugby World Cup, the New Zealand team probably wouldn’t be making it out of pool play. While the final details […]
Gordon Campbell on the TPP countdown, and Mary Margaret O’Hara
While Australia and the US have reached agreement on the patent exclusivity term for biologics – the new drugs that have been one of the […]
Gordon Campbell on the lack of accountability over the Philip Smith case
In New Zealand, accountability is an exotic creature rarely glimpsed at ministerial level, or among senior management. The flight to Rio by the paedophile /murderer […]
Gordon Campbell on the Chris Brown furore
Thank goodness Dame Tariana Turia has been able to inject a bit of common sense into the Chris Brown visa issue – her argument being […]
Gordon Campbell on New Zealand’s TPP done deal on dairy, and on investor-state disputes
For five years, the public has been denied any meaningful information about the content and progress of the TPP – on the bogus excuse that […]
Gordon Campbell on the Greens bad deal over the flags
Click for big version. So thanks to the Greens, the Red Peak design has now been added to the options for the flag referendum in […]
Gordon Campbell on Paula Bennett’s gaffe, and Luna in Newtown
Local Government Minister Paula Bennett’s statement of support for cutting red tape in the building industry was probably self-certified as being politically OK, but it […]
Gordon Campbell on the rise of Malcolm Turnbull
Well clearly, the loss of Tony Abbott – the country’s official spokesman on Women’s Affairs – has left the women of Australia feeling distraught and […]
Gordon Campbell on Corbyn, Trump and outsider politics
Jeremy Corbyn elevated to the leadership of Britain’s Labour Party! Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders on the rise in the US… On both sides of […]
Gordon Campbell on selecting refugees, Aussie generosity and a cat video
Now that we know how many Syrian refugees New Zealand will accept, the focus can shift onto how they’ll be selected, and the criteria in […]
Gordon Campbell on our response to the Syrian refugee crisis
The full scale of the New Zealand government response to the Syrian refugee crisis – reportedly, the world’s biggest humanitarian challenge since the post-war formation […]
Gordon Campbell on the lack of leadership on refugees
Image: Lyndon Hood – Cartoons: Refugees, Flags and What I Stand For John Key still doesn’t get it. At least he’s now talking about raising […]
Gordon Campbell on Refugees, the Flag and Bo Diddley
There’s a simple statistical reason why New Zealand should increase its refugee intake. Our UN quota has remained static – or fallen slightly – over […]
Gordon Campbell on the government’s response to the refugee crisis in Europe
The government’s refusal to accept an emergency intake of refugees from the hundreds of thousands now pouring into Europe is pretty shameful. This country makes […]
Gordon Campbell on the Children’s Commission report on CYF
Accusing the overworked and underfunded staff at Child, Youth and Family of a “dump and run culture of neglect” is the kind of luxury that […]
Gordon Campbell on the flag campaign
So far, the public has treated the government’s flag campaign with something between disinterest and disdain. Most New Zealanders have instinctively seen through the marketing […]
Gordon Campbell on Tim Groser and the Wrecking Crew
At times, a protest march can feel like a futile political tactic, but at least afterwards… Trade Minister Tim Groser can always be relied on […]
Gordon Campbell on Japan’s current doubts that the TPP has any future
Japan has made it clear it thinks New Zealand was the key major stumbling block to a successful conclusion of the Trans Pacific Partnership trade […]
Gordon Campbell on the economic bad news, and Turkey’s fears about the Kurds
Traditionally, voters regard National as a more competent manager of the economy. It is the sole upside of crony capitalism: surely these guys must know […]