On evidence that New Zealand is a more socially just society than Australia
Illustration by Tim Denee – www.timdenee.com Before this election campaign began, there was a lot of angst about our income gap with Australia. We will […]
Gordon Campbell
On Labour's plans to raise the retirement age
Labour’s plan to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67 by 2033 (with exemptions for some manual workers) and to gradually lift employer Kiwisaver […]
On our election campaign opening, and Tunisia’s election triumph
As the election campaigns of the major parties kick off, our own Electoral Commission should take inspiration from its counterpart in Tunisia, and in particular […]
On the Prefu, and on the RWC attempts to vilify the French
Update: Audio – Bill English speaks to media at the release of the 2011 pre-election fiscal update. Click a link to play audio (or right-click […]
Gordon Campbell On The Occupy Movement
Wellington’s Occupation in their own words The Occupied Dominion Post – Issue 1 Monday 24th October PDF Download – 667kb For a long time, political […]
Gordon Campbell on the Rugby World Cup Victory
Opinion – Gordon Campbell This close, nail biting victory – without the triumphalism that the All Blacks running riot over their opponents would have entailed […]
On the death of Gaddafi and how the Rena spill relates to East Cape oil exploration
The death of Muammar Gaddafi – either from wounds inflicted by a NATO air strike, or (more likely) from summary execution on his way to […]
Amnesty International, After 9/11
AI’s director Salil Shetty, and the threats to human rights posed by Western governments…
Gordon Campbell on who should pay for the Rena clean-up
So Transport Minister Stephen Joyce will be meeting this morning with the Mediterranean Shipping Company, the Greek firm that chartered the Rena from its Greek […]
On RNZ’s banning of Bomber Bradbury
The lifelong ban that RNZ has now been imposed of Martyn “Bomber” Bradbury for breaching the state broadcaster’s hallowed standards of balance is outrageous, even […]
On why the deal on Police covert video surveillance is a travesty
Click for big version. At Saturday’s protest against the bill in Wellington. Photo by Anne Russell. So a cosy deal has been reached between National […]
On the latest SAS death in Afghanistan
Somehow, the job that we’re doing in Afghanistan is so crucial that it is worth our SAS soldiers dying for – but only until 31st […]
On the Act Party’s latest policy contortions
Click for big version. By bringing together every dope smoking university student who owns a copy of Bob Marley’s Legend with every rural Rasta, the […]
On Barack Obama’s latest bailout of Israel
So US President Barack Obama is promising to use a Security Council veto to block any attempt by Palestine to gain UN recognition, and he […]
On the Police surveillance bailout, and Morning Report
Illustration by Tim Denee – www.timdenee.com It would be easier to respect the law if – repeatedly – the Police and SIS didn’t seem so […]
On youth voting and the RWC’s C-List celebrities
The Greens’ Gareth Hughes has highlighted the apparent lack of interest by the young in this year’s election. Only about 72% of eligible 18-24 year […]
Too Old To Vote?
As the population ages, will senile voters decide the election outcome in future?
The Complicatist : Retromania ( yet again)
We’re all busy making plans for the past
On workplace deaths, and Italy’s threat to Europe
It has been a bad week for those who think that business can be safely left to regulate itself. Workplace safety failures have been revealed […]
On Nicky Hager’s new book
Nicky Hager’s book launch press conference. Video credit: Anne Russell In late 2001, I remember interviewing Helen Clark on another subject, but took the opportunity […]
On the EQC’s funding woes, and a peak oil update
So, it seems, the Greens were right all along – a special levy to fund the costs involved with the Christchurch earthquake still makes good […]
On sports injury; and the West Memphis Three aftermath
[See below for The West Memphis Three aftermath] Imagine if there was a party drug known to kill a number of teenagers around the world […]
On Italy, Politics and the Rugby World Cup
Illustration by Tim Denee – www.timdenee.com Silvio Berlusconi really needs Italy to win the Rugby World Cup, or an equivalent miracle. While he faces prosecution […]
On oil profits (and other administrivia) within the new Libya
The fighters in western Libya who captured the supply line towns on the way into Tripoli and made the final push into the capital do […]
On The Release Of The West Memphis Three
Good news stories are few and far between, and the release from jail of the West Memphis Three is definitely one of those moments to […]
On Syria, and the lessons of the British riots
The call this morning by the Obama administration for Bashir al-Assad to leave office in Syria, and the US imposition of sanctions has been echoed […]
On Russia and the Rugby World Cup
Between early September and late October, New Zealand will be hosting teams from 19 countries for the Rugby World Cup. This column will try to […]
On the Government’s latest plans to Americanise the welfare system
What is it about National’s plans for welfare reform and natural disasters? On the same day in February that the Welfare Working Group released its […]
On the Christchurch rebuild, and the political abuse of the SIS
Probably, some will regard the height restriction of seven stories for the rebuild of Christchurch’s central city area as being unnecessarily arbitrary and uniform, and […]
On the riots in Britain
So far, reaction to the riots in Britain has moved beyond the initial phase of surprise and bewilderment – goodness, the New York Times wondered, […]