On the draconian Christchurch Earthquake legislation
Come back Frank Bainimarama, all is forgiven. As of last night, New Zealand has surrendered the moral high ground from which to could denounce the […]
Gordon Campbell
On John Key’s false rationale for being in Afghanistan, and Vincent Gallo’s sweet revenge
Late last week, a major bi-partisan American organization released its report on the policy options facing the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. This was […]
Gordon Campbell offers a solution to the US hostility to Islam
Bigotry has been having a bumper week, worldwide. Thankfully, the plans by the pastor of a tiny evangelical church in Florida to burn the Koran […]
On the ‘quake aftermath, and Sean Plunket’s exit
The news that Police have reported a 53% leap in domestic violence incidents in the wake of the Christchurch earthquake stands in stark contrast to […]
On Peter Dunne’s review of child support
In his comments this morning about his planned review of the child support legislation, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne is showing every sign of just tinkering […]
On the South Canterbury Finance bailout
Like the war in Iraq, there doesn’t seem to have been an exit strategy for the Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme – and the extension of […]
Cartoon Alley: Reviews and commentary #12… Gordon Campbell
My Favourite ( Recent) Comic : Futura
On the mainstream media, and the expanding war in Yemen
Safe to say the mainstream media and the blogosphere do not hold particularly positive views of each other. Its like a family affair. In general, […]
On the government’s selective targeting of young drinkers
Frontispiece of Hobbes’ “Leviathan”. How times change. Only a couple of years ago, New Zealand was allegedly beset with Nanny Statism because the Clark government […]
On the Aussie election stalemate
As the Sydney Morning Herald columnist Peter Hartcher says, there’s a rough justice to the Australian election outcome, given that both major parties ran essentially […]
The ACT horror show, and the Ground Zero mosque
Images, Audio & Report: Hide Ducks Questions on ACT Leadership Coup There’s one way for the ACT Party to solve its current financial problems – […]
On the Heather Roy coup, and the liquor vote
Image & Audio: Hide Ducks Questions on ACT Leadership Coup The entire Act caucus would fit comfortably into a small rowing boat. If Rodney Hide […]
On Labour’s money problems and looming by-elections
If Labour and its leadership didn’t have enough immediate problems, the party’s capacity to mount an effective election campaign next year is certain to come […]
On the government’s hostility towards women
Image: Pay equity campaigners want “no stone unturned” Once again, the Key government has shown it doesn’t give a stuff about issues that primarily affect […]
On welfare bashing, and driving up a dead end in Afghanistan
The government’s welfare working group has dutifully delivered the findings the government wants to hear. To Paula Rebstock and her colleagues, being on welfare is […]
On the appointing of Zaoui’s tormenter to investigate complaints against the Police
There’s no success like failure, as Bob Dylan once pointed out, and failure is no success at all. A reward for failure is the only […]
On our first combat death in Afghanistan
The first fatality in the New Zealand deployment in Afghanistan has occurred on the same day the Dutch ended their deployment in Uruzgan province, as […]
On the Gaza inquiry, and new twists in the Carter affair
It may seem ‘too late’ to announce the appointment of a UN inquiry panel into the Gaza flotilla raid. Whether it is also ‘too little’ […]
On the Chris Carter fiasco
Click for big version If Chris Carter’s recent trip to Tibet was in search of spiritual enlightenment, he will have come back with a ready […]
John Key Gets In Touch With His Feminine Side
Using a softline pitch to women, to sell hardline policies
Chicken Broth For An Ailing Economy
An interview with NZIER chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub, about how to nurture this frail economy through its convalescence
Classics: Toy Story 3 (2010) & Peabody (1983)
Did you betray your toys?
The Complicatist : Climb Every Mountie
Reasons not to sneer at the home of Celine Dion
On the despicable decision on blood alcohol driving limits
Yesterday’s non-decision on the alcohol limit has underlined once again that the Key government is not interested in governing for the benefit of New Zealand […]
On Haiti, as the hurricanes arrive
Six months after the Haiti earthquake, only a trickle of the $10 billion in aid that had been pledged by dozens of countries and multilateral […]
On the mining backdown
The government’s formal capitulation ( due later today) on the mining of Schedule Four conservation land is a smashing victory for the public – one […]
On the making of The Hobbit
Given that successive governments have identified the film industry as a prime catalyst of the knowledge economy, you might have expected more local media attention […]
On the Waihopai ‘Claim of Right’ Defence, and Arming the Police
Jump to ‘Reduce Violence : Arm the Police. Yeah, right.’ Usually when the public feels outraged by an acquittal in a high profile trial, the […]
On the ideology behind state spending cuts, and the Bethune aftermath
Clearly, the cuts to government spending are being driven by ideology and not by the state of the economy. Yesterday’s figures revealed a government deficit […]
On John Key getting us mixed up in Australia’s problems with asylum seekers
Click for big version Asylum seekers? We’ve been here before under a National-led government. In 1999, the then-Immigration Minister Tuariki Delamere used the spectre of […]