Gordon Campbell On ACT’s Takeover Of The Government Agenda
The ACT Party won only 8.6% of the vote last year, so how come it seems to be driving about 75% of the government’s agenda? […]
Healthcare
Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide […]
Gordon Campbell on why prescription fees are no way to fund cancer drugs
Who is this Christopher Luxon fellow, really? Over the past two years, we have had so many invitations to find the pearl in the oyster. […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s tax cuts
Since tax cuts are never a free lunch, collecting the revenue to pay for them was always going to be the credibility test of National’s […]
Gordon Campbell on gender posturing and mis-using PPPs in public health
What is it with right wing politicians getting standing ovations for doing the bare minimum? As in… Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron De Santis […]
Gordon Campbell on ACT’s links to Big Pharma
Economists are weird. People are having trouble feeding their families. Yet the obvious solution – reduce the tax burden on their food – is treated […]
Gordon Campbell on the endless spending on Defence
Defence is the one area of government spending where the politicians never, ever demand – but how on earth do we propose to pay for […]
Gordon Campbell on the sacking of Rob Campbell
Unfortunately, truth was not a defence available to Rob Campbell. He will now be replaced as chair of Te Whatu Ora, the organisation set up […]
Gordon Campbell on nursing’s long road to residency
The reluctance to offer a direct pathway to residency to nurses never made any sense – whether that be politically, economically or in terms of […]
Gordon Campbell on the case for universal free dental care
Like Banquo’s ghost, the issue of universal free dental care keeps hovering into sight at Labour’s top table. ‘Tis a goodly, progressive idea, but it […]
Gordon Campbell on abortion politics, Murdoch and the DeSantis surge
So the Democrats did a whole lot better than OK in the midterm elections despite the cost of living crisis and despite the President’s low […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s incredible disappearing tax policy
During the years of the Key government one hardy perennial of political journalism was that whenever the Labour Opposition would suggest a policy alternative to […]
Gordon Campbell on Labour’s bunker mentality
RNZ spokesperson John Barr says in reply to this column that RNZ’s “live” coverage of the Luxon press conference was carried only on its website, […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s ongoing problems with abortion
Despite Christopher Luxon’s assurances to the contrary, there is no such thing as “settled law” in New Zealand. Apart from the six provisions that are […]
Gordon Campbell on why nurses are our prime export to Australia
That giant sucking noise is the sound of the jobs of our nurses, doctors, and midwives being vacuumed up by medical recruiters from New South […]
Gordon Campbell on the ethics of Omicron treatment, plus a playlist
As the Omicron infection wave prepares to break across New Zealand, the “red” condition is likely to be more of a form of gestural politics, […]
Gordon Campbell on the politics of hoping for the best
As the new daily Delta case numbers surge upwards, it is getting harder for the captains of Team Five Million to make decisions that still […]
Gordon Campbell on our weird ways of funding care for the dying
National Party leader Judith Collins thinks the government’s traffic light system for emerging from Covid lockdowns is “confusing.” Perhaps she could be looking in the […]
Gordon Campbell on the epic fails of Kris Faafoi
Ever since Winston Peters first breathed life into this government in 2018, its own branding has been all about social justice and how we all […]
Gordon Campbell on Covid mandates, and the Covid pill
The cliché about “living with Covid” will not mean life as we’ve known it, Jim. Vaccination is fast becoming a condition of employment, and also […]
Gordon Campbell on lifting the lockdowns, and the Covid pill
One can sympathise with firms struggling under the financial stress caused by Covid restrictions. Yet business (and other critics)appear to be demanding that the government […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s Covid re-opening plan
After banging for what has seemed an eternity about how the government doesn’t have a plan for removing restrictions and re-opening the country, National’s own […]
Gordon Campbell on the media’s handling of (a) the Afghan crisis, and (b) the hacked DHB material
Reportedly, there has been “chaos “in downtown Kabul and “chaos“ out at the Kabul airport. “Chaos” has become one of the go-to terms of modern […]
Gordon Campbell on failing to prepare for either mental health needs, or Covid outbreaks
In a week when the Covid scare in Wellington and the national crisis in mental health both hit the headlines, they also seemed like mirror […]
Gordon Campbell on whether we’re anywhere near ready for our mass vaccine rollout
As the commencement date for New Zealand’s mass vaccination rollout looms and recedes– and it has now been pushed back until late July at the […]
Gordon Campbell on welcoming the major health reforms
Usually “reform” of government agencies is a cost cutting exercise in disguise, but this morning’s revision of the health system looks totally different. These reforms […]
Gordon Campbell on some of the moral objections being levelled at Covid vaccines
Quite the switch. Barely three months ago, the government was priding itself on cannily spreading its vaccine bets between Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Novovaxx and the Johnson […]
Gordon Campbell on who decides on the priority list for Covid vaccines
During the past week, the nation has gone through a range of mixed feelings about south Auckland. Understandably, there’s been a hankering in some quarters […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s day of reckoning
Congratulations. You are one of the 55 members of the National caucus being called together tomorrow to choose who will lead you to either (a) […]
Gordon Campbell on why we should extend the lockdown
As Bloomberg says, impatience can be contagious. The kids in the back seat during the lockdown – Mike Hosking, Barry Soper, David Seymour etc – […]