Gordon Campbell on the trade unions vs Peter Jackson wrangle over 'The Hobbit'.
If the production of The Hobbit does finally move to eastern Europe, it would not be because of the actors’ wage bill or any fresh […]
International Trade
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 […]
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 Jackson Film Commission review
So the long awaited, year-in-the-making blockbuster review of the Film Commission has finally been delivered by Sir Peter Jackson and David Court, and is now […]
On getting a fair deal for our oil and mining resources
As the deadline approaches for public submissions on the government’s plans to open up sensitive conservation areas to mining, the likely economic returns to New […]
On why free trade with the US is more Monty Python than Holy Grail
Perhaps we can all quietly sign a pact to forego comparing a free trade deal with the US to the quest for the Holy Grail. […]
Gordon Campbell on the government's tolerance of white collar crime
This government takes a crush ’em and crate ’em approach to crime – unless that is, the offender happens to be wearing a tie. In […]
Peter Jackson, and the alleged need to keep up with the Australian film industry
Peter Jackson is expected to deliver his ministerial review on the New Zealand Film Commission to Arts Minister Chris Finlayson just before Christmas, and its […]
China’s role in our problems with P
Media coverage of the battle against P has tended to focus on the role of Maori gangs in the P trade. Yet most of the […]
Public funding for a Rugby World Cup that few can afford to attend
In any other industry, the taxpayer/ratepayer subsidies being offered to the professional rugby industry for its World Cup event in 2011 would be being slagged […]
Tim Groser’s battle with the Wall Street Journal, and the Obama Peace Prize
Ouch. The main media byproduct of the recent Tim Groser march on Washington seems to have been this nasty editorial in the Wall Street Journal […]
Our cozying up to the military regime in Burma
If the military regime in Fiji deserves smart sanctions against its officials, relatives, supporters and sports teams – and it does – then you’d think […]
Bill English’s Homing Instincts, for the Money
Clearly, the first item on the review of ministerial expenses is going to be to create a clear definition of what constitutes ‘home’ – because […]
Foreign ownership rules, and California’s support for Chief Justice Sian Elias
To its critics, the government’s response to the recession has looked like an Eighties Revival. Psychologically speaking, that’s not so surprising, When in trouble, politicians […]
The bogus benefits of PPPs
Occasionally, someone in business lets the cat out of the bag in a way that is impossible to satirise. Thus in the NZ Herald this […]
Iraq, And Its Foreign Oil Deals
Remember how, when the US invaded Iraq in 2003, critics said it was all about oil? Next week, political events in Iraq – and the […]
The corporate welfarism that lies behind foreign aid programme changes
Can a subsidy to our own national airline really qualify as foreign aid to the Pacific ? Apparently it can. As Scoop reported on Monday, […]