Gordon Campbell on the elusive charms of Christopher Luxon
Well, the first 36 hours of viewing the Christopher Luxon selfie were always going to be the best, before the repetitions set in. We get […]
Judith Collins
Gordon Campbell on National’s less than stellar choices
Amid all the jostling in the National caucus ranks, spare a thought for Andrew Bayly. Who? Well might you ask. Plucked from obscurity by Judith […]
Gordon Campbell on the demotion of Simon Bridges
So Simon Bridges has been bounced from the front bench and stripped of his shadow portfolio responsibilities for the crudely “inappropriate” comments that he allegedly […]
Gordon Campbell on why Judith Collins should consider the Canada model
For months now, Judith Collins has been doubling down on National as the party of angry talkback radio. If you’ve got a beef about Jacinda […]
Gordon Campbell on Collins’ desperation, and Joe Biden’s left-wing image
The difficulty with translating the Treaty partnership into the realities of parliamentary rule is that at best, Maori have been treated only as co-pilots, still […]
Gordon Campbell on the rivals for the Covid saliva testing dollar
As the cliché goes, every crisis is an opportunity. The pandemic seems no exception. To be clear though: at any time, it is quite OK […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s reshuffle, Pfizer’s vaccine & Trump’s non-exit strategy
Good to hear there is at least one Covid vaccine in the pipeline, and that Pfizer is claiming a 90% level of efficacy for it. […]
Gordon Campbell on some electorates to watch on Saturday night
On the eve of Election Day, Judith Collins can claim that she has done exactly what she was chosen to do: namely, she looks like […]
Gordon Campbell on National going rogue, and US militia madness
In the wake of Judith Collins descent into negative politicking, the real question has to be – did she slip, or did she jump? Was […]
Gordon Campbell on flirting with Act, and on the euthanasia/cannabis measures
Less than convincingly, Judith Collins says that if elected to govern, she would not be enacting any of the austerity measures and welfare cuts advocated […]
Gordon Campbell on last night’s debate, and beyond
It really hasn’t been a good week for Judith Collins to be wheeling out her Little Me impression of Donald Trump, yet the similarities have […]
Gordon Campbell on debates as game-shows, and why mixing politics and religion is a bad idea
Political debates have dominated the week’s campaign cycle, here and elsewhere. Routinely, leaders’ debates ( and polls) are the roadside diners and comfort stops on […]
Gordon Campbell on last night’s leaders debate
Do political debates change voter intentions, and cause voters to switch sides? According to a 2019 Harvard Business School study conducted across 61 elections in […]
Gordon Campbell on Judith Collins’ apparent inability to read the public mood
The basic skill that a successful politician needs is the ability to “read the room” and gauge the public mood. If National Party leader Judith […]
Gordon Campbell on who really deserves sympathy when stress makes people behave badly
Sex always makes people sit up and pay attention to what‘s on the news bulletins. The political circus aside…. Power (not sex) has really been […]
Gordon Campbell on the mainstream media’s romance with Judith Collins
Crikey. It feels like the media and Judith Collins should just get a room and be done with it. Such has been the commentariat’s love […]
Gordon Campbell on National’s Great Leap Backwards
It isn’t surprising that at the height of its disarray, National should have looked for certainty and picked the least introspective candidate on offer. With […]
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 support the junior doctors strike
The powers that individual DHBs are seeking look like a throwback to the early 1990s. Then, as now, the rationale was that this local “flexibility” was necessary.
Gordon Campbell on the Nelson fire and what it says about our response to climate change
The Nelson fire has been a warning of things to come.
Quiz: Advice for National on a Judith Collins Leadership Bid, or Quote from My Unpublished Indiana Jones Fan Fic?
Judith Collins is, as they say of aspiring leaders and infected sores everywhere, running.
Gordon Campbell on National’s ‘meth crooks’ failure of leadership
Given that National Party leader Simon Bridges has made consistency and strong leadership the cornerstones of his attacks upon the coalition government, his own massive […]
Gordon Campbell on Police pursuits
The willingness of the Police to play Russian roulette with public safety via its current policy on pursuits continues to end in carnage
Gordon Campbell on the gun debate, here and in the US
Gun ownership in the US is a mystery to New Zealanders, and so is the constitutional fetish that surrounds it.
Gordon Campbell on National’s leadership contest
Essentially, English ran a great FPP campaign last year, and if the political system hadn’t changed 25 years ago you’d count that performance as a success…
Gordon Campbell on National’s leadership rumbles
There’s a ritual to leadership changes after an election loss, and the National Party is dutifully following the script.
Gordon Campbell on the National leadership “contest”
Key’s endorsement of English has turned this “contest” into a race for second place.
Gordon Campbell on Judith Collins, crime and poverty
It is infuriating to have to explain to a senior Cabinet Minister about the social harm caused by endemic poverty, but here are a few useful pointers for Judith Collins
Gordon Campbell on Judith Collins’ efforts at self correction
Prisoners may be entitled to an earlier release than expected – and compensation – unless of course, the government buries its mistakes by changing the law.
Gordon Campbell on the Judith Collins charm offensive
Suddenly, Judith Collins is everyone’s new best friend.