Gordon Campbell on National’s crackdown on shoplifters
Politicians do like being tough on crime. Flexing law and order muscle is a feature of the patriarchal Daddy State, and is beloved by the […]
police
Gordon Campbell on the flaws in anti-gang laws
Google “Christopher Luxon“ and “mojo” and you get nearly 60,000 matching responses. Over the past 18 months – here and here and again, here – […]
Gordon Campbell on the crackdown on gangs
For much of last week, Opotiki was like the setting of a Wes Anderson movie. Gruff, no nonsense cops. Bikers who looked just as tough, […]
Gordon Campbell on trying to pass National on the right
It may be naïve to expect any politician to be consistent, but Christopher Luxon really is in a class of his own. One day, he’s […]
Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – […]
Gordon Campbell on firing Stuart Nash, plus a music playlist
Here’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins, Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. […]
Gordon Campbell on entrenchment, and being ‘soft on crime’
Good grief. Is it really a grave misuse of power to entrench safeguards against the irreversible sale of key public assets? Hardly. If this country […]
Gordon Campbell on the youth crime furore
So far, the excited media response to the spike in “ram-raid” incidents is being countered by evidence that in reality, youth crime is steeply in […]
Gordon Campbell on the Police tactics at Parliament
Canada is better known for being the home of relentlessly nice people. Yet its trucking protests have become an unlikely model for social disruption, as […]
Gordon Campbell on why re-defining “terrorism” won’t make us any safer
All very well to talk about “modernising” our terrorism legislation (hey, it was written back in 2002 in the wake of 9/11) in order to […]
Gordon Campbell on abortion safe access zones, and the need for the Police and SIS to go open source
Yesterday, the abortion law reform organisation ALRANZ celebrated 50 years of existence since its founding AGM in 1971 – and in marking the anniversary, former […]
Gordon Campbell on the politics of why we’re not getting an inquiry into the Whakaari/White Island disaster
The Ardern government has made an art form out of reviews and inquiries- when to hold them, when to fold them, and when to shelve […]
Gordon Campbell on why Trump is unlikely to get re-elected
So….Is the world likely to have to endure a second term of Donald Trump’s proto-fascist presidency? Probably not, at this point. The opinion polls – […]
Gordon Campbell on the perils of making damage control your top priority
Surely, the only thing worse than making a serious mistake is to then try and minimise its implications – especially when the efforts at damage […]
Gordon Campbell on allowing the Police to use “sponge” bullets
Terminology can be SO important. Back when “non-lethal” bullets were first invented and became part of the weapons array available to US Police, they were […]
Gordon Campbell on why the government shouldn’t run the Christchurch massacre inquiry
Yesterday Jacinda Ardern announced an inquiry into the background to the mosque attacks and into the role played by the SIS, GCSB, Police, Customs, and Immigration.
Gordon Campbell on why Thompson+ Clark are just the tip of the iceberg
It seems naive to bemoan how state agencies spy on ordinary citizens without addressing how those agencies came to be the hired hands of the policies of the government of the day.
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 Surplus, And Bob Dylan
To quote the distinguished Nobel laureate, “Something is happening here, and you don’t know what it is, do you Mr Jones?”
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 the Judith Collins charm offensive
Suddenly, Judith Collins is everyone’s new best friend.
From The Hood : The Masque Of The Blue Line
Am I getting old or are holidays just not as fun any more?