Gordon Campbell on the real truth deficit in welfare
The most troubling thing about the current emphasis of government policy is that “success” seems to be judged entirely on whether people are being moved off benefits…
Welfare
Gordon Campbell on being humane about welfare, child support and tax
It made for an unusual Venn diagram, but Greens co-leader Metiria Turei and Finance Minister Steven Joyce were briefly sharing some common elements this week…
Gordon Campbell on the causes of poverty
One of the myths of the conservative right is that poverty is primarily a state of mind, and that welfare only corrodes the mindset necessary for people to pull themselves out of poverty.
Land of the Long White Egalitarian Myth
It isn’t only foreigners who buy into the myth of New Zealand as an equal opportunity Paradise
Gordon Campbell on the Police (and MSD) abuses of power
Apparently, the Police have deliberately abused the powers of detention they possess under the Land Transport Act…
Gordon Campbell on child poverty, and John Coltrane
John Key’s rationale for refusing to throw the state’s resources behind reducing child poverty is the lamest excuse since “The dog ate my homework.”
Gordon Campbell on welfare blackmail, and the therapeutic use of drugs in sport
Reportedly, beneficiary parents who refuse to disclose the intimate details of their child’s conception stand to have their benefits substantially docked.
Gordon Campbell on yesterday’s Budget
Budgies, so their Wikipedia page says, are popular pets around the world due to their small size, low cost, and ability to mimic human speech. […]
Gordon Campbell on the rise of the far right, and battle bots
In his victory speech at the Cannes film festival this week, the British film director Ken Loach warned that the rise of far right parties […]
Gordon Campbell on electricity pricing, executions, and Bob Dylan at 75
This week, New Zealand’s crisis of poverty and homelessness has been making headlines around the world. At exactly the same time, Electricity Authority has unveiled […]
Gordon Campbell on political rhetoric, and the Dark Triad
Unfortunately, the systematic use of tax avoidance strategies – by corporates and by wealthy individuals – is not occurring in a vacuum. At an accelerating […]
Gordon Campbell on why we’re sitting ducks for the power companies
The marketing campaigns waged to induce customers to chase around between electricity companies in a frantic search for savings has always looked like a diversion. […]
Gordon Campbell on Labour’s free education plan, Iowa and Jefferson Airplane
The “free” education policy that Labour has just unveiled has some obvious shortcomings. The universities are right to stress that the cuts to their net […]
Gordon Campbell on Paula Bennett’s fantasy politics and Iran
We seem to be living in an era of virtual government, where governments promote only an illusion of policy kapow! rather than the sort of […]
Gordon Campbell on the government’s refusal to tax sugar drinks and tackle obesity
True to form, the government seems more concerned about the financial health of the food industry than the actual physical health of New Zealand children. […]
Gordon Campbell on our response to the Syrian refugee crisis
The full scale of the New Zealand government response to the Syrian refugee crisis – reportedly, the world’s biggest humanitarian challenge since the post-war formation […]
Gordon Campbell on the Children’s Commission report on CYF
Accusing the overworked and underfunded staff at Child, Youth and Family of a “dump and run culture of neglect” is the kind of luxury that […]
Gordon Campbell on the new bureaucratic tests facing solo parents
Offhand, its hard to think of a more cynical example of political opportunism than the requirement that solo parents will now need to re-apply for […]
Gordon Campbell on telling the poor to ask for more
The government’s “let them ask for more” response to the dilapidated, cold and unhealthy conditions faced by many families in state housing can only be […]
Gordon Campbell on Budget 2015
From the outset, the slogan for yesterday’s Budget – “The Plan Is Working” – begged to be mocked. There’s actually a plan for the national […]
Gordon Campbell on UE pass rates and university dropout rates
Houston, there is clearly a problem with (a) the plunge in pass rates for University Entrance qualifications, which has been especially steep among Maori students […]
Gordon Campbell on a union victory in the fast food industry
Good to have a reminder of why trade unions are still essential in the 21st century. The scrapping of zero hour contract provisions by the […]
Gordon Campbell on the wage hike for MPs (and Paul Robeson)
Hard to tell what is more infuriating. Is it the 5.3% increase on the already bloated salaries of MPs, or their pantomime of outrage at […]
On the Greens housing proposals, and Pita Sharples
In the wake of David Shearer’s Labour party conference speech last year, housing policy has become a crunch test of how well each political party […]
On the crisis in affordable housing
The lack of affordable housing, as Finance Minister Bill English conceded last year, is an example of market failure, and in this Q&A transcript English […]
On the dubious economic case for the Auckland convention centre
For now, Labour and the Greens are not opposing the convention centre in Auckland per se, but are asking for the tendering process to be […]
On short term contracting in the public service, and paid parental leave
It is always dangerous to base a story on personal experience… So this is being offered mainly out of curiosity, to see whether anyone out […]
On charter schools, and DoL backdown at Pike River
Years ago and in a more innocent time, whenever advertising agencies wanted to spice up a product for local consumers they would use the word […]
On the local government reforms
Clearly, centre-right governments dislike Big Government only when it isn’t their brand of government. When it is, many of the democratic brakes get removed, quick […]
On the speeches by John Key and David Shearer
The much touted smackdown between John Key and David Shearer – one gives a major speech at breakfast, the other at lunchtime! – turned out […]