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Gordon Campbell - Latest News [Page 31]
On The Gaza Aftermath, And The Attempted Coup In Samoa
Tuesday, 25 May 2021, 12:47 pm | Gordon Campbell
Mere days after the Israeli/Hamas ceasefire, some things have immediately returned to normal. Israeli police have reportedly been in action again against Palestinians gathered at the Damascus Gate andin al-Aqsa mosque, even though the police brutality ... More >>
On Bob Dylan At 80
Monday, 24 May 2021, 10:11 am | Gordon Campbell
Bob Dylan turns 80 today. And at such a moment, are we gathered here to praise him, or to bury him and erect a monument? A bit of both, I guess. Also, there’s always been a further purpose to the what, how, and why of Dylanology in that it serves More >>
On Budget 2021’s Successes And Failures
Friday, 21 May 2021, 9:39 am | Gordon Campbell
In some realms of the centre-right, Budget 2021 has been portrayed as a “peak Labour” exercise in which the government has veered sharply leftwards in order to satisfy its political base. To the left though, it has seemed more like a wasted ... More >>
On The Next Governor-General
Wednesday, 19 May 2021, 10:42 am | Gordon Campbell
The next Governor-General will have to be named quite soon. Dame Patsy Reddy (appointed 2016) is nearing the end of her five-year term. At the best of times, being a credible local stand-in for a head of state that’s based in London cannot be an easy job. ... More >>
On What Triggered The Carnage In Gaza
Monday, 17 May 2021, 11:04 am | Gordon Campbell
At last count, 195 Palestinians have reportedly died in the latest round of violence, 55 of them children. Roughly ten times that number have been wounded, and thousands made homeless. On the Israeli side, 8 people have died from rockets fired from Gaza. More >>
On Cancel Culture And The ‘hate Speech’ Laws
Friday, 14 May 2021, 11:53 am | Gordon Campbell
If there really is anyone out there who feels genuinely panicked about what ‘cancel culture' is doing to our precious freedoms, then maybe they should just take a deep breath, look hard at who has allegedly been ‘ cancelled’ and see if they can ... More >>
On The Compelling Case For Meatless Meat
Wednesday, 12 May 2021, 11:59 am | Gordon Campbell
Talk about living in a bubble. As vegetarianism and veganism become normalised – there are more options on restaurant menus! - it can be easy to think that the whole world is gradually giving up on meat. Alas, the reverse is true. Americans for instance More >>
Gordon Campbell On Why Fair Pay Agreements Should Be Embraced
Monday, 10 May 2021, 1:16 pm | Gordon Campbell
Are Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) truly the work of the devil? Given the vehement response to them last week by (a) employer groups and (b) by their parliamentary friends on the extreme right, you could be forgiven for thinking these FPA things will mean ... More >>
On Yesterday’s Big Parliamentary Air Kiss To China
Thursday, 6 May 2021, 10:07 am | Gordon Campbell
In order to obtain support from the two major parties, Act Party deputy leader Brooke Van Velden twice had to soften the language of her parliamentary motion yesterday condemning China’s persecution of the Uighurs. The key word “genocide” was ... More >>
On Our Determination To Ignore China’s Human Rights Abuses
Tuesday, 4 May 2021, 9:46 am | Gordon Campbell
For nearly two decades, New Zealand has been juggling our dependency on China when it comes to trade, while expecting our traditional allies to look after our defence and security needs. Yet the scale of China’s human rights abuses has added a new ... More >>
On Collins’ Desperation, And Joe Biden’s Left-wing Image
Monday, 3 May 2021, 11:13 am | Gordon Campbell
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 flying on captain’s orders. Yet if we have learned anything in the past 180 years, it is ... More >>
On How The Animals Fare Within A Racing Industry In Decline
Thursday, 29 April 2021, 9:47 am | Gordon Campbell
Somehow, the office sweepstake on the Melbourne Cup is still likely to be a thing, even in the year 2021. Probably though, most non-punters would have missed the news that leaked out on Tuesday about the Victoria Racing Club’s investigation into ... More >>
On The Demonisation Of Film And TV Subsidies
Tuesday, 27 April 2021, 2:58 pm | Gordon Campbell
Yesterday’s big winner at the Oscars was Chinese-American director Chloe Zhao and her film Nomadland …. And Weta Digital happens to be listed here among the post-production facilities that have been working on Zhao’s next film, the mega-budget More >>
On Welcoming The Major Health Reforms
Wednesday, 21 April 2021, 9:59 am | Gordon Campbell
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 amount to the biggest shake-up of the health system since the neo-liberal ... More >>
On The Implications Of The Travel Bubble
Tuesday, 20 April 2021, 10:06 am | Gordon Campbell
Amidst the coverage of the hugs and kisses and reunion tears one hates to be a killjoy… But there has been little attention paid to the pattern of travel we’re likely to see with the Trans-tasman bubble. Clearly, there has been a lot ... More >>
On The Erebus Memorial In Parnell
Wednesday, 14 April 2021, 1:19 pm | Gordon Campbell
Social media can be a wonderful tool for bringing people together in a common cause. It can also be a seedbed and spreader of mis-information on a community-wide scale. To which category do the protests against the siting of an Erebus memorial (to the ... More >>
On Labour Refusing To Lead A Progressive Drugs Policy
Tuesday, 13 April 2021, 10:20 am | Gordon Campbell
Once again, Labour has chosen not to use (a) its parliamentary majority and (b) the huge mandate it was given at the last election in order to (c) bring about progressive social change. Once again, Labour seems to regard its main purpose for being in power ... More >>
On Why Raising Corporate Taxes Has Become A Hot New Political Cause
Friday, 9 April 2021, 10:40 am | Gordon Campbell
Surprisingly, “raising taxes” has become a very fashionable political idea in 2021. That’s right. After decades of being seen (at best) as a necessary evil, higher corporate taxes are now being treated as the Great Good Thing that will revive ... More >>
On Bubble Economics, And The New Pro-gun, Pro-hunting Firearms Panel
Wednesday, 7 April 2021, 11:10 am | Gordon Campbell
The travel bubble with Australia will throw a lifeline to tourism operators, who have first-hand experience that thrifty domestic tourists are no real substitute for the free spending visitors from offshore. According to the Global Data research ... More >>
On How The Tourism Industry Pressured The Government To Create The Travel Bubble
Tuesday, 6 April 2021, 12:18 pm | Gordon Campbell
Today is when the fate (and date) of the trans-Tasman travel bubble will be announced by PM Jacinda Ardern and -already– Opposition leader Judith Colins has been demanding that the bubble needs to be put in place this week, or else. How come, Collins complained ... More >>
