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Gordon Campbell - Latest News [Page 85]
Gordon Campbell on the new Pope
Thursday, 14 March 2013, 3:45 pm | Gordon Campbell
The Jorge Mario Bergoglio who became Pope Francis earlier today must be quite accustomed to being the compromise choice, and the least divisive of the options available. He’s certainly been there before. More >>
Gordon Campbell: Papal frontrunner’s views on feminism, LGBT
Friday, 8 March 2013, 10:02 am | Gordon Campbell
Outsiders watching the Catholic Church as it engages in choosing its next leader should be feeling alarmed at the emergence of Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan as the papal frontrunner. Despite the cliché that frontrunners never win the papacy (‘He ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on Hugo Chavez, and the TPP
Thursday, 7 March 2013, 10:10 am | Gordon Campbell
Hugo Chavez has been an example of how much a Third World nation can achieve when it takes control of its natural resources from the US and its corporate allies, and uses them to benefit its own people and the region. More >>
Gordon Campbell on the IRD victory against tax avoidance
Wednesday, 6 March 2013, 10:41 am | Gordon Campbell
The double standard on how we treat tax avoidance (leniently) as opposed to how we treat welfare fraud (very harshly) came under the spotlight again yesterday. The good news is that our courts seem to be cracking down on the tax avoidance problem, ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on UN hypocrisy towards Richard Prosser
Tuesday, 5 March 2013, 11:16 am | Gordon Campbell
The United Nations committee on the elimination of racial discrimination described Prosser's comments as "inflammatory" and urged a stronger line from the Government. More >>
Gordon Campbell on what John Key's trip to Latin America
Monday, 4 March 2013, 11:51 am | Gordon Campbell
Let's hope Prime Minister John Key looks and listens during this week’s overseas trip to Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Brazil. There’s so much he could learn. In Brazil, Key could benefit from seeing the steps this economic powerhouse is taking ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on the latest spasm of welfare bashing
Thursday, 21 February 2013, 9:56 am | Gordon Campbell
Just over a week ago in the United Kingdom, the Guardian ran an article entitled “Welfare fraud is a drop in the ocean compared to tax avoidance.” Pretty self explanatory title. The article points out that while people in the UK believe welfare ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on the Audit Office report on SkyCity deal
Wednesday, 20 February 2013, 10:21 am | Gordon Campbell
This is how we do political business in New Zealand. First, Prime Minister John Key told the relevant officials to stop their scoping process for a convention centre in Auckland because a “broad awareness” had arisen in his mind that SkyCity had ... More >>
Gordon Campbell: schools closures, Afghanistan and Hollywood
Tuesday, 19 February 2013, 9:32 am | Gordon Campbell
Isn’t it time we closed down Education Minister Hekia Parata, or at least merged her with Anne Tolley and cut our losses? The timing, speed and substance of yesterday’s interim decisions about school closures were all dubious. More >>
Gordon Campbell on Richard Prosser, and West Papua
Wednesday, 13 February 2013, 11:22 am | Gordon Campbell
Richard Prosser has been slammed for his racism by everyone except his leader. Normally, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is anxiously hyper-sensitive about what the rest of the world might think if, for instance, New Zealand is seen as ‘soft’ ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on the politics of Papal selection
Tuesday, 12 February 2013, 9:44 am | Gordon Campbell
The very public physical deterioration of his predecessor John Paul II during his final years may well have been a factor in Benedict XVI‘s shock decision to resign. Certainly, the steely temperament and intellectual prowess of the former Cardinal ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on Key’s offer to take in Aussie boat people
Monday, 11 February 2013, 10:01 am | Gordon Campbell
In the past, successive Labour and National led governments have been happy to use the poisonous term “ queue jumping” to describe people trying to exercise their UN Refugee Convention-based right to reach these shores and claim political asylum. More >>
Gordon Campbell on Steven Joyce in Wonderland, and drones
Friday, 8 February 2013, 10:48 am | Gordon Campbell
Lewis Carroll would have had a fine old time with our job figures, and the anxious debate that has broken out about them. Unemployment is down – that sounds good! – but that’s only because so many have given up hope, which sounds rather bad. More >>
Gordon Campbell on income inequality, and Tunisia
Thursday, 7 February 2013, 10:08 am | Gordon Campbell
The social evils of laissez-faire economics continue to mount, with the shortage of affordable housing kicking off the political cycle this year. The rise in income inequality – and related squeezing of the middle class in New Zealand – is now ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on Julia Gillard, and a Holmes footnote
Tuesday, 5 February 2013, 11:55 am | Gordon Campbell
Australian leader Julia Gillard is one of those politicians who performs best when her back is against the wall – as she was in January when she gave her celebrated attack on sexism - and she could hardly be in a tougher fight than she is right now. More >>
Gordon Campbell on Jonathan Coleman's defence debacle
Thursday, 31 January 2013, 11:04 am | Gordon Campbell
Like one of those inept British generals in World War One, Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman is more than willing to declare defeat as victory, ignore the carnage – that’s old news! - and move on to the next debacle. More >>
Gordon Campbell on the major party political speeches
Monday, 28 January 2013, 10:52 am | Gordon Campbell
As one would expect at the outset of the political year, the recent trio of ‘state of the nation’ addresses have been more about impression management than policy detail. Well aware that his government is increasingly seen as being mere tinkerers ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on Greens housing proposals & Pita Sharples
Friday, 25 January 2013, 11:06 am | Gordon Campbell
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 aims to respond to the country’s pressing social needs. Labour for its part, has ambitiously promised ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on the Cabinet reshuffle
Wednesday, 23 January 2013, 10:01 am | Gordon Campbell
There are not many problems in life where “Bring back Nick Smith!” seems like an ideal solution. Nor will the public be inclined to think that keeping Hekia Parata on a Ministerial salary is a very wise use of the scarce resources in Education. ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on the crisis in affordable housing
Tuesday, 22 January 2013, 10:35 am | Gordon Campbell
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 frankly conveyed the enormity of the problem. Our housing prices are inflated, that our building costs ... More >>
