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Gordon Campbell - Latest News [Page 86]
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 >>
Gordon Campbell on the subsidies for The Hobbit
Thursday, 17 January 2013, 5:04 pm | Gordon Campbell
It does have a familiar Winston Peters ring to it. Peters’ proposal earlier this week that Warners should repay its Hobbit subsidies taps into (a) a pre-existing vein of resentment in the guise of (b) upholding a principle that all but disintegrates ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on pay hikes for MPs, and year’s end
Friday, 21 December 2012, 12:29 pm | Gordon Campbell
At Christmas time, the thoughts of the Remuneration Authority are evidently not with the Child in the manger kind of stuff, but with the somewhat colder Biblical message of Mark 4.25: “To those that have shall more be given, and to those who have not, ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on the petrol price hike
Wednesday, 19 December 2012, 11:25 am | Gordon Campbell
One can only imagine the outcry if a centre left government could manage to meet its goals as economic managers – in this case, to get the country back in surplus by 2014/2015 – only by suddenly raising the petrol tax and by keeping ACC levies ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on the fallout from Bain compensation row
Friday, 14 December 2012, 11:49 am | Gordon Campbell
In essence, everyone in New Zealand falls into one of three camps on David Bain, and whether or not he should be paid compensation: (a) Those who believe him guilty of murdering his family and think he should not be paid any compensation; (b) Those ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on Judith Collins & Bain compensation report
Thursday, 13 December 2012, 10:49 am | Gordon Campbell
Presumably, we are only days away (at most) from learning the contents of the report on the David Bain compensation case prepared by the distinguished retired Canadian judge, Ian Binnie. Whatever the Binnie report says, nothing in it will change the ... More >>
Gordon Campbell: NZ’s embarrassing TPP overtures to the US
Monday, 10 December 2012, 3:56 pm | Gordon Campbell
New Zealand has been hosting the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks in Auckland for the past week, but you’d have to say things haven’t worked out quite as well as some had hoped. In fact, it has been a bit sad to watch, up close. More >>
Gordon Campbell on ‘political projectile vomiting’ about TPP
Tuesday, 4 December 2012, 3:39 pm | Gordon Campbell
Remember how the Key government has justified being so very, very secretive about the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) because goodness me, you don’t negotiate these things in public? Well, guess who has just been negotiating the TPP in public? More >>
Canada Weighs In - Peter Clark on the TPP
Monday, 3 December 2012, 9:13 am | Gordon Campbell
For a fresh perspective on the TPP, here is a comprehensive paper on the regional trade talks published late last week by Canadian trade specialist and trade lawyer Peter Clark, of the multinational legal firm Gray, Clark, Shih and Associates. Clark ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on the NZ Herald’s attack on Jane Kelsey
Thursday, 29 November 2012, 3:03 pm | Gordon Campbell
The best way of appreciating Fran O’Sullivan’s attack on Auckland University law professor Jane Kelsey in the NZ Herald yesterday is to read it aloud as if you’re actually Maggie Smith on Downton Abbey. In which case the general content of O’Sullivan’s ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on John Key, and The Hobbit
Tuesday, 27 November 2012, 10:09 am | Gordon Campbell
By now, we’ve come to recognize Prime Minister John Key’s typical response to bad news, which is to (a) claim the real figures aren’t in yet, so any verdict would be premature. A job loss spiral in manufacturing? Let’s wait and see what ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on Labour’s leadership vote
Tuesday, 20 November 2012, 10:07 am | Gordon Campbell
According to one of RNZ’s Morning Report hosts this morning, David Shearer “needs to stamp his authority” on the Labour caucus over the David Cunliffe affair. Well, when people feel the need to stamp their authority on something, it usually means ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on the Labour Party ructions
Monday, 19 November 2012, 9:56 am | Gordon Campbell
One of the credibility problems for the Labour Party is that the party membership is considerably to the left of both David Cunliffe and David Shearer. In that sense,Cunliffe’s articulate speeches earlier this year and Shearer’s heartfelt pitch to the party ... More >>
Gordon Campbell on Shearer, & intelligence agencies’ powers
Friday, 16 November 2012, 11:21 am | Gordon Campbell
The conference speech that David Shearer will deliver this weekend is shaping up as one of those Masterchef/New Zealand’s Got Talent events where the nation is sitting with his score cards on its lap, primed to give him a roasting. More >>
