Gordon Campbell on the government’s tolerance of white collar crime

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

This government takes a crush 'em and crate 'em approach to crime – unless that is, the offender happens to be wearing a tie. In which case, judging by the Ministry of Economic Development discussion paper on business cartels released yesterday, we need to be very, very worried ...

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Gordon Campbell on the SAS in Kabul, and the media’s duty to report on their actions

Monday, January 25th, 2010

The saga of media coverage of the SAS in Afghanistan took another turn on the weekend with National MP Eric Roy bizarrely blaming Helen Clark for the ‘ degeneration’ in media coverage of our special forces. According to Roy, Clark triggered the whole unraveling of media secrecy by publicly acknowledging ...

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On the ‘Three Strikes’ Policy and the SAS in Kabul

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Click to enlarge In the Book of Leviticus, God takes a no nonsense, zero tolerance approach to offending. Curse your parents, or let your child worship Moloch and the punishment is death without appeal or opportunity for parole. Adultery = stoning. Homosexuality = death. Have sex with an animal and you ...

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On the monarchy, and Keith Locke’s mechanism for replacing it

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Click for big version Prince William And The Governor General Anand Satyanand. Photography by Woolf – www.woolf.co.nz Flexibility is an essential feature of the modern monarchy. How ironic that Prince William, as the Queen’s emissary, should be chosen to open the new Supreme Court in Wellington this morning, a building that embodies New ...

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On whether people should be able to burn the flag at Anzac Day

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Click to enlarge Any masochist who wants to feel depressed about the state of the New Zealand judiciary needs only to turn to Justice Terence Arnold’s recent majority decision in the Court of Appeal – and read through his rationale for dismissing the Valerie Morse appeal against her conviction for burning ...

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On how The Lovely Bones affects the credibility of Peter Jackson’s Film Commission review, and on other bombs

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Click for big version More Images from The Lovely Bones premiere in Wellington. Co-incidentally, just as Arts Minister Chris Finlayson readies himself to release Peter Jackson’s review of the Film Commission, Jackson’s own film The Lovely Bones will be going through its own trial by fire. Finlayson is due back at ...

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