Laundering earnings vs laundering money
When a corporation launders its earnings in a tax haven, it is completely upfront about where the money came from and who it belongs to, which differentiates the activity from “money laundering.”
Colonial Viper
Logging truck roll overs meeting: Otaika Valley Hall tomorrow night!
A fully laden logging truck tears up the road like thousands of cars. And when they keep rolling over around the corner, locals get very nervous and upset for themselves and their kids.
Arise, Sir Lynton
Lynton Crosby on his knees receiving a knighthood for services to conservative politics. To me, this really signals who is running the show, who is still running the show, and what their values are.
Trump 41%, Clinton 39%
A US-wide poll shows Trump leading Clinton 41% to 39%. The poll was taken before Trump won the nomination. His numbers will have strengthened now.
Global poverty. Global oligarchy.
The west continues to hold a lock on global wealth. Africa and India remain desperately poor. China has built a burgeoning working class and middle class.
Oliver Stone backs Sanders; attacks pro-war Clinton
Oliver Stone says that the fascism and corruption of big money has poisoned US politics. And Hilary Clinton has embraced it.
Global elite plan their escape from “pleb masses”
So, Key has now come out and revealed to us how afraid the global oligarch class (and their well paid professional enablers) are. They appear to have no plans to reverse their activites to make things better for us.
Putin’s “surprise” partial withdrawal from Syria
Russia is pulling out a large part of its forces in Syria. Is this a sign of Putin’s success – or a retreat that gives evidence to Putin and Russia’s weakness?
Preliminary RM results: NZF jumps to 9%
New Zealand First rises 3% to 9% in the latest RM, for their best RM result in the last year or two.
Compare and contrast: Little vs Corbyn on immigration
Andrew Little says that NZ should restrict foreigners working as chefs [Update: Not exactly, no]. Jeremy Corbyn says the focus of government should be on health and schools, not restricting immigrants.
Could National lose Whangarei?
National are nervous about losing the safe electorate seat of Whangarei. Something tells me that the NATs will be fighting back hard come 2017.
Who is ultimately responsible for NZ’s massive dairy farm debt?
People talk of excessive borrowing in the dairy sector. Of course, the real problem is that of excessive lending.
JMG: The Decline and Fall of Hillary Clinton
As with Corbyn, and as with Syriza, the US oligarchy is now finding out that ordinary people are refusing to buy into the status quo regardless of how much big money spin is being spun.
the Global Death Economy
A new edition of “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” has been released. It makes it clear that we are in the grip of a global “Death Economy” and a collective embrace of ‘Thanatos’, the death instinct.
Turkey is in trouble and the US is part of it
The Middle East temperature is heating up and Turkey is finding itself in trouble on many fronts.
What poverty?: Emirates declares 1st Class a success
Looks like the top 1% and the cashed up asset rich are doing just fine. The rest of you, work harder.
Business as Usual
Danyl McLauchlan at the Dim-Post remarks that the Opposition continues to be unable to get voters to question the Key Government or to even consider the alternative that they are presenting.
General Lord Dannatt: UK should work with Assad in Syria
Russia understands how to defeat ISIS and the UK should be helping not opposing them, says a former UK Army chief of staff.
Roy Morgan: NAT 48.5% (up 1.5%), LAB/GR 41.5% (unch)
NZ is heading in the right direction, say 56.5% of NZ electors (down 3%).
Afghanistan – a forgotten war
More than a decade after the Taliban Government was ‘regime changed’ by the west, the Taliban are resurgent and Afghan civilian deaths are as high as ever.
Syria escalating
Turkey has started shelling the US backed Kurdish forces that are fighting against ISIS. What could go wrong?
So, how would you spend $1.2B per year?
A Kiwi Kids allowance for all under fives, with totally fee free public primary and secondary schools.
Collision course Syria
Russia is backing anti-Islamist Kurds in Northern Syria to control their own territory, and acting directly against the interests of the jihadist groups that Turkey, a NATO member, is supporting. The temperature will only rise from here.
As we bind ourselves with the TPP, so other countries will fill the need
Reeling from tough produce sanctions, Russia will pursue a strategy as the world’s largest supplier of ‘ecologically clean’ food. And where is NZ?
International law and the Turkish shootdown of the RuAF Su-24
Assuming the Russian jet did enter Turkish airspace for 17s, was there really no recourse for Turkey other than using lethal force?
ABP Branch of Labour goes into recess; all Branch Officers to resign
Dunedin’s most active and most innovative Labour Party branch is going into recess.
The future is not going to be an Ecotopia
The way to keep people occupied during this period of “Pretend and Extend” is to keep a steady stream of establishment fairytales (and horror stories) flowing.
Roy Morgan says…National governs alone, again.
National on 49%, GR + LAB 41.5%. Government confidence rating up 9.5 to 131.5.
Bottom lines weaker than tissue paper
Today, Labour showed the commercial world that its non-negotiable “bottom lines” are actually very negotiable, and even disposable.
The (gradual?) decline of American empire
Col. Lawrence Wilkerson was Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. And he says that the American empire is in decline.
70 refugees dead in small truck on Austrian roadside
When European and NATO countries participate in destabilising and destroying nearby countries, the human tragedy doesn’t stay neatly confined to the other side of the border.
“Wall St braces for a brutal open after China rout”
Wall St opens for trading in a few hours. When websites like MarketWatch start headlining using words like “brutal”, “rout”, “panics” and “carnage” you know it’s time to grab the popcorn and buckle in for what might potentially (and finally) be the start of GFC 2 proper.
Hard left Corbyn receives public backing from 41 leading economists
Jeremy Corbyn announces the potential renationalisation of privatised state assets, with minimal compensation. While 41 leading economists back his anti-austerity stance. This is what left wing leadership and courage looks like.
Rob Salmond’s argument – too simplistic and wrong in its assumptions
As Mike Smith’s post last night relates, Rob Salmond makes the case that a properly left wing Labour Party is always going to lose. Screw that. More like a Tory Labour doesn’t deserve to win.
July 2015 the warmest month ever
July was hot hot hot. Meanwhile, let’s keep focussing on economic growth and more exports (and not making the middle classes too nervous that life is going to change radically, one way or another).
New Roy Morgan: National 50.5% vs LAB/GR 38%
National is at 50.5%. LAB/GR down 7% to 38%. The Opposition is still struggling to gain positive traction with the voting public.