The China Stockmarket crisis
Overnight there has been further turmoil on the Chinese Stock exchange with stocks plummeting 7% before trading was stopped. And things may only get worse when a 6 month ban on trading by major stock owners is lifted.
Economy
capitalism
John Key – the White Ribbon Ambassador
A comprehensive run through of behaviours and attitudes associated with a White Ribbon ambassador.
Guest Post: Employment and Unemployment
Incognito on the meaning of work and unemployment at a time of increasing change.
On the twelfth day of Christmas AFFCO gave two of its workers …
AFFCO clearly lacks any sense of a christmas spirit when dealing with its workers.
Child poverty has been monitored – now what?
A guest post from McFlock on what we might do about poverty when the talking’s done.
CERT: the partial privatisation of the GCSB
A public private organisation with the acronym CERT was announced this week along with the new cyber security strategy. CERT’s role is to provide information to government so it can protect against cyber threats. Which is one of the roles of the GCSB.
The mantra of ‘Poor Choices’
It is that time of year when poor people realise just how poor they really are – the season for giving, the season […]
John Key’s hedge fund mate behind Teach First (NZ)
Julian Robertston, a US billionaire who made his money with hedge fund Tiger Management, Merryl Lynch’s largest customer when John Key was working there, is the man behind privatisation trojan horse Teach First (NZ).
Rashbrooke on inequality
Max Rashbrooke has another excellent piece in The Guardian, on inequality and on the ways he has been attacked for his writings on this issue.
International Labour Organisation on Austerity
An International Labour Organisation (ILO) report warns that austerity measured are an international threat to jobs and growth.
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.
Hikoi for Homes.
Saturday in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Chris Trotter is on fire
“What differentiates the Left from the Right is the former’s fundamental rejection of the strongest human-beings’ proclivity to dominate, coerce and exploit the weakest. Without this proclivity, none of the economic and social systems elaborated by armed minorities throughout history could have endured.”
Indeed.
The third Industrial Revolution
The Paris climate change talks will force leaders to confront climate change and the threat of terrorism at the same time. Can they show the same determination to deal with the gradual but inevitable threat of climate change as they purport to show to deal with the immediate threat of terrorism.
Groser flips the bird to the Judiciary and NZ Laws
The Law? That’s not for Cabinet Members, the Law is for the lazy malcontents who don’t want to work hard.
Human Rights, Psychos and Opposition
New Zealand’s bloody awful parliamentary debacle.
Minister declined to comment…
Isn’t it amazing how many Ministers can’t wait to front up to the media when they are selling. But when it comes to after sale service they just don’t want to front?
Labour, identity, class and winning
The question of identity politics and Labour’s direction just never go away. But maybe we’re just thinking about it all wrong.
Poverty’s Beneficiaries.
While pondering this post, I was pointed to a post from last year, in which poverty and the cost of breakfast were on the agenda. Stephanie was writing in response to the ignorance of Nikki Kaye who claimed that giving affordable nutritious breakfast to children was easy. While I haven’t taken the time to read all of the comments on the subject, I thought Stephanie proved the point quite aptly that the reality is far different than the hypothetical world of poverty in which Nikki Kaye lives.
TPPA text released
The text of the TPPA has finally been released to the plebs – i.e. we the people. Too little too late.
Is this our brighter future?
This morning’s media has reports of increased domestic violence being reported by beneficiaries and an increase of the time and resources the police are having to put into helping the mentally unwell. And record profits earned by the Australian banks.
Muslim Gives Away Medal.
For some, winning isn’t just about grabbing the glory.
Food Bank Charity
Guest post from Kōrero Pono on the politics and ethics of food banks.
Sobriety
The video excerpt comes from the Yann Arthus-Bertrand film ‘Human’. It’s available to view on youtube.
How America is killing the middle class
A short film from AJ+ which clearly describes what has gone wrong in the US since the 1980s. The film is just as relevant for New Zealand.
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.
Oram on the TPP
Rod Oram’s Sunday Star-Times column, as made available on Facebook, is a level-headed evaluation of the TPP. He lists five points of concern…
Anat Shenker-Osorio on the creation of left metaphors
Communications Anat Shenker-Osorio has some simple messages for Labour in its quest for Government. The left’s strongest advantage is its care for people rather than the economy and the message that will resonate is a positive one emphasising the care of people and the environment.
Climate and Trade
The proposed TPP is a protection racket – not a trade deal.
TPP aims to kill filesharing
According to the EFF “The Final Leaked TPP Text is All That We Feared”…
Clinton opposes TPP
Associated Press: BREAKING: Hillary Clinton says she opposes Pacific Rim trade deal, breaking with Obama.
Gould on the TPP
Bryan Gould on the TPP: “…it is about managed, not free, trade – and trade that is managed in the interests of large, international, and mainly US corporations.”
TPP roundup
A roundup of the best analysis of and reaction to the TPP. The gains are minor and delayed, the losses are real. In NZ we don’t have any democratic input into ratification, but the US does, and the deal may fall there.
TPPA agreement reached
The TPPA has been agreed to. Dairy access improvement is minimal, there will be a cost hit on Pharmac and every industry but Tobacco will be able to access the investor state dispute resolution procedure.
Diesel Bomb
Last Friday I wrote a post on Volkwagen gaming NOx emissions. This is a follow up.
Campbell: The TPP dairy deal is done
Gordon Campbell (one of the last known practitioners of the dying art of journalism) claims that the TPP dairy deal is already done. He makes a convincing case.