Re-run: Benefits, wages and anger
The recent furore about benefit levels has brought a lot of comments along the lines of “I don’t get it why should they?” […]
Economy
capitalism
Neolibs’ great experiment in meltdown
With huge infusions of EU cash and deregulation that brought in foreign companies looking to make a quick buck, Ireland’s economy grew pretty […]
Why deny: the useful idiots
According to myth (it seems), Lenin called socialists in the West ‘useful idiots’ – people whose ideological fervour saw them accidentally aid the […]
Why deny: the lobby groups/polluters
This is the first in a three part series on the climate change denial industry. I’m trying to understand why there is such […]
Guaranteed minimum income + capital tax, the way forward?
Occasionally something in politics really surprises you. Like when I turned over to Campbell Live last night (I’d seen the Family Guy episode […]
Plutonomy
In Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story (which is excellent, btw) he refers to two 2005 Citigroup memos about ‘plutonomy’ economies and political […]
More jobs and pay bad – JPMorgan
I was sent a press release from financiers JPMorgan in Australia. There’s a line in it that reveals much about how the capitalist […]
McCarten on capitalism
Matt McCarten’s Herald column this week is a call for every working New Zealander to go and see Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love […]
The myth of upward mobility
Yesterday, we looked at what a vastly unfair and unequal system capitalism is. The control of the fruits of production by the few […]
Is this as good as it gets?
Most of the wealth in New Zealand is owned by a tiny fraction of the people because our political/economic system makes it that […]
NZ’s capitalists dream of absolute power
From Stuff: “Richlister Alan Gibbs will host former National Party leader Don Brash and ACT founder Sir Roger Douglas to discuss what they […]
Remember who they’re fighting for
This memo was sent by the Insurance Council to its members in 2005 but it may as well have been sent this week. […]
Big business demands to pillage state
Fran O’Sullivan runs up some more big business proposals today unsubtly reminding Key that big business, which put up the cash to get […]
Management: clueless
Saw this article on Stuff yesterday: Employers and employees have dramatically different opinions of why workers remain in their jobs, says research released […]
Govt tax advisor told Westpac how to cheat on taxes
John Shewan is a member of the Government’s Tax Working Group. A decade ago he was advising Westpac what minimal amount of tax […]
Key’s divide and rule to cut wages
John Key says that if school support staff want pay-rises then teachers should sacrifice the ones they bargained for. Tell him to get […]
Poor managers hurting NZ
What a sad state the management workforce of this country is in. Just think about these recent stories: Open Country, locking out their workers, […]
Why no punishment for Westpac?
You would have seen that Westpac was found to have undertaken the largest theft of tax money in New Zealand history. From 1998 […]
Dead peasant insurance
In case you needed reminding how completely deviod of morals and ethics unbridled capitalism is, meet dead peasant insurance. Here’s Mark Ames of […]
Capitalism: A Love Story
Just found the trailer on youtube. No word yet when it’s coming to New Zealand.
Crocodile tears from Crafars
I saw one of the Crafar brothers on the TV last night. Crying fake tears over calves that a whistle-blower had revealed were […]
Reverse Midas Touch
And so ends a great day’s trading under the erstwhile eye of Mr Key. Looks like they won’t be inviting John back to […]
Socialist America
The health care debate going on in America is a very serious debate, and who wins it has important implications for what kind […]
No pay freeze at the top
It seems the trend of rewarding company bosses with extravagant pay rises regardless of performance isn’t limited to Telecom’s $7 million man, Paul […]
No, I’ll pay, I insist
So trucking companies are unwilling to pay for the extra damage that 53 tonne trucks will do. Companies trying to privatise the gains and […]
Corporate bully-boys step it up a level
The Open Country Cheese dispute is underway. Workers are striking against the bosses’ attempts to casualise their hours and reduce their conditions. They […]
What next, Soylent Green?
The Wall Street financiers crapped out on their sub-prime gambles, inflicting economic devastation on the taxpayers who generously bailed-them out in return. Now, […]
Battlelines
We’re seeing a new pattern in work relations emerging. The big employers, emboldened by having their party in power and using the recession […]
Capitalism, it’s not a love-in
I find the Right’s assumption that the bosses are acting in some greater interest fascinating. There’s this unwillingness to believe that the bosses […]
Benefits, wages and anger
The recent furore about benefit levels has brought a lot of comments along the lines of ” I don’t get it why should […]
Break the Power of Money.
For some weeks our media has been distracted by various sideshows. Worth, Swineflu, Mt Albert, Flight 447 and of course David Bain, have […]
Zimbabwe leads the world
It seems that Zimbabwe is, after all, a world leader. Mugabe’s government which followed the IMF and World Bank’s neo liberal plan for their […]
American Dream
Capitalism losing its allure
The capitalist doctrine sure has taken a beating lately. Not only have its raw excesses created a global crash which shows no signs […]
Gordon Campbell states the obvious
Gordon Campbell has been having fun pointing the finger at Treasury in “How Treasury put us on the hook to finance companies“. Essentially […]
“We are all socialists now”
“We are all socialists now”, or so says the cover of the latest Newsweek. And to be fair, you’ve got to start wondering […]