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.
Economy
class war
International Labour Organisation on Austerity
An International Labour Organisation (ILO) report warns that austerity measured are an international threat to jobs and growth.
Andrew Little on Pike River
The fifth anniversary of the Pike River disaster has just occurred. This post records some comments made by Andrew Little on his recollection of the day after.
NRT: Urgency for abuse
I/S at No Right Turn: “The House has just gone into urgency for two key (for the government) bills – the first to punish retroactively people who have already been punished, the second to steal from the poor.”
Power Corruption and Lies
A National List MP has been snapped trying to heavy the Housing Ministry into funding a lift in her personal profile. Remember John Key’s ‘higher standards in Government’? Nick Smith’s Ministerial office apparently doesn’t care too much about about such trifles. Worse, the Housing Ministry has been caught trying to cover up for the Tories by redacting an OIA request. Here’s your Brighter Future, folks. Enjoy.
There is Hope.
Anarchism, past and present.
Inequality is a choice
Inequality is a choice. It isn’t a choice made by individuals, it is a choice made by governments. Check out Joseph Stiglitz’s new book Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy: An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity.
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.
Useless on unemployment
“Less debt more jobs” says National’s billboard. Instead we good the opposite. With extra helpings of icing on this Cake of Fail.
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.
Food Bank Charity
Guest post from Kōrero Pono on the politics and ethics of food banks.
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.
The equal pay initiative
After twice killing off pay equity legislation (2009, 1990), National have been forced to confront the issue again.
Lucky Labour – disgraceful Speaker
Three of the four member’s bills drawn yesterday were sponsored by Labour leaders. What followed was one of the most disgusting maneuvers ever pulled by this government, justifying the headline – Nats play politics while Kiwi kids die in homes.
Cancer patients and punitive policies
We need a welfare system that acknowledges the realities of cancer and other major medical conditions. That isn’t “special treatment”, it is basic human decency.
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…
Unions good for society and economy
Great post on the UK based NEF Blog: Don’t be fooled, dismantling the rights of workers is not good for you, or for the economy.
Climate and Trade
The proposed TPP is a protection racket – not a trade deal.
WINZ dysfunctional
I guess it’s not exactly news that WINZ is dysfunctional, but its interesting to have some actual data on one of the symptoms. Bonus feature – one of the Nats’ worst excuses ever.
The problem is child poverty not CYF
The Rebstock Panel inquiry could be read to confirm that Child Youth and Family is unable to perform its job properly because of it is not properly resourced to provide the job. But it is clear that National is loathe to provide it with any more resources. And the elephant in the room is that the Government fails to understand that escalating child poverty is the cause the crisis.
Pope Francis speaks
Pope Francis has given two important speeches recently.
The strip mining of Housing Corp is accelerated
Not only is Housing Corp planning to pay a $118 million dividend to the Crown this year but hidden away in its accounts is the payment of a further capital contribution of $336 million. Talk about strip mining …
NRT: The Great WINZ ripoff
I/S at No Right Turn on the WINZ underpayment fiasco.
This Government’s priorities
In recent news it has been stated that the Government has let Serco off fines totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars while at the same time it is sneaking through retrospective changes to the law to deny thousands of beneficiaries money they are otherwise entitled to.
Making Like Private Frazer
Political awakenings.
Anti TPP ad (Australian)
An Australian TV ad on the downsides of the TPP – “We just received word that Channel 9 banned our new TV ad from airing during the evening news”
Market forces
Rosemary Macleod on the flag and market forces. Danyl Mclauchlan on the refugee disaster, market forces, and Key. Is this our New Zealand?
2.1 Times More Likely to get a pay rise…
If you still wonder WHY anyone would want to join a union, the fact that union members are 2.1 x more likely to get a pay rise might make you wade through the anti-union propaganda. Some unions escape scorn, like the Police Union which is referred to as an Association. It’s probably an oversight though, not anything deliberate…
Imagine if National had not sold the shares in our companies 2015 version
The latest financial reports for the privatised companies suggests that the New Zealand Government has lost in the past twelve months $470 million in dividends it would have received had it held onto the shares.
Tom Scott on housing
Guest post: How the left should respond to financial crises
In a guest post Ad suggests that in this time of crisis the left should set out a plan for handling the crisis, rather than hoping that a new order will emerge.
Those abused in state care deserve apology
The report of the Confidential Listening and Assistance Service highlights a shameful chapter in NZ history. What possible reason could there be for the government not to apologise directly to the victims?
Serco has yet more explaining to do
New allegations that at least one Serco prison guard was active involved in Mt Eden’s “fight club”. In some ways the public mess that Serco has made of Mt Eden has done us all a favour
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.
Health and safety categories – ludicrous and venal
A small sample of the reaction to National’s “health” and “safety” nonsense.