Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
We don’t know how often John Key has met with Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir which developes cyber-intell systems like PRISM, & is now operating in NZ. Thiel’s involvement in NZ is extensive. He has been pursuing his “utopian” libertarian, cyber-focused agenda in NZ for a few years.
The NBR (motto: ‘our circulation’s falling at 12% per year’) and the Right blogs are all aflutter after supposedly proving that Russel Norman is wrong and there haven’t been 40,000 manufacturing jobs lost since 2008. NBR’s Rob Hosking claims the number is only 10,000-20,000. Because, you know, that would be OK. But the truth is, Norman’s right – 40,000 manufacturing job losses since June 2008.
There is nothing ‘moderate’ about pushing policy that increases the power of the powerful and reduces the power of those dependent on them for a living, says the EPMU’s Rachel Mackintosh.
National’s employment changes will drive wages down and increase insecurity and poverty in this country.
Similar neoliberal, corporate-friendly, beneficiary-bashing, anti-worker, anti-democratic & big-brotherish measures favoured by the US & UK governments have been adopted by Key’s government. Prism, Thin Thread and Kim Dotcom documents, show the GCSB & SIS need to be reigned in. How to ensure a fair, just & democratic society?
Matthew Hooton is spinning like mad to talk up the economy. Unfortunately his spin sometimes bends the truth beyond breaking point, and there were three examples of that yesterday.
The Nats’ attacks on workers rights and conditions started with the “fire at will” (90 day probation) Bill. No surprise to find pressure from employers to double the duration.
Two leakers (one a true whistleblower), are in the news right now, both focused on the US-led surveillance society, operating in the interests of corporate power. And today, in relation to this, 2 journalists show the importance of the fourth estate to democracy. Kim Hill & Glenn Greenwald take a bow.
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week we take a detailed look at the government’s response to the report on poverty from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. The media reaction summarised last week is correct – the government response is a joke.
The NSA has direct access to servers at Google, Apple, Facebook, and other Internet giants, and they collect pretty much whatever data they like. We shouldn’t be surprised. The Guardian has the story.
I/S at No Right Turn on deep water drilling off our coast line.
Dr Brent Layton of the Electricity Authority has produced a 28-page paper to refute the claims of Molly Melhuish, Dr Geoff Bertram and Bryan Leyland that “the Authority’s approach is a light-touch approach to regulating the electricity markets.” Layton says that forcing prices and asset values down will have a “chilling” effect on fearful investors. The ‘”chilling” metaphor is particularly inapt when used to defend wealth transfers from the poor to the rich.
Labour MP Darien Fenton has posted this on Red Alert.
(Socialist) feminism seems to be on the rise internationally, exposing how threats to “old boys” corporate-aligned power are countered by policing women’s bodies. Sue Bradford highlights the contradiction between Owen Glenn’s paternalistic corporate capitalism and the feminist-aligned participants in his Inquiry. Jan Logie addresses the gender pay gap.
I was impressed by Phil Twyford’s analysis of the Government’s housing policies announced in the budget. I thought his best point was that only this Government could announce a housing affordability policy with the eviction of 3000 state housing tenants as its centre piece!
Both sides of the political spectrum will draw some comfort from the recent OECD report on our economy, but overall the report is much better aligned with Labour / Green policy.
The polls are in. Despite an unprecendented assault by the capitalist forces to protect the profits of the electricity companies, the people want change, they want lower power prices. A TVNZ poll shows 57% of people support for the Labour/Green NZ Power plan, while the TV3 poll shows 54% support. So, keep on howling, Righties. Keep putting profit before people.
Recently closed Christchurch schools, which according to the Nats don’t have the student base and/or are too quake damaged to keep running, are going to be sold off for purposes including – charter schools.
A Fairfax poll shows an NZ divided by income inequalities & political allegiances. Little unemployment for National voters & more for opposition voters: a precariat with a high proportion of Maori & Pacific people. The right time for Russel Norman’s speech and blockupy?
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week we look a the reaction to the government’s response to the report on poverty from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.
Yesterday in Question Time, Green MP Holly Walker challenged to government’s anti-democratic rush to enable the government to over-ride local councils on housing. Today Russel Norman challenges the Key government’s anti-democratic processes. This weekend there is a democratic Green Party conference.
Go check out a good post from Julie at The Hand Mirror – “A response to the Can’t Feed Don’t Breed Brigade”.
As Naomi Klein said in the Shock Doctrine documentary, disorienting natural and economic shocks result in the wealth being shifted from “public hands” to the wealthiest. The wealth gap, and extent of poverty in NZ is increasingly & devastatingly marginalising good Kiwis. Meanwhile, Peter Jackson is flying high.
“The Auckland that never was” in my view is the most interesting chapter in Chris Trotter’s “NO LEFT TURN”. It details the Ministry of Works’ post-war plan outlined in a document The Shape of Things to Come that was scrapped by the Sid Holland National party. Now we see history repeating itself. In what Labour accurately describes as a “War on Auckland” Key, Joyce and Brownlie are following in the footsteps of the much unloved Sid Holland.
Last night The Shock Doctrine (2009) aired on Maori TV. John Key, and his cheerleaders have followed their latest series of shock-inducing attacks on democratic processes and (low income) people’s rights, with positive forecasts for our future. Meanwhile, the gap between the haves & have-nots has grown.
The government’s expansion of the KickStart breakfast programme is better than nothing – but that’s about all you can say about it.
Priorities: $9.5 Million over 5 years to feed hungry kids – but in 2012 just 4 private schools got $10.9 Million.
Which is larger?
Answer to be revealed. Update: $9.5 Million.
The Nats have tried to do too much too soon, and now the wheels are obviously falling off their sad “flagship” privatisation programme.
John Key and David Shearer have made similar (inaccurate) statements about who has ultimate responsibility for feeding the kids.
John Key has been shamed by Hone Harawira’s “feed the kids” private members Bill. Key’s approach to child hunger is a sly use of Dickensian-type PPPs & charities to absolve the government of responsibility, while falsely presenting a caring face.
When even the notoriously right-wing NZ Herald Editorial is pleading for Meridian not to be sold (just now), you know that the government’s asset sell-down is in trouble.
But the Herald assumes that getting the best dollar possible is the plan here.
It’s not.
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has been quick to try and blame his own staff for the Chinese meat fiasco. But ultimately it is the fault of National and their war on the public service.
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week – a final look at the OCC report, and in current news an Amnesty International report cites child poverty as a stain on NZ’s human rights record.
A surveillance device, Thin Thread, was probably sent from the US to NZ’s GCSB in 2000-2001 for testing. ThinThread collects local meta data, and can pass it on to foreign agencies. This raises fresh calls for an inquiry into GCSB activities.
A recent survey of two thousand Kiwis show that a third cannot afford to heat their homes properly.
That’s a third of the population who are vulnerable to illness, whose children are at risk, and who are being left behind as the electricity companies continue their price gouging.
This is why we need NZ Power.
