Massive changes to employment legislation announced today
The changes announced today to employment law represent the most serious attack on the rights of working people to a fair go since […]
Economy
Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Meanwhile: US, intellectual property, GCSB
In his meetings with Ian Fletcher, Key’s main aims and activities are hidden in plain sight. They connect with US-led initiatives around digital copyright, intellectual property and commerce. Recently there have been some worrying developments in the bigger picture: GCSB, ACTA, TPPA, SOPA, CISPA.
‘That politician got amnesia again’
Today’s anonymous Dominion Post editorial points to the beginning of John Key’s fall from grace. It centres on Key’s personal qualities, continues to support the MSM’s support of personality politics, glosses over the serious issues masked by Key’s (alleged) amnesia, and uses a false equivalence with Helen Clark.
Two videos & a documentary
A Jackson PR video promoting NZ scenery as a beautiful backdrop for the Hobbit & tourism; a Campbell Live video on a Dannevirke protest against Big Oil exploiting their area; an anti-fracking Canadian team filming in NZ.
Monbiot on our misplaced faith in “the market”
Relevant in so many ways to current events in NZ, here are extracts from an excellent article by George Monbiot. Read the full piece in The Guardian or at monbiot.com.
Communicating policy
Fletcher-Key meetings: networks of influence
There were a number of meetings between Key and Ian Fletcher prior to Fletcher’s appointment as GCSB boss. Key tried to cover up his cronyism, and preoccupation with undemocratic shifts in the government’s control of the GCSB, and its focus on intellectual property & commerce.
Random thoughts on NZ Power
I’m not surprised that the finance crew are so upset about the gently social democratic policy that is NZ Power (the latest stupid claim is that it’ll mean higher mortgages). But what is surprising is the way in which they’ve made it very clear that they believe the economy should be geared toward the wealthy elite
Axe-grinders of the world unite…
Brokers and analysts, you’ve nothing to lose but your fees. (although there’s already been $200million from the taxpayer). Now Steven Joyce has turned to the axe-grinders for support. There couldn’t be a clearer indication that Joyce and National are on the side of investors with money to burn, while Labour and the Greens with are on the side of the consumers who worry about turning on the heater.
Homes for all (1945)
The film, Housing in New Zealand (1945) on youtube, shows how the Public Works Department built state houses for all who needed them. The authorities seemed Brit-defined, supply of resources & land seemed unlimited. But can we fulfill 21st century needs with similar political will?!
Economic sabotage
Which is really the party of “economic sabotage”?
Loss of wealth? No, a redistribution of wealth
Eddie explored yesterday who stands to lose from falling asset values in electricity companies resulting from lower power prices. The answer: the Crown and foreign investors. Now, JBWere has estimated those book value losses at up tp $1.4b for Contact and Trustpower, meaning $4b all up. But, despite the cries from the Right, that doesn’t mean wealth is being lost, it’s moving.
Meanwhile, in the real world…
So, John Key, Bill English, and Steven Joyce are now devoting all their energy into trying to stop the asset sales programme collapsing after the Greens and Labour gave notice the excessive profits are going to end, and National confirmed they’re for real by suspending the sale. While the government’s wasting its effort on that, real families are suffering.
Power profits and the consumer
New Zealand’s energy pricing over the last twenty years was thoroughly canvassed by Dr Geoff Bertram last year in a paper presented to the Fabian Society as part of its “Light-handed Regulation” series. In the light of the Labour/Greens’ announcement last week about NZ Power his paper is well worth a read.
MRP share offer suspended til tomorrow
The government announced about an hour ago, that it has suspended the share offer for Mighty River Power until tomorrow, while it devises a supplementary disclosure in the light of the Labour-Green NZ Power policy.
National Day of Action vs Asset Sales: Sat 27 April
Aotearoa is Not for Sale is counting down to the National Day of Action this Saturday 27 April. Some people have explained why they will be joining the Day of Action on Saturday. Why do you support action against asset sales? What are the alternatives? [Updated: details of actions around NZ]
Space and density: Auckland Unitary Plan
The draft Auckland Unitary Plan is massive and complex. The Auckland Transport Blog helps in untangling issues around intensification vs sprawl. The government & some right wing councillors want sprawl & to delay implementation. The Akl Council website has some cool videos visualising the planned developments. And social housing?
Nats still at panic-stations over NZ Power
Can there be a greater sign of the threat that National sees in NZ Power than the fact they have put out 5 press releases condemning it in 4 days? I bet Key spends his Monday media round attacking it too. National knows they’re on to a hiding – they’re defending excessive profits over lower power prices for people. But they’re ideological bound to reject the solution.
Whose interests are the Nats working for?
Why are National and the Right pitching a fit at the prospect of the Crown and foreign institutions losing superprofits when that’s the price of households and businesses getting lower power prices? Real businesses are looking forward to paying less for power but National says ‘stuff them, we’re looking out for the Crown’s stealth tax and Origin Energy’s profits’.
It’s Not Enough To Be Nice
Being a good employer takes a collective effort. Being nice, inquiring about the kids and genuinely taking an interest in your employees is […]
The “socialist” vs capitalist PR war: NZ Power
The Key government and its allies are playing the “red scare” gambit, the Greens get to the heart of the reason for NZ Power, Parker goes Third Way, while Bernard Hickey and Matt McCarten weigh in to support the (alleged) “socialist” NZ Power policy. Bomber Bradbury adds some words of caution. [updated title]
Plunket on NZ Power
Sean Plunket’s piece on NZ Power wasn’t quite what I expected. After invoking the usual grim vision of the 1970s (although I swear I detected a slight wistful nostalgia) he breaks out the following conclusion…
Rentiers on notice
The Green/Labour NZ Power announcement is a clear warning to the owners of electricity companies that their days of rentier profits are coming to an end. Joyce cries for the declining value of their shares but that fall tells us that the market thinks Labour and the Greens will govern, NZ Power will work, and it will knock hundreds of millions off power bills.
Reaction to NZ power
The Labour / Green electricity proposals picked up very significant support from Vector CEO Simon Mackenzie. Other analysts and commentators have weighed in with support, while some of the reaction from the business community has been (like the Nats) bordering on the unhinged.
Poverty Watch – Special edition on fuel poverty
Given the drama surrounding the Labour / Green electricity policy it seems appropriate for this week’s Poverty Watch to explore the topic of fuel poverty in NZ. It’s a killer, and it’s long past time that something was done.
Do the lights ever go out on Planet Key?
John Key says that the Labour-Green Power policy is “barking mad” and will take people back to the power cuts of the 1970s. Another John Key brainfade, or just being “clueless”? I look at power cuts and fuel poverty since the 1990s.
Friday afternoon graph porn
The buck stops with the directors: Pike River
Pike River found guilty of breaches of health and safety, leading to the death of of 29 miners. The CTU is calling for law changes to make company directors responsible for their company’s negligence. And the NZ MSM coverage of the catastrophe immediately after it happened?
Westpac workers fed up with pushing debt
Bank profits are up again. A 10 per cent increase over the past three months it was announced yesterday. What we don’t often […]
Stealth Taxers
National, far from being their idealised “low tax party” are in fact the “stealth tax party”. While they’ve lowered the top rate of tax and the company rate, helping out the wealthiest, there has been regressive tax after regressive tax increase on the smaller hidden things.
Nats panicking on NZ Power
National’s reaction to the Labour/Greens NZ Power announcement was telling. They panicked. There was no genuine critique, just ‘won’t someone think of the shareholders’. The funniest bit was when National tried to say that it is a North Korean idea. In truth, it’s South Korea that has a Single Buyer like NZ Power. And their power prices have fallen while ours have risen.
NZ Power and the next step
The NZ Power policy is the most significant break from the neoliberal political consensus we’ve seen for a long time.
Which is why it’s likely to draw a lot of fire from the elite. Let make sure there’s a lot of push back.
The disconnected: the future of the left?
The current direction of Key’s government, and the challenging circumstances of the 21st century create a need for urgent attention to the form of a new left politics; one that embraces the working class, trade union solidarity, gender, diversity & the emerging “precariat”.
NZ Power
At noon today Labour and the Greens jointly announced new energy policies. “NZ Power” is big and it’s bold. It will completely restructure the way the electricity sector is run, and result in lower power prices for both domestic and business consumers.
Tough on tax cheats?
This government is tough on welfare cheats and soft on tax cheats, and they shouldn’t bother trying to pretend otherwise.
Mondayisation Bill passes
As expected David Clark’s private member’s bill to “Mondayise” holidays passed its final reading this evening. The vote was 61 to 60 with National and ACT voting against.