Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Written By: - Date published: 7:53 am, January 28th, 2014 - 197 comments
Following David Cunliffe’s announcement of Best Start New Zealand’s right wing took it upon themselves to show how useless and venal they are. It started with Jordon “the new Cameron Slater” Williams and the National front group Taxpayers’ Union’s eviscerating attack on “Middleclass Welfare” (honestly guys that line’s so 2007) only to blame it on” “Labour […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, January 27th, 2014 - 53 comments
Metiria Turei delivered a very strong, inspiring, and well-targeted speech yesterday. She reclaimed fractured values of inclusive, collaborative communities. She framed inequality as the issue for the coming election; the Greens’ education hub policy central. Labour, NZEI responded favourably.
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, January 26th, 2014 - 207 comments
There has been an abundance of research showing that communities and societies function better when their resources are shared around. But the need to persuade ordinary people that this is so is the most important thing to achieve. Because without popular support attempts to change the current system are bound to fail.
Written By: - Date published: 7:19 pm, January 25th, 2014 - 40 comments
John Key seems to be trying to fudge the evidence of the damaging inequalities in NZ. I recap Bunji’s 2010 series of posts on The Spirit Level showing the benefits of a more equal society. Will this be addressed by Cunliffe and Turei this long weekend?
Written By: - Date published: 12:46 pm, January 25th, 2014 - 68 comments
However, a UBI is a change in distribution of incomes, not an increase in the size of Government.
Progressive taxation is the price of living in a well resourced, pleasant, and cohesive society.
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, January 25th, 2014 - 29 comments
The NZ Logger magazine has published attack after attack on us since about August of last year. You have to read them to believe them. Industry players and Editorials suggesting we are the problem in forestry safety! One even suggested UNIONS were exploiting workers in the industry through our safety campaign. I contacted the Editor to ask for a right of reply. It was written with minor changes and expected to appear this month. Now they won’t run it…. Have a look at it yourself.
Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, January 25th, 2014 - 49 comments
It would suit the right-wing of politics to ignore the profound impact of poverty on education. Nat blogger DPF ran the line just yesterday. His bombastic and ignorant conclusion is based on a trivially superficial reading of Hattie’s work.
Written By: - Date published: 7:41 pm, January 24th, 2014 - 12 comments
A video by Auckland Action Against Poverty is a record of their work and achievements. Narrated by Sue Bradford, it’s must see viewing for anyone interested in actions against poverty, grassroots campaigning, networking and direct action. Very impressive!
Written By: - Date published: 1:31 pm, January 24th, 2014 - 61 comments
John Key was careful in his speech. He and his government have helped themselves and their affluent mates while screwing everyone else. It is pretty clear who has been getting the benefits – since 2010 just the households with at least a hundred thousand dollars income. The bigger the household income, the more National helps. John Key – a liar with numbers.
Written By: - Date published: 1:08 pm, January 24th, 2014 - 13 comments
The Crown Financial Statements to the end of November 2013 show that the sale of Meridian and Air New Zealand added hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of the asset sales programme. Combined with the cost of the Mighty River Power sale and ancillary costs such as the Rio Tinto payout, the total cost of the asset sales now stands at $440m. National just likes burning the money of the taxpayers for no productive purpose.
Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, January 24th, 2014 - 60 comments
John Key presented one great idea in isolation instead of a full election agenda: a desperate attempt to stop the growing discontents with his government. He failed to address underlying problems. Cunliffe will outline a broader political agenda. Turei addresses poverty & income inequalities.
Written By: - Date published: 8:50 pm, January 23rd, 2014 - 169 comments
A response to recent exchanges between Pablo (on Kiwipolitico) & Chris Trotter. I agree and I don’t. I argue that Pablo’s Marxism needs some updating to include the politics of various kinds of oppression & the intertwining of and interaction between cultural “superstructure” & “economic base”.
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, January 23rd, 2014 - 97 comments
[Updated] Speeches: Key (today ZB Transcript). PM’s speech – untruths, misdirections & corporatisation of education – comment added. Cunliffe on Monday, on greater opportunities for all Kiwis. Metiria Turei’s speech, Sunday – will talk education, environment. Peters responds to Key. Greens response – education. Cunliffe’s Stand-up – audio.
Written By: - Date published: 9:34 am, January 23rd, 2014 - 91 comments
Deep sea oil drilling is in the news. Labour’s position is to require increased environmental standards and drillers would have to display an effective ability to clean up any disasters. The Greens would prefer to leave the oil in the ground. If there is a change of Government this year resolving this issue will pose a fascinating test of the parties.
Written By: - Date published: 2:15 pm, January 22nd, 2014 - 35 comments
Income equality is one measure that can be used to indicate the equality of a society. Flip has analysed the 2011 income distribution and show how a UBI (Universal Basic Income) can create greater income equality.
Written By: - Date published: 10:51 am, January 22nd, 2014 - 31 comments
No Right Turn writes on the Oxfam report about the deliberate concentration of wealth by subverting the political process towards the inequality levels displayed in the movie Elysium. Today’s shock statistic: the 85 richest people in the world control as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion of us.
Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, January 22nd, 2014 - 33 comments
Paula Bennett’s punitive welfare reforms are bad enough (pressuring people into unsuitable work, or off benefits without alternative support); then there’s privatising the scheme by outsourcing enforced work placement to private companies – worse still, to overseas corporates. Devaluing & dehumanising people, communities, & nurturing activities. [Update: APM conflicts of interest]
Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, January 22nd, 2014 - 106 comments
This post by polity certainly adds some grist to the debate on unconditional basic income (UBI) and kids. It looks at the example provided by the Cherokee in a natural quasi-experiment in North Carolina on how kids grow up. Being generous and acting early pays off.
Written By: - Date published: 11:43 am, January 21st, 2014 - 41 comments
Some say the economy often responds positively to “confidence”, while lack of it can result in some financial nose dives. But whose confidence is being highlighted in reports of NZ’ “rock star” economy? Not that of workers, beneficiaries – the precariat, say Labour, Greens.
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, January 20th, 2014 - 102 comments
The inhumane (un)affordability of housing in NZ, especially in the cities of Christchurch & Auckland, is beyond crisis point. The answer is not letting the “market” (aka the wealthy and powerful) decide. As Utah shows the solution is more state housing.
Written By: - Date published: 3:37 pm, January 17th, 2014 - 27 comments
Why a UBI?
Firstly. To overturn some paradigms:
That a great many people should lead poor and constricted lives, so a very few can be rich.
That ordinary people are disposable economic production units.
Written By: - Date published: 1:52 pm, January 17th, 2014 - 43 comments
Rob Salmond at Polity on the National Party’s use of public service videos for political ends.
Written By: - Date published: 11:27 am, January 16th, 2014 - 9 comments
Saturday afternoon. 1 O’Clock. Bandstand in Dunedin Botanic Gardens.
Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, January 16th, 2014 - 10 comments
Some MSM reports crow about positive economic indicators, & decreases in the time people spend on benefits. Such statistics fail to show inequalities, & struggles of people on low incomes. An Oxfam comparative international report on food security is not good news for NZ, or the world.
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, January 16th, 2014 - 30 comments
There seems to be a divide in kiwi farming at present. On one side those just after a quick buck based on dirtying the cheap resource of water held in common. On the other generational family farmers. The result is a classic tragedy of the commons problem that we will be paying to clean up for many generations.
Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, January 15th, 2014 - 15 comments
Rob Salmond at Polity has been having a look at Bill English’s “neutral” tax change in 2010…
Bill English recently heralded his tax switch as making net tax more progressive. He lied. It actually made net tax at least $500 million more regressive.
Written By: - Date published: 6:40 pm, January 14th, 2014 - 140 comments
I couldn’t give a rats arse about Jordan Williams and his new little Act campaigning vehicle against the State, but I do care about health and safety and the manner in which some of the media have run his latest little ruse against training health and safety representatives in the workplace is a disgrace. Judith Collins has used it as a cover to announce the end of worker health and safety training by unions beyond this year, leaving workers unable to access the powers under the Health and Safety Act to issue hazard notices and represent their workmates.
Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, January 14th, 2014 - 97 comments
The GDP measure fails to account for life sustaining activities outside paid employment. Women do the majority of such unpaid work. A gender blind approach to financial crises is socially and economically destructive. An alternative, cooperative social and economic model would attend to gender and other diversities.
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, January 13th, 2014 - 108 comments
The first results of Paula Bennett’s drug testing of beneficiaries has been released. Only 0.27% of the 8,000 beneficiaries required to be tested either failed or refused to take the test. The testing is a colossal waste of money but is performing an important political role by making the Government look like it is being tough on beneficiaries.
Written By: - Date published: 9:34 pm, January 12th, 2014 - 227 comments
Those growing up after the 80’s will find it hard to imagine the paradigm shift, that was the rise of Neo-liberalism, in the 80’s, in New Zealand. The colossal untested experiment, it really was, and the huge shift of wealth from the lower and middle classes to the richest of us.
Written By: - Date published: 6:47 pm, January 10th, 2014 - 16 comments
There’s a tussle going on as Obama pushes to seal the deal and to limit Congress’s say on TPPA deals. But, Congress would still have more say about the deals than NZ MPs. It’s about democracy & sovereignty. It could slip under the radar over summer.
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