Goldman Sachs. Global Inc?
What to make of yet another Goldman Sach’s appointee?
Economy
Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
$50,000 per Hobbit job
Government has a central role in job creation. Just ask National. They’ll tell you it’s not true, and then proudly proclaim that they got The Hobbit made here, creating 3,000 temporary jobs. According to the New York Times, the total cost of our government’s subsidies for The Hobbit is NZD$150m – $50,000 per short-term job.
Key smacked down on jobs failure
Dr Russel Norman: Does it not all boil down to the fact that whichever way you cut it, whichever statistics you care to choose, the Government has failed on jobs, unemployment has grown in New Zealand, and the number of jobs in the manufacturing sector has not grown; and is it not time he just admitted it and figured out what to do about it?
The Hobbit episode II… continues…
Today The Hobbit employment dispute is revived, exposing gaps between principle and practice. Jackson defends his role; some of Labour’s ABC club will attend the premier; John Key-speak weaves a contradictory path of populist nonsense, linking the movie, 100%Pure, 100% Middle-earth and Macdonald’s.
Local Bodies: Mike Joy, Traitor or Martyr?
Reprinted with permission from Local Bodies. See also the anonymous editorial in The Herald today – written no doubt by some genius who has never even looked at Dr Joy’s data, let alone understood its implications.
Sunday Reading
My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: politicians, economies, elections, feminism and climate change.
Poverty Watch 13
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, while National sits on its hands, Labour set out a policy that addresses poverty, housing and health…
Crays and Aussie Carrots
Damn, a kiwi recently moved to aussie explains what the attraction is and isn’t. Basically there is work there, the pay is better, and you can afford to eat out. But kiwi’s can take comfort that the food is crap – unless you go to a restaurant of course. Perhaps their politicians are better than their farmers.
Gender, politics & NZ LP conference 2012
The Labour Party are giving serious attention to the unacceptable gender inequalities in MP numbers and in pay. The Greens are leading in tackling the underlying masculine framework of politics and employment, and, along with Mana, unpaid work.
Signathon this weekend
This weekend a major nationwide collection drive aims to reach the signature target to force a citizens initiated referendum on asset sales. Can you help to collect signatures?
In other news: the failings of Key’s government
John Key’s crony-capitalist, neoliberal government is failing NZ on the environment, affordable housing, and a living wage. Mana and the Greens are leading the way on affordable housing and anti-poverty campaigns. The Greens still lead the way on pressing environmental issues.
In other news, selling NZ: TPP, Hobbit rulz …
John Key is steaming ahead in selling NZ. He is Obama’s wing-man to extend the TPP into the Asia-Pacific region. Meanwhile, the “Hobbit Law” is taking a heavy toll on many NZ actors. And there are claims that the Hobbit production has been harming animals.
1 in 6 Kiwis looking for work under National
A closer look at the Household Labourforce Survey reveals startling facts: in the four years since the ‘brighter future’ began, in which time […]
Changing Labour: significant issues
These are exciting days as the Labour Party becomes more democratic. In their reports on the Conference, the MSM are failing to focus on the important issues: ones requiring a new direction from the Left, such as damaging white collar fraud and the urgent need for affordable housing.
Polish that turd, John
John Key knows his economic failures are coming out in to the open, so he came to The Nation this morning expecting a fight. And he knew his lines well and it all sounded good. If you didn’t think about it. Basically, he said the solution to the fact unemployment has risen by 80% under his failed economic policies was… wait for it … his failed economic policies.
Poverty Watch 12
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, children bear the brunt of the Nats beneficiary bashing, and Peter Dunne challenged to make good on his promises and big words…
NRT: Absolute insanity
No Right Turn on Novopay and the sacking of payroll staff.
The housing policy
Labour is due to release its big housing policy at conference and I suspect it’ll be either a Kirk style subsidised mortgage scheme for first home buyers or a substantial increase in state housing stocks.
There is a way forward – if we are wise enough to take it
Unemployment at record highs, current account deficit in trouble, the economy is stagnant, exodus to Australia, National is failing by every performance measure that they set themselves. The completely frustrating thing is that there is a clear and rational way forward, if only we have the wisdom to take it.
English puts us on a slippery slope to Greece
The amount we have to borrow from the rest of the world is due to hit $17b a year by 2016. Our current account deficit is already the 2nd largest in the developed world and will soon be hitting disastrous levels. But English says ‘don’t worry, if that happens, our economy will just collapse, Greece-style’. I’m not reassured.
Kiwis lose jobs, Nats make jokes
Didn’t it make you sick to your stomach when smug Tories getting fat on quarter of a million dollar taxpayer-funded salaries get up in the House and make jokes to deflect from the dire jobs situation?* Well, I know 410,000 Kiwis who are looking for work and aren’t laughing when Key and co make jokes about it.
Any way you cut it, National’s failed on jobs
It was a bizarre Question Time yesterday with Key, English, and Joyce all answering questions on the dire jobs numbers and giving contradictory excuses. It was statistical noise, the wrong statistic to look at, the rest of the world’s fault, pretty good comparatively… But the truth of it is that, any way you cut it, National has failed on jobs.
Nats in the bunker of stupid
The bunker of stupid is where you go to hide from facts you don’t like. John Key is there, hiding from the latest record unemployment figures. Joining him today is Women’s Affairs Minister Jo Goodhew, reportedly denying the rapidly increasing gender pay gap in NZ.
Jobs and wages
While Audrey Young was giving the Key cabinet a glowing report card yesterday as they lurch from crisis to crisis (so many crises the Novopay scandal can’t make the front pages after 3 months of stuff ups), the economy continued to struggle.
ImperatorFish: In Praise Of John Key
I am filled with admiration for our Prime Minister. The latest employment figures are a disaster, and appear to show that this government does not know how to grow the economy. But our Mr Key is made of sterner stuff. He knows in his heart that these figures aren’t to be relied upon, because everything else tells him that things are getting better.
Remember Waihi 1912: who now has the courage?
Tomorrow is the centenary of the death of Fred Evans on 13 November 1912, during the Waihi gold miners strike. Out of this struggle of ordinary, but courageous NZ workers, grew the NZ Labour Party. Who now has such courage to lead NZ politics in a new direction? Update: Allison McCulloch’s article on the Waihi strike.
John Key Selling (out) New Zealand
John Key’s selling out of NZ workers’ rights, tourism industry and identity to Hollywood, the TPP and US corporates, has reached a new low. OIA papers reveal the extent to which Warners is dictating the NZ government’s promotion of 100% Middle-earth.
Poverty Watch 11
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, another doctor warns us about poverty and disease in NZ, Peter Dunne betrays his pledge to back measures that reduce poverty, and inequality in New York exposed by hurricane Sandy.
Opposition Party statements; what the MSM doesn’t report
The MSM quickly picked up a press release on the failure of the Southern Cross Cable. Others that are ignored: Bennett has either lied or is incompetent; Nat-linked appointment to TVNZ board; Hone’s ‘feed the kids’ Bill; Joyce’s education agenda; John Key as a “bumbling Marxist”.
Hard times & demographics
With the crises in housing and unemployment, there are worrying trends of increasing marginalisation and struggle for selected demographic groups, such as women, Maori and Pasifika people. Meanwhile, there has been a recent increase in male unemployment. This probably is because there are fewer secure, well-paid, full time jobs available.
It’s not the growth that’s grumpy
The last time unemployment was this high, Bill English was Finance Minister and his government was facing electoral oblivion. I don’t remember his excuses last time but this time he’s taken a different excuse from Key and Joyce. English calls this ‘grumpy growth’. Of course, it’s not growth, it’s the exact opposite. If this is ‘grumpy growth’, I suppose Hurricane Sandy was ‘grumpy sunshine’.
National’s failure: 400,000 wanting work
Remember when Key’s excuse for rising unemployment was that it was a “lagging indicator” and the numbers would soon fall? Well, that was 3 years ago and its been lagging a hell of a long time because, since then 25,000 more Kiwis have become unemployed. So, what was the excuse yesterday with the shocking unemployment numbers?
Hypocrisy and bad spin
NActUF use a lot of finely-honed, diversionary and distorting spin. However, when debating 2 Private Members’ Bills yesterday, government MPs couldn’t even be bothered trying too hard; the hypocrisy was glaring and the spin clumsy – showing clearly the differences between left & right wing principles.
Neoliberal dinosaurs
The deficit so far this year is half a billion dollars worse than expected in the first 3 months of this fiscal year. But English says don’t worry – he’s going to make the 2014/15 surplus, and he doesn’t care what he cuts. Meanwhile, the new Reserve Bank Governor says that borrowing is out of control and the dollar is too high – but he won’t do anything about it. Neoliberal dinosaurs both.
Housing crisis day of action today
Today is Housing Crisis Day of Action with a march on parliament in Wellington (see Facebook page). The government’s plan will benefit private developers and property speculators, and involves risks of “cutting red tape”. Instead, they should be building more state houses. Updates: General Debate. John Banks heckled by protesters.
Manufacturing crisis deepens
Yesterday, 60 highly paid jobs at Rakon where lost and we learned 5,700 manufacturing jobs had been lost in the past year. The reason, the high dollar made manufacturing here untenable. Steve Joyce shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing to do with him. But it’s his government’s failures that are forcing Kiwi manufacturers overseas.