Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, September 10th, 2012 - 13 comments
While Labour and the Greens are laying out concrete policies to tackle poverty and its consequences that lead to life-long problems (child payment and home insulation from the Greens, food in schools and reading recovery from Labour), National MPs are acting as slum landlords, refusing to spend a few thousand dollars to bring their rentals up to standard.
Written By: - Date published: 6:23 pm, September 9th, 2012 - 279 comments
David Shearer’s policy of free meals for low decile schools is a bloody good one – there are too many kids that are going to school hungry and suffering setbacks because of it.
But remember, this should only be seen as a stop-gap measure.
Written By: - Date published: 7:28 pm, September 8th, 2012 - 38 comments
Something’s missing from Labour’s position on asset sales. It’s what it will do with the partially privatised companies (if the sales do go ahead despite Treaty issues and the dearth of economic rationale) when Labour is once more in government. I understand why it cannot promise to buy back the shares but why not make […]
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, September 8th, 2012 - 64 comments
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on the National government’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. In relevant news this week a study estimates the cost of child poverty in NZ to be $10 billion per year.
Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, September 6th, 2012 - 17 comments
People of Swedish descent who engage in acts of treason while dressed as nuns will no longer be eligible to receive welfare, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett announced today.
Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, September 6th, 2012 - 20 comments
Steven Joyce is meant to be the Jobs Czar. So, what’s his reaction to another hundred job losses yesterday at the Bluff smelter and the threat of the loss of 3,200 more? “If [Tiwai Pt closed], it would adjust different things like investment profiles and all sorts of things” but no worries because Rio Tinto and Meridian will “come to some arrangement”.
Written By: - Date published: 6:52 am, September 6th, 2012 - 232 comments
I see Paula Benefit is up to her old tricks again. As the government desperately wants to be doing something other than not attending huis over water rights, it’s up to Paula to pull a benefit bash. But she’s obviously run out of ideas so now we’re re-announcing the old bene-bashes.
Written By: - Date published: 8:55 am, September 5th, 2012 - 18 comments
David Clark’s opinion piece in The Herald – “The PM’s cleaner deserves more pay” – makes for welcome reading…
Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, September 5th, 2012 - 42 comments
I’m no fan of coal mining, obviously. We need to reduce the amount of carbon we put in the atmosphere dramatically and stopping digging it up would be a good start. But the Nats have no such concerns. They want more jobs in hydrocarbon extraction. So, why the lack of any kind of response from National to stop job losses at Spring Creek?
Written By: - Date published: 3:21 pm, September 4th, 2012 - 25 comments
The Herald has had a plethora of columns urging action on the 230,000-270,000 in Child Poverty this week. There have been 3 weighty reports on Child Poverty out recently to spur them, but the even conservative ol’ Granny Herald seems to have got the message – will National?
Written By: - Date published: 4:55 pm, September 3rd, 2012 - 12 comments
The government is pushing on with their Environmental Relations Act Amendment Bill, reducing workers’ rights to rest breaks.
Written By: - Date published: 4:28 pm, September 3rd, 2012 - 49 comments
Breaking news – the government is delaying the sale of assets until at least March next year.
Written By: - Date published: 1:09 pm, September 3rd, 2012 - 101 comments
A couple of weeks back I wrote a post offering Shearer, Robertson or Pagani an opportunity to justify their (more or less) blanket attack on beneficiaries. At the time, I didn’t realise Pagani had been banned from ‘the standard’ for (from memory) being an idiot . So, okay – he’s not able to respond via […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, September 3rd, 2012 - 33 comments
Spring Creek miners and their families will lead a community March for Work in Greymouth tomorrow calling on Solid Energy and the Government to secure the future of the town and ensure the mine stays open.
Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, September 2nd, 2012 - 32 comments
Author Greg Muttitt writes on Iraq and Big Oil. A very useful contribution to our understanding of the forces shaping the geopolitical landscape and the likely shape of the coming energy conflicts.
Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, September 1st, 2012 - 104 comments
A weekly post on the status of poverty in NZ, and a list of the National government’s responses, or lack thereof. To date the government has not set any target for reducing poverty.
Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, September 1st, 2012 - 156 comments
Planning permission has been sought to construct the world’s largest windfarm off the Scottish coast. Estimated to cost around 4.5 billion pounds and cover some 300 square km of ocean, if the project receives the green light, it will produce up to 40% of Scotland household power use. When compared to other forms of energy […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, August 31st, 2012 - 20 comments
Conflict between support parties. The government without the majority needed for legislation. The Nats’ economic plans in turmoil. Thank goodness the country is in such safe, steady hands.
Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, August 31st, 2012 - 51 comments
Soon, a 18-year old gay man will be able to get married and, then, celebrate by having a drink. If Jacinda Ardern’s Bill passes, he’ll be able to adopt his husband’s child. And, if David Clark’s Bill passes – he can then earn $15 an hour at his minimum wage job! It really is the conservative’s nightmare at the moment. I’m loving it.
Written By: - Date published: 2:38 pm, August 30th, 2012 - 93 comments
When businesses like Apple patent hand waving, obvious design, round corners, or software (which in a way is like patenting maths), we all lose. I’m not pleased with Craig Foss’s “minor amendment” to our block on software patents, but I like this SMBC cartoon…
Written By: - Date published: 1:57 pm, August 30th, 2012 - 20 comments
Scott at Imperator Fish has managed to get his hands on a top-secret document that sets out in detail National’s plan to tackle the child poverty issue.
Written By: - Date published: 6:59 am, August 30th, 2012 - 90 comments
National has a line on child poverty to allow them to oppose actually doing anything: ‘Jobs! Jobs are the solution to poverty, not more assistance for poor kids. National is about jobs, not handouts! And we’ll get more jobs with mining!’ But their record doesn’t match the rhetoric … There are 65,000 more unemployed under National and hundreds of mining jobs are being lost.
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 pm, August 29th, 2012 - 51 comments
It’s Members Night in Parliament and the Marriage Equality Bill has passed its first reading. Future Asset Sales have not been entrenched however and National are currently arguing against raising the minimum wage.
Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, August 29th, 2012 - 8 comments
The Children’s Commissioner’s expert group has recommended that things must be done about Child Poverty, and made very specific suggestions as to what should be done, including a universal child payment for under 6s.
John Key’s response to the indepth analysis of a bunch of our finest minds and Phil O’Reilly: “Dopey.”
Written By: - Date published: 11:02 am, August 29th, 2012 - 81 comments
Bennett (playing the distraction card) is pushing her drug testing policy again. I have a question for the supporters of this policy which remains unanswered…
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, August 29th, 2012 - 117 comments
In Parliament yesterday, Metiria Turei challenged Key on his record on poverty, holding up a graph of the GINI index, showing the increase in inequality under National. Key nonsensically blamed the recession – why must it be that in a recession the poor get poorer while the rich still get richer? That’s a result of policy that protects the rich, not an inevitability.
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 28th, 2012 - 91 comments
A guest post from Carol on the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group (EAG) report, to be released today. We need a sustainable destination, not a life raft. Update: The report is out.
Written By: - Date published: 11:27 am, August 27th, 2012 - 2 comments
The Living Wage campaign is holding an event in Wellington on Thursday.
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, August 27th, 2012 - 75 comments
Remember how National’s excuse for cutting the top tax rate from 39% to align with the trust rate at 33% was that half of the rich were dodging the top tax rate – so, they should all get a tax cut. Tax cuts for tax cheats, it was called. And guess what? They’re still cheating. Only half of the ultra-rich are paying even that slashed 33% rate. When they cheat we pay with cut services, higher charges, and more government debt.
Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, August 27th, 2012 - 28 comments
Remember the Ports of Auckland lock-out? The bosses tried to starve out 300 worker to push through contracting out, and ‘save’ $6m a year. The workers won. Now, PoAL has reported a $12m loss caused by the $33m cost of the lockout. So, the bosses spent $33m trying to get a $6m a year ‘saving’. Time the councils sacks the managers who wasted that money.
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