Net Neutrality and New Zealand
Trump’s administration has recently set course to repeal Net Neutrality in the USA. What does that mean for New Zealand, and should we be considering stronger regulation here?
Economy
Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Labour to seek consensus over child poverty
Jacinda Ardern intends to reach out to National to try and furnish a bi partisan approach to dealing with child poverty. It is a good idea, but I don’t like her chances.
Social Democracy is still alive
With socialist governments in rapid decline right across the world, and just a very few social democrat governments re-emerging after many years out of power, it’s useful to remind ourselves of what governmental combinations are working well.
The Pike River Supreme Court decision – Helen Kelly would be pleased
Helen Kelly blogged four years ago why the deal that allowed Peter Whittall to walk free following the Pike River disaster was unjust and flawed. Yesterday the Supreme Court agreed.
Nett migration – still coming in fast and not going out.
Statistics NZ has released the latest nett permanent and long term migration figures for the year to date at October 2017. There is a slight fall from a few months previously. But it remains a sustained high putting major pressure on infrastructure and resources – especially in Auckland. We need to massively cut any new migration here for years to catch up with the work.
Beyond the steel cage of consumerism
The best state for human nature…
Labour accelerates action on Pike River re-entry
National is trying to spin that Labour has adopted its position on re-entry of the Pike River mine. But the Pike River families are having nothing of this.
Bourgeoise meth
The release of new valuation figures yesterday reinforced how addicted householders are to increasing real estate valuations, no matter what the cost.
Wellington Rail Workers Strike to Defend Their Working Conditions
“two multinational companies are demanding the removal of long-standing terms and conditions in the collective agreement.”
Tampa, Ardern and positioning small countries
There are major similarities between Helen Clark’s decision to accept into New Zealand refugees from the Tampa boat and Jacinda Ardern’s pushing for New Zealand to accept refugees based on Manus Island.
The Accidental Bodyguards of Capitalism
What does it mean to look beyond capitalism? We do not yet know what it will look like because we have not yet ventured out from our caves.
NRT: “Daddy leave” and the parental leave bill
Idiot/Savant at No Right Turn looks at the Paid Parental Leave Bill and how National are trying to wreck it.
TVNZ pays Chief Executive a bonus after massive plunge in profits
TVNZ’s board has decided to respond to a massive plunge in profitability by paying it chief executive a bigger salary package and a large bonus.
Greens oppose rebranded TPPA
The Green Party will vote against the TPPA.
TPP: A slight improvement but deservedly still a zombie
Fortunately the TPP is still the dead walking. Now that the immediate rush for ‘momentum’ is over (a scam phrase), it is time to do some real analysis of the project. This government, if it wants to convince its own supporters to support it, needs to discard that hucksterism fostered by the John Key government. Because to me TPP is a still a crock.
The TPP11 negotiations: ISDS provisions are gone – almost
David Parker has confirmed that the TPP11 negotiations have resulted in a considerable minimising of the ISDS provisions. But will this be enough?
Can Ben Mack please make his mind up
Herald lifestyle columnist has published two recent opinion pieces, the first wondering if Jacinda Ardern will be able to address the many and varied problems the country faces and the second suggesting that the Government is under the control of the extreme right. Can he please make up his mind.
Thank You Canada!
Is this the sound a trade deal makes when someone pulls the flush?
Fair trade
Did the TPPA-11 negotiations just collapse? A breathing space to look at global economics in the context of sovereignty, democracy, fairness, social justice and ecological limits.
TPP11 close to being signed?
Mesia reports suggest that a possible TPP11 agreement is close to being signed.
Beneficiary for life: the joys of permanent disability in present day NZ
What happens to long term beneficiaries who can’t increase their income with paid work?
Reserve Bank predicts economic growth under new government
Leaving aside the issue of economic growth as a panacea, Bill English and many who voted for him say it is the be […]
Bouquets for the new government
Mining, big data, social investment, paid parental leave, and pēpi in the House. The new government’s not mucking around remedying some of the previous government’s plunder and pillage policies.
TPP, Corporate Coup or “Free trade”?
However. TPP ( The trans Pacific partnership) is NOT a “Free trade” agreement. It is an attempt to cement in corporate power, to override inconvenient local Democracy, and collect rents from local communities in perpetuity.
Since when was giving large companies extra rights in law, and rights to extract even more economic rents, “Free trade”?
This TPP…
Some aspects of the TPP no-one’s mentioning.
The Missing Noun.
When they said they wanted to eradicate poverty, I didn’t suspect they simply meant to expunge the word.
Suck it up political sleazers.
Winston Peters has launched a legal fishing expedition to identify who exactly breached privacy on his superannuation over payments. A problem that he shares with about 50 thousand other pensioners. Unlike them, his problem wasn’t trying to find money to repay it. It was that the breach was deliberately timed to be a classic dirty politics ploy, almost certainly by National, in the leadup to the recent election. I wish him good fishing.
Paradise lost
The Paradise Papers have provided further evidence of a small group of very wealthy people are using complex trust arrangements based in tax havens to avoid paying tax.
NRT: About time too
Idiot/savant writes about Labour’s legislation to extend paid parental leave.
Labour and rural voters
In recent years Labour has allowed National to dominate rural politics. Maybe it is time for Labour to think about reaching out to rural voters and suggest to them that a progressive vote is in their interests.
Trust, Labour and the TPPA
A look at Labour’s PR around the TPPA-11, and a campaign by Action Station to stop the signing.
Home Sweet Home
The changing face of New Zealand.
NRT: Good Riddance
“The government is throwing out pay equity legislation introduced by National, saying it makes it harder for people to make a claim for fair wages.”
Labour plans to stop overseas purchases of residential properties
Labour has announced plans to prevent foreign residents from buying residential homes in New Zealand.
Deary me.
It would seem Labour’s got nuffin when it comes to the TPP.
Welfare reform 15 point plan
With the ongoing revelations, stories and court cases showing the terrible state of welfare services in NZ, Lawyer and journalist Catriona MacLennan has written a list of what needs to change.