The Standard

Economy

Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour

Categories under Economy

High Country selloff scandal laid bare

Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, January 21st, 2018 - 35 comments

A feature in yesterday’s Domion Post Weekend lays bare the extent of the scandalous selloff of huge tracts of our high country. The tenure review of the high country has been conducted since 1992 to  privatise some of the land and also bringing parts into the conservation estate. The process has been followed by both National and Labour governments.

States United.

Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, January 20th, 2018 - 12 comments

On how states in conflict, have seemingly and nevertheless, managed to share in the likely or possible creation of one common goal.

Why President Trump should be opposed by the left

Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, January 20th, 2018 - 52 comments

Ten reasons why Donald Trump is anti worker and bad for America’s working class.

It’s time to embrace nanny state

Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, January 19th, 2018 - 22 comments

Rather than apologise, it’s time the Left and the new government embraced “nanny state” as a positive, just as the gay community claimed the previously pejorative term “queer”. A nanny state is clearly economically and socially more efficient. We should celebrate our nanny state and not apologise for it.

Can This Government Regain Power on Its Policies?

Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, January 17th, 2018 - 82 comments

The sixth Labour led Government has made a good start to its term. But what policy results will New Zealand have to vote for and campaign on in 2020?

Really buffering climate change

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 pm, January 14th, 2018 - 53 comments

The recent development of accident and disaster insurance over the last century is now having a profound influence on buffering climate change. The Economist had a recent article with an excellent graph. Perhaps this is worth encouraging to give a price signal and a political lobby against that of the polluter lobby.

Is it time to Nationalise Auckland?

Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, January 13th, 2018 - 52 comments

It has been a decade now since Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide proposed amalgamating all of Auckland’s city councils into one enormous entity by dumping much of the Royal Commission’s proposals. Well it’s time to hold its results to account.

Stopping the wage bleed

Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, January 10th, 2018 - 46 comments

“You were never going to get rich as a bus driver but you could pay the mortgage or rent, afford a meal out now and then, and make sure your kids had what they needed to do well — hopefully to do better than you.

Competitive contracting has taken that away”

The Saviour Machine

Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, January 9th, 2018 - 66 comments

Our ingenuity.

Bitcoin 2018

Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, January 6th, 2018 - 204 comments

Is Bitcoin something to worry about or something to embrace?

Up in Smoke.

Written By: - Date published: 2:38 pm, January 5th, 2018 - 23 comments

US reverses Federal marijuana stance.

The Froth Comes off The Beer

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, January 5th, 2018 - 77 comments

Auckland appears to be following the trend set by Melbourne and Sydney of a softening in expected prices for selling houses.

The Failed Estate: Us and Them

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, December 31st, 2017 - 20 comments

In Australia the Murdoch press has chosen the Christmas down period to try and whip up some anti beneficiary hysteria.  Jim Parker from the blog Failed Estate calmly dissects the figures and concludes there is no reason for concern.

This. Almost.

Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, December 23rd, 2017 - 26 comments

It’s not perfect. Maybe it’s a start.

Another fine example of Bill English’s aspiration for young Kiwis

Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, December 22nd, 2017 - 78 comments

Apparently the government’s fees-free policy will “soak up staff out of McDonald’s”. Education instead of McJobs – Oh Noez!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, December 22nd, 2017 - 2 comments

Why the latest Star War movie may contain inspiration and meaning for left wing activists.

Tumbleweeds from National on the Tax Working Group

Written By: - Date published: 12:37 pm, December 21st, 2017 - 40 comments

A month ago Labour announced that Sir Michael Cullen would chair the tax working group and the National Party was cock-a-hoop! Steven Joyce said: “Sir Michael is many things but a politically independent voice on taxation policy he is not,” Judith Collins had fun with it too, in her regular spot on Newshub she dubbed […]

Let’s stop kidding ourselves.

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, December 18th, 2017 - 131 comments

The “Adapting to Climate Change in NZ” report.

The Herald is obsessed with the latest Colmar Brunton poll

Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, December 17th, 2017 - 47 comments

The Herald’s weekend political comment includes detailed analysis of the Colmar Brunton poll, now a week old, but ignored the details of the mini budget.

Media response to Labour’s budget

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, December 15th, 2017 - 115 comments

Media response to the new Government’s mini budget has been overwhelmingly positive.

World Bank to stop funding oil and gas exploration

Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, December 14th, 2017 - 29 comments

It is time for all of the institutions, countries, investors and individuals who are still in the Paris Agreement to stop funding fossils – once and for all.

– Stephen Kretzmann, Executive Director of Oil Change International

The Herald thinks Jacinda Ardern is a Marxist

Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, December 13th, 2017 - 204 comments

The Herald has equated Jacinda Ardern’s desire to temper the worst excesses of capitalism with the full embrace of marxist communism.

The failure of “right to buy” policies

Written By: - Date published: 3:03 pm, December 11th, 2017 - 19 comments

Not only did National’s policy to sell off state houses fail, but now we’ve found out a similar Thatcher policy in the UK just handed many social houses to private landlords. Should we consider making it harder to sell off state houses in New Zealand?

#WeAreBeneficiaries fundraiser

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, December 11th, 2017 - 5 comments

Artist activist group We are Beneficiaries are writing a report to share the stories they’ve been collecting from beneficiaires with the new Ministers to help make a case for change.

Nine years of National rule brought us …

Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, December 11th, 2017 - 56 comments

One of the worst consequences of nine long years of National rule presented by that well known left wing periodical the Financial Times.

Economy 2018

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, December 9th, 2017 - 31 comments

It’s that time of year where we start making predictions for 2018. I see it looking not too hot, not too cold.

Voltairine de Cleyre

Written By: - Date published: 6:39 am, December 9th, 2017 - 15 comments

When history buries treasures, those treasures don’t have to remain buried.

Twyford reverses National’s flawed methamphetamine housing policy

Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, December 9th, 2017 - 71 comments

Phil Twyford has shown this new Government has a brain as well as a heart by halting National’s ridiculous state house methamphetamine policy where the presence of minuscule traces would result in eviction even though there was no proof the tenant was responsible and he has apologised to Robert Erueti for the harm caused.

Another day, another piece of bullshit from someone in the MSM

Written By: - Date published: 6:44 am, December 8th, 2017 - 109 comments

Misleading the NZ public about a political party, its policy, and how government works actively harms democracy.

“Such inexcusable neglect”

Written By: - Date published: 6:13 am, December 8th, 2017 - 39 comments

The Auckland housing crisis in graph form.

4 just became the new 2.

Written By: - Date published: 11:44 am, December 7th, 2017 - 14 comments

Someone just did something sensible, and it’s frightening.