Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, December 15th, 2016 - 53 comments
In March the Nats were still rejecting the idea of a crackdown on multinational companies’ tax avoidance. But there has been – in large part due to the work of Matt Nippert in The Herald – a partial back-down. Another Labour policy adopted!
Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, December 14th, 2016 - 88 comments
A depressing feature in The Herald this morning explores the exploitation of migrant workers. The same pattern as the private sector’s treatment of foreign students. This paints a shameful picture of New Zealand. Greed has made us forget who we were.
Written By: - Date published: 3:47 pm, December 13th, 2016 - 48 comments
The Pike River families have presented expert reports at Parliament today to establish the mine is safe to re-enter.
Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, December 13th, 2016 - 264 comments
The 2016 Child Poverty Monitor Technical Report is out today. As usual it paints a bleak picture. What will Bill English’s government do about poverty – evasions, words, or actions? Update: Bill fails.
Written By: - Date published: 1:24 pm, December 12th, 2016 - 87 comments
English is not making the same stupid pledge as Key, to let superannuation consume the future. Time for a cross party accord. Take it off the table as a political football and solve the damn problem.
Written By: - Date published: 9:24 pm, December 11th, 2016 - 86 comments
Newshub has revealed the attempt to seal Pike River mine is now facing both legal, and physical, roadblocks.
Written By: - Date published: 11:39 am, December 11th, 2016 - 15 comments
Tax cuts – the Nats are continuing to rule them both in and out for the election. Incoherence or deliberate strategy? Either way – Key got away with this kind of bullshit for 8 long years – are we going to let it continue?
Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, December 4th, 2016 - 36 comments
Bernard Hickey: “It is extraordinary for the Prime Minister to call the Treasury’s short and long term forecasts a “load of nonsense” and yet rely on the medium term ones to promise all manner of riches to voters on the eve of an election.”
Written By: - Date published: 1:09 pm, December 3rd, 2016 - 11 comments
It’s more than a “dreary lack of ambition”, it’s a deliberate plan to underfund / rundown the stock to “justify” selling off, so that the Nats can indeed “wash their hands” of their obligations.
Written By: - Date published: 7:42 pm, December 2nd, 2016 - 39 comments
Heartbreaking stories from the picket line down at the West Coast.
Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, December 1st, 2016 - 14 comments
Warnings from the government and the Reserve Bank that first home buyers are taking on too much debt. Prices are too high, wages are too low, interest rates are rising. These warnings are effectively telling the average first home buyer to give up.
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, November 30th, 2016 - 10 comments
A short video produced by US unions “to support a fairer tax system”.
Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, November 28th, 2016 - 33 comments
As topics like Trump and the quakes take the limelight, the slow tragedies unfolding in NZ carry on in the background.
Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, November 27th, 2016 - 66 comments
Brian Fallow in The Herald summarises the take-home messages from the latest Treasury report. National have us on track to disaster.
Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, November 26th, 2016 - 13 comments
Audrey Young writes on growing union numbers, strengths, and wins for their members. Excellent!
Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, November 26th, 2016 - 5 comments
A 2015 court decision forced National’s hand on pay equity. This week the equity working group reported back. To its credit National is accepting the recommendations, and unions are hailing a big win. But the final form of any law is not yet clear.
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, November 25th, 2016 - 39 comments
John Key, the state house tenant turned good who has relied heavily on his humble upbringing is overseeing the sale of the state house he grew up in.
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, November 24th, 2016 - 6 comments
It was disappointing to see Michael Woodhouse’s complacency for the government at one worker each week dying on the job. That can’t be acceptable. The new health & safety laws are a big improvement, and are making a difference in NZ businesses. It took a ridiculous time (and workers continuing to die) from Pike River […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:37 pm, November 24th, 2016 - 35 comments
An engineer’s report concluded it would be safe to enter the mine to look for evidence of the cause the blasts which killed 29 men.
Written By: - Date published: 10:07 am, November 23rd, 2016 - 17 comments
This is just something that gets my goat, and there was a particularly egregious example on the RNZ Business News this morning. Apparently Wall St was going ‘gangbusters’, and the reason they came up with for that was ‘Wall St’ liking Donald Trump’s policies (lowering tax and building infrastructure apparently). Not long ago Wall St […]
Written By: - Date published: 7:18 am, November 23rd, 2016 - 24 comments
Another fail in National’s plan to sell off state houses is good news for those of us who believe that it is the government’s responsibility to take care of society’s most vulnerable.
Written By: - Date published: 1:23 am, November 23rd, 2016 - 39 comments
The misogynist buffoon, under-skilled charlatan and ignorant bigot that the Americans have elected to be their constitutional monarch for the next four years appears to have effectively killed the constraint of trade agreement known as the TPP. From a freer trade advocate, avid exporter, and labour movement supporter with a touch of green :- Good riddance.
Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, November 22nd, 2016 - 52 comments
On Checkpoint Nigel Hampton QC described the Pike River mine as a ‘crime scene’ and a ‘homicide scene’, and he questioned the motives of those rushing to seal the mine.
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, November 21st, 2016 - 94 comments
Despite the unknown cost of the quakes, and the host of other urgent needs, Key is once again talking up election-bribe tax cuts.
Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, November 20th, 2016 - 81 comments
Yesterday marked the sixth anniversary of the Pike River disaster. Here is a statement released by Andrew Little urging that the mine not be sealed and the deaths of the miners be investigated and their bodies brought home.
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, November 19th, 2016 - 11 comments
For six years the families of the men who died at Pike River have not had clear answers about what happened. From the Pike River Royal Commission, they got some answers. From the government, nothing but lies.
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, November 19th, 2016 - 17 comments
Six years ago this morning, 31 men went to work in a coal mine. 29 of them still lay there.
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, November 19th, 2016 - 51 comments
Despite the Kaikoura earthquakes, the damage to the Capital and the fact the EQC fund is now in deficit, the Government is still holding out the possibility of tax cuts in election year.
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, November 18th, 2016 - 21 comments
Following voters in the USA adding yet another to a growing list of defeats for the radical centre….
Written By: - Date published: 6:08 pm, November 17th, 2016 - 63 comments
Damien O’Connor and Denise Roche have taken it to Nick Smith in the House today over the government’s plan to seal Pike River mine forever.
Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, November 17th, 2016 - 13 comments
It has been a terrible year. People should think about being kind to each other and looking after each other.
Recent Comments