The Standard

Economy

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

Categories under Economy

Michael Moore: why blowing up the system and voting for Trump will feel good

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, October 28th, 2016 - 182 comments

Trump is the “human molotov cocktail” that many Americans have been waiting for.

Farewell Helen Kelly

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, October 28th, 2016 - 15 comments

Updated with video of the service. Details of the memorial service celebrating Helen Kelly’s life scheduled for today.

Tory MP resigns on point of principle

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, October 26th, 2016 - 25 comments

No, not in NZ, of course. With bonus notes on a “grotesque folly”.

Tax-cuts or… fixing Child Poverty

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, October 25th, 2016 - 128 comments

Before National get too excited about tax cuts, perhaps they should sort out some of the more pressing issues in the society they govern – like all those kids in poverty.

Happy Labour day

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, October 24th, 2016 - 26 comments

From the movement that brought you equal pay,  the weekend, minimum wages, child protection laws, injury prevention,  the right to organise …

Workers, unions and the Labour party

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, October 23rd, 2016 - 198 comments

Convincing workers not to organise in their own best interests is one of the great successes of right-wing politics.

Take a lesson from the All Blacks

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, October 22nd, 2016 - 21 comments

The Japanese proved decades ago that shared ownership – involving workers in management – is a highly successful and productive model. Seems that it works for the All Blacks too.

Maybe Karl Marx was right after all

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, October 22nd, 2016 - 44 comments

Barack Obama recently talked about the possible need for a universal basic income because of the disappearance of work. Is a UBI so different to collective ownership of wealth?

NZ Tech

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, October 21st, 2016 - 45 comments

The top 200 tech “exporters” are now turning over NZD 9.4 billion. This year revenue increased by more that NZD 1 billion. Which is pretty phenomenal bearing in mind the sluggish world economy. It meant that they grew an additional 3000 odd highly paid jobs in just those top companies. Even this intellectually bereft government isn’t proving to be too much of a hindrance to tech business.

Peak Oil Demand

Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, October 20th, 2016 - 95 comments

A decade ago peak oil, or the capping of supply was thought to be an imminent problem. Now it is looking more likely that demand will peak, and soon.

DHBs telling porkies about junior doctors’ strike

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, October 19th, 2016 - 44 comments

Junior doctors are speaking out against the misinformation being spread by DHBs.

Protecting the seabed and foreshore

Written By: - Date published: 9:34 am, October 19th, 2016 - 7 comments

With the sudden departure of deep sea drilling company Statoil from Northland here’s a timely look the role of community action in that, the state of play in NZ and what is next.

Tax cuts hard to sell

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, October 19th, 2016 - 8 comments

Herald: “…the Government ought to be banking surpluses, just as Sir Michael Cullen did during the boom of 2000-2007”.

Tax-cuts or… Health

Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, October 18th, 2016 - 135 comments

Health – particularly mental health – is underfunded, resulting in strikes over patient safety and units shutdown due to staff shortages. And unnecessary deaths. So why is the government even thinking about tax-cuts when our services need investment?

There goes the surplus

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, October 18th, 2016 - 58 comments

The media last week reported extensively an operating surplus of $1.8 billion dollars. But they missed the not so good news that the value of ACC’s assets took a $5.1 billion hit, the Super Fund lost $2 billion, the Crown’s liability under the ETS increased by $1.5 billion and net Crown debt increased by $1.3 billion.

Poverty is too difficult in Key’s New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, October 17th, 2016 - 47 comments

Key is out of touch. But not so out of touch that he doesn’t know about the poverty crisis in NZ. The denial and evasions are deliberate.

Hickey on debt

Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, October 16th, 2016 - 31 comments

Hickey in The Herald on Sunday: “Our household debt to income ratio of 165 per cent is now about 5 per cent above those previous highs of 2008 and rising quickly as debt rises around twice as fast as incomes.”

Statoil leaves Northland, Greenpeace announce summer of Climate Action

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, October 15th, 2016 - 14 comments

Congratulations and thanks to the people of Northland!

Working with Helen

Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, October 15th, 2016 - 17 comments

I worked with Helen at the CTU for about seven years from 2008.

There is no surplus

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, October 14th, 2016 - 125 comments

In Year Eight of this National government, the idea of a budget surplus is a joke. They’ve promised it for nearly a decade. They’ve fiddled the books. The truth is, there is no surplus.

Helen Kelly: Just plain good

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 14th, 2016 - 41 comments

I’m going to miss you, mate.

I see a poverty of ideas and a poverty of Government responsibility

Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, October 13th, 2016 - 210 comments

Judith Collins yesterday said that child poverty is the fault of parents and not the fault of her Government.

Racist Nats Attack Chinese Grannies Shock!

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 12th, 2016 - 67 comments

National have slammed the door shut on the parents of already settled migrants who wish to move to NZ to complete the family unit. Minister Michael Woodhouse accuses elderly Asians of bludging off the NZ taxpayer. You won’t believe the howls of outrage from the right!

Nothing’s Going to Happen.

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, October 11th, 2016 - 104 comments

A wee reflection on our psychological fuck-edness.

Victory! Fast-food workers get fully guaranteed hours

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, October 11th, 2016 - 13 comments

UNITE Union members have won big following the banning of zero-hour contracts.

More people taking strike action over low wages and insecure work

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, October 11th, 2016 - 12 comments

Members of FIRST Union are striking over terrible pay and conditions at Brand Developers TV Shop.

The best you can hope for, after the Local Government elections

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, October 11th, 2016 - 55 comments

Now that the local government elections have been completed what is the best that local communities can expect of their elected representatives?

Solidarity with junior doctors

Written By: - Date published: 4:00 pm, October 10th, 2016 - 36 comments

Junior doctors taking strike action are being bullied and threatened that they’ll harm their careers.

Cross-Party Inquiry into Homelessness releases report – Government must act

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, October 10th, 2016 - 82 comments

Labour, the Green Party and the Māori Party are have released their Ending Homelessness in New Zealand report and are calling on the Government to immediately adopt the 20 recommendations.

Clinton vs Trump; Debate 2

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, October 10th, 2016 - 235 comments

Round 2 of the Presidential debates. Trump is on the ropes, can Clinton land the knockout blow? Certainly, there’s a lot of Republican Party grandees hoping Hillary puts them out of their misery. Seconds out at 2PM, NZ time.

UPDATE: Obama nailed Trump’s real issue a few minutes ago; it’s insecurity. Video in post.

UPDATE 2: LIVE STREAM now in post.

International Days of Prayer and Action with Standing Rock

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 9th, 2016 - 4 comments

What we know is coming largely from outside the mainstream. Which is how it should be.