Well this is awkward
Jamie Whyte yesterday wrote an article for the Herald claiming that child poverty does not exist in New Zealand. But he wrote essentially the same article in 2005 about child poverty in Great Britain.
Economy
Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
TPPA to be signed in New Zealand but the Government is not confirming
The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement will be signed in New Zealand on February 4, 2016. But the Government is not confirming …
The major world risks in 2016
Ad reviews Eurasia’s appraisal of global risks the world faces in 2016.
The China Stockmarket crisis
Overnight there has been further turmoil on the Chinese Stock exchange with stocks plummeting 7% before trading was stopped. And things may only get worse when a 6 month ban on trading by major stock owners is lifted.
The myth of drug dependancy and poverty
New research from Morgan Foundation suggests that poverty can be alleviated by increasing incomes and that the beneficiaries will be children of poor families not vendors of alcohol and cigarettes.
John Key – the White Ribbon Ambassador
A comprehensive run through of behaviours and attitudes associated with a White Ribbon ambassador.
We will always have Paris
COP21 provided welcome commitment by the world’s nations to do something meaningful about climate change. But this is not enough. So what next?
Guest Post: Employment and Unemployment
Incognito on the meaning of work and unemployment at a time of increasing change.
On the twelfth day of Christmas AFFCO gave two of its workers …
AFFCO clearly lacks any sense of a christmas spirit when dealing with its workers.
Summer break
Standardista authors are on summer break! There will be an Open Mike each day, but little or no other posting (unless an author feels particularly inspired). Here’s some summer reading suggestions – by all means add your own…
Child poverty has been monitored – now what?
A guest post from McFlock on what we might do about poverty when the talking’s done.
Key is blaming child poverty on – wait for it – – drugs!
John Key has tried to deflect from his government’s appalling record on child poverty with some throw-away nonsense about drugs. There are just three teeny tiny problems with that line…
Obesity is a structural problem
Structural problems need structural solutions. Progress on this major public health issue has been set back by a decade because we elected a useless National government.
Child poverty – it’s not choice
On Shooting the Messenger
Over the past decade we have seen sophisticated attacks against academics and NGOs who challenge government or industry. These attacks often appear organic in nature, but many times are in fact concerted efforts by the powerful.
CERT: the partial privatisation of the GCSB
A public private organisation with the acronym CERT was announced this week along with the new cyber security strategy. CERT’s role is to provide information to government so it can protect against cyber threats. Which is one of the roles of the GCSB.
The mantra of ‘Poor Choices’
It is that time of year when poor people realise just how poor they really are – the season for giving, the season […]
Flagpole Sitta
John Key’s $26 million dollar flag flop bores it’s way to the halfway line tonight. The first referendum closes at 7 PM, first results at around 8.30. $26 million … that’s a lot of cancer drugs, child care centres and elder care we won’t be getting because the PM wants a signature legacy his dreary leadership doesn’t actually deserve.
Xero doesn’t like being on the receiving end
Xero used to fund hate for hire blog Whaleoil via advertising, because “we like to support the sunlight of good challenging discussions”. But when they became the targets of attack they didn’t like being on the receiving end.
John Key’s hedge fund mate behind Teach First (NZ)
Julian Robertston, a US billionaire who made his money with hedge fund Tiger Management, Merryl Lynch’s largest customer when John Key was working there, is the man behind privatisation trojan horse Teach First (NZ).
Hard Numbers to Remember.
This post is essentially a distillation of two presentations given by Kevin Anderson at the Earth 101 gathering in Iceland earlier this year. You can view them here and here I highly recommend that you do as they are packed with high quality, no nonsense information. For those who don’t know, Kevin Anderson was the director of the Tyndall Centre, the UK’s leading academic climate change research organization and is a professor of energy and climate change in the School of Mechanical, Aeronautical and Civil Engineering at the University of Manchester.
Use of Teach First (NZ) illegal
To date, TeachFirst(NZ) has received more than $6.4 million dollars of public money and, as a result, has infested 18 schools with dozens of so-called “teachers”.
TiSA reduces COP21 to a charade
That National Ltd™ is currently in the process of giving away New Zealand’s sovereignty in areas such as energy resources and related regulations, explains its contempt for the environment and the talking down of expectations regarding climate change.
As we bind ourselves with the TPP, so other countries will fill the need
Reeling from tough produce sanctions, Russia will pursue a strategy as the world’s largest supplier of ‘ecologically clean’ food. And where is NZ?
The great future tide of homelessness
The Salvation Army, and not the Government, has pointed out some very worrying trends relating to home ownership in New Zealand.
Mopping up the fossil fuels subsidy shame
McClay said he could not answer the specific question because he had “been advised” no such data exists.
How convenient.
Deportee
Standard Exclusive:
Te Reo Putake interviews one of the first batch of deportees from Australia under the Liberal Government’s hardline approach to Kiwis who serve jail time in the lucky country.
Chris Cairns: Song of the Tall Poppy
The Chris Cairns trial verdict seems to have surprised Kiwis. And some people don’t seem to want to accept he is not a match fixer. Are we that fooled by modern media that our usual decency and sense of fair play has deserted us?
Coleman to regulate high sugar industry
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said there is a voluntary regime in place for the manufacture and sale of high sugar food but where there is is self regulation it is often ignored.
Because of the danger high sugar foods potentially pose it’s important to have a regulatory body and licensing/education regime to ensure manufacturers and retailers only provide food that has healthy outcomes.
Nats failing Christchurch and lashing out at Treasury
A Treasury report calls the Christchurch rebuild plan “unachievable”. Gerry Brownlee immediately springs in to action – attacking Treasury. Christchurch deserves better than this…
Jarrod Gilbert is tilting at windmills
The Official Information Act is now moribund and access to information beyond its scope is granted only to a chosen few and under strict conditions.
Standing in the Shadow of the Red Flag
“Why would Goff stand for the Auckland mayoralty as an independent candidate considering his life-long commitment to the Labour Party?”
Why indeed?
Is it time for Labour to stand candidates in local elections under the party banner? And can the party lift its profile and its general election prospects by being bolder in the provinces?
Why the ETS Review needs to include agriculture
John Key has stated that within three to four years New Zealand’s scientists will have a solution for agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. If this is correct why has the Government just released a discussion paper on the ETS ruling out agricultural emissions because there are no practical technologies available to reduce them?
Rashbrooke on inequality
Max Rashbrooke has another excellent piece in The Guardian, on inequality and on the ways he has been attacked for his writings on this issue.
International Labour Organisation on Austerity
An International Labour Organisation (ILO) report warns that austerity measured are an international threat to jobs and growth.
The future is not going to be an Ecotopia
The way to keep people occupied during this period of “Pretend and Extend” is to keep a steady stream of establishment fairytales (and horror stories) flowing.