Read my lips – some new taxes
Economy
Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Andrew Little on Pike River
The fifth anniversary of the Pike River disaster has just occurred. This post records some comments made by Andrew Little on his recollection of the day after.
Hikoi for Homes.
Saturday in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Chris Trotter is on fire
“What differentiates the Left from the Right is the former’s fundamental rejection of the strongest human-beings’ proclivity to dominate, coerce and exploit the weakest. Without this proclivity, none of the economic and social systems elaborated by armed minorities throughout history could have endured.”
Indeed.
The third Industrial Revolution
The Paris climate change talks will force leaders to confront climate change and the threat of terrorism at the same time. Can they show the same determination to deal with the gradual but inevitable threat of climate change as they purport to show to deal with the immediate threat of terrorism.
AFFCO workers win
A win for workers at the Wairoa freezing works with a lockout ruled illegal.
NRT: Urgency for abuse
I/S at No Right Turn: “The House has just gone into urgency for two key (for the government) bills – the first to punish retroactively people who have already been punished, the second to steal from the poor.”
Removing Beneficiary rights retrospectively
There is a suggestion that the Government may move to retrospectively take away the rights of beneficiaries and former beneficiaries to claim for benefits properly owing to them.
Power Corruption and Lies
A National List MP has been snapped trying to heavy the Housing Ministry into funding a lift in her personal profile. Remember John Key’s ‘higher standards in Government’? Nick Smith’s Ministerial office apparently doesn’t care too much about about such trifles. Worse, the Housing Ministry has been caught trying to cover up for the Tories by redacting an OIA request. Here’s your Brighter Future, folks. Enjoy.
Groser flips the bird to the Judiciary and NZ Laws
The Law? That’s not for Cabinet Members, the Law is for the lazy malcontents who don’t want to work hard.
Human Rights, Psychos and Opposition
New Zealand’s bloody awful parliamentary debacle.
There is Hope.
Anarchism, past and present.
Inequality is a choice
Inequality is a choice. It isn’t a choice made by individuals, it is a choice made by governments. Check out Joseph Stiglitz’s new book Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy: An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity.
Minister declined to comment…
Isn’t it amazing how many Ministers can’t wait to front up to the media when they are selling. But when it comes to after sale service they just don’t want to front?
Labour, identity, class and winning
The question of identity politics and Labour’s direction just never go away. But maybe we’re just thinking about it all wrong.
Poverty’s Beneficiaries.
While pondering this post, I was pointed to a post from last year, in which poverty and the cost of breakfast were on the agenda. Stephanie was writing in response to the ignorance of Nikki Kaye who claimed that giving affordable nutritious breakfast to children was easy. While I haven’t taken the time to read all of the comments on the subject, I thought Stephanie proved the point quite aptly that the reality is far different than the hypothetical world of poverty in which Nikki Kaye lives.
The free market’s inability to handle climate change
Two recent events, one involving a WTO challenge to India’s subsidy for local Solar Panel manufacturers and the other the local review of New Zealand’s electricity grid suggest that the free market is not the best mechanism to use to create sustainable electricity supply.
Which Labour Party Conference is Brook Sabin at?
Brook Sabin has suggested that the Labour Party conference is in crisis following the release of the TPP text. He must be at a different conference to the one that I am at.
Useless on unemployment
“Less debt more jobs” says National’s billboard. Instead we good the opposite. With extra helpings of icing on this Cake of Fail.
TPPA text released
The text of the TPPA has finally been released to the plebs – i.e. we the people. Too little too late.
The Carnival is over
Ad reflects on how the carnival of the Rugby World Cup is now over.
4 days Left to answer Ombudsmen Survey
People have just four days left to tell the Chief Ombudsman about their experiences of making requests to government agencies under the Official Information Act if they are to inform her enquiry into government agencies’ OIA practices.
Is this our brighter future?
This morning’s media has reports of increased domestic violence being reported by beneficiaries and an increase of the time and resources the police are having to put into helping the mentally unwell. And record profits earned by the Australian banks.
Jonathan Pie wants the world economy explained
Jonathan Pie discusses the meaning of the World’s economy in 3 minutes and 11 seconds.
Muslim Gives Away Medal.
For some, winning isn’t just about grabbing the glory.
Paying a generous wage
Well paid staff are happy, productive staff. Who’d have thought it!
Food Bank Charity
Guest post from Kōrero Pono on the politics and ethics of food banks.
Getting mommy to dispense the drugs
Now that cannabis is going legal and heading for the neighbourhood social gatherings where mothers sell addictive substances (like cosmetics and kitchenware) to each other. Lets legalize it, tax it HEAVILY, and could someone please give Helen Kelly and others like her the relief that they can use.
Portugal
This is going to end well…
Sobriety
The video excerpt comes from the Yann Arthus-Bertrand film ‘Human’. It’s available to view on youtube.
Labour Day – won by workers
AECT election campaign shenanigans
The Auckland Energy Community Trust triennial election is currently under way and complaints have been made about C&R advertising of the payout to beneficiaries which they are entitled to as a matter of course. And some ill discipline amongst the right gives the City Vision candidates a real prospect of success.
How America is killing the middle class
A short film from AJ+ which clearly describes what has gone wrong in the US since the 1980s. The film is just as relevant for New Zealand.
Pressure mounts to force Auckland to open up land
Serious Fraud Office, Productivity Commission, Council failings, under-supply of houses, Developer Greed… a recipe for disaster
The equal pay initiative
After twice killing off pay equity legislation (2009, 1990), National have been forced to confront the issue again.
Canada and the TPP
Will the Liberals’ victory yesterday result in Canada dropping out of the TPP? Probably not. But Canadian farmers are going to push hard, creating an interesting opportunity for the Liberals.