Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Written By: - Date published: 1:39 pm, July 31st, 2015 - 46 comments
Looks like (ht Danyl Mclauchlan) Malaysia is smarter than us.
Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, July 31st, 2015 - 98 comments
The NBR’s annual list of the one percent is out. No surprises that the growing inequality in New Zealand is working well for the parasites at the top of the hill.
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, July 31st, 2015 - 26 comments
As commentators and dairy industry insiders warn of TPP disaster, the Nats’ message to we the people is shut up and take our medicine – oh and by the way the price just went up.
Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, July 30th, 2015 - 42 comments
John Key has tried to suggest that we have nothing to worry about planned changes to Pharmac caused by TPP. But a recent further release by Wikileaks on the effects of the Trans Pacific Partnership on State Owned Enterprises makes you wonder if the implications of TPP on Pharmac are as limited as he says.
Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, July 30th, 2015 - 8 comments
Labour is proposing a set of amendments to fix the Health and Safety Reform Bill. They need the support of Peter Dunne and the Māori Party. Will they do the right thing?
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, July 30th, 2015 - 106 comments
We’re not making progress on dairy in the TPP negotiations, but the smart money reckons we’re going to sign anyway.
Update: Read what a real journalist has to say on the current state of negotiations.
Written By: - Date published: 2:34 pm, July 29th, 2015 - 25 comments
Hard lefty Jeremy Corbyn has a 22 pt lead in the UK Labour leadership race. The Labour Party Blairites are definitely not happy.
Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, July 29th, 2015 - 144 comments
We are giving away the shop and we don’t know what if anything we will get in terms of dairy access yet. Our negotiators have signaled that they are weak. And even if we get what we want it is probably worth bugger all anyway.
Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, July 28th, 2015 - 70 comments
The Chinese Stock market sell off has started again a couple of weeks after rather desperate measure were put in place. The question has to be what will the Government do now?
Written By: - Date published: 4:17 pm, July 27th, 2015 - 16 comments
Rod Oram looks at the way the regions are stifled in his Sunday Star Times piece.
Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, July 26th, 2015 - 45 comments
National Party delegates were greeted at their conference today by a sea of crosses representing the 291 workers who have died on the job since the Pike River disaster.
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, July 26th, 2015 - 43 comments
This was the week from hell for National when they experienced the Serco fiasco, news that they responded to a suggestion they close a failing Charter School by giving it more money, the Judicial spanking of their undermining of the Problem Gambling Foundation and the ruling that their legislation removing the rights of some prisoners to vote was a breach of the country’s human rights.
Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, July 25th, 2015 - 72 comments
Recent focus has been on the tragedy and incompetence of a Serco run private prison. But problems extend further than that, into the entire way NZ views its prison system. We need fundamental penal reform.
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, July 25th, 2015 - 32 comments
The Nats have been forced to call in the good old-fashioned state to clear up Serco’s mess.
Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, July 24th, 2015 - 2 comments
The CTU’s excellent campaign to get a stronger version of National’s post-Pike River Health and Safety law has produced this excellent video, and you can sign to support Iain Lees-Galloway’s amendments to improve the bill.
Written By: - Date published: 1:33 pm, July 24th, 2015 - 33 comments
The Friday afternoon bad news dump is on with news that Education Minister was recommended to close a poorly performing charter school. She has elected not to do so and to instead give the school extra money.
Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, July 24th, 2015 - 180 comments
Andrew Little has outlined five bottom lines that have to be met before Labour will support the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. These include protecting Pharmac, no investor state dispute resolution procedure, New Zealand retains the right to restrict land sales to overseas entities, the Treaty of Waitangi is upheld and there are meaningful gains for farmers in tariff reductions and market access.
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, July 23rd, 2015 - 18 comments
I love how right-wing ideology is just some thing that can be switched on and off at will. Case in point, ownership of state houses…
Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, July 22nd, 2015 - 40 comments
Both Key and English now on record as being “concerned” about rising inequality. So why are they acting to increase it?
Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, July 22nd, 2015 - 49 comments
With support from Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party NZ First is promoting the Fighting Foreign Corporate Control Bill. The support of one more MP will be sufficient to sent the Bill to select committee for consideration.
Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, July 21st, 2015 - 10 comments
Treasure has indicated that the sell off of State housing should occur in minimum lots of a hundred houses. Only large wealthy organisations need apply and claims that the sale was about the building of capacity amongst local social service providers cannot be reconciled with this.
Written By: - Date published: 12:04 pm, July 21st, 2015 - 40 comments
As the Nats celebrate “falling” benefit numbers it turns out that almost half who leave the benefit are not going in to work. So what happens to them?
Written By: - Date published: 4:25 pm, July 20th, 2015 - 15 comments
I/S at No Right Turn on a reported rush in demand ahead of new rules for real estate transactions aimed at cracking down on tax cheats and speculators.
Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, July 20th, 2015 - 62 comments
The Crown has reached an unfortunate milestone and national debt now exceeds $100 billion.
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, July 18th, 2015 - 33 comments
C’mon people, sing along!
‘The benefit arrives and life goes on, the benefit arrives and life goes on …’
National have failed and they have no idea what to do about it. But I do.
Election now, please.
Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, July 18th, 2015 - 195 comments
It was reported yesterday that “Labour would retain 90-day trial periods, but make them fairer”. Despite last minute claims to the contrary on Twitter, I think that this is probably correct.
Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, July 17th, 2015 - 40 comments
Terrible news for the 523 Fonterra workers who are losing their jobs – we wish you well.
Written By: - Date published: 8:29 am, July 17th, 2015 - 75 comments
“Southern DHB commissioner called in to cut costs gets pay increase – to $1400 a day” – but that’s not the interesting bit…
Written By: - Date published: 7:14 am, July 17th, 2015 - 58 comments
Home ownership rates have been crashing since the 1990’s. Auckland house prices have been classed as “seriously unaffordable” since 2006 or earlier. The answer is to make sure that houses are no longer considered a financial asset for capital gains.
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, July 16th, 2015 - 375 comments
We don’t know who the real estate whistleblower is, but we do know they have done New Zealand a significant service. Courage takes many forms, but risking your career to alert your country to a hidden crisis should be recognised for the bravery it is. Thank you, you’ve done us proud.
Written By: - Date published: 3:09 pm, July 15th, 2015 - 40 comments
The youngest MP in the United Kingdom, the SNP’s Mhairi Black, recently gave her maiden speech in Parliament. Recommended viewing for some good old fashioned from the heart leftist speech.
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