Ukraine
That thing about truth and war…
Economy
Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Beltway blues: serving the public interest?
Gower’s one-dimensional, distorted, gotcha reporting, highlights the failings of TV3 news & The Nation. Corin Dann and Qu &A are less one-dimensional, but speak within the B-Hive-Media Loop, that speaks for the comfortable middle & Business classes, & manufactured a “problem” week for Cunliffe.
Where ‘welfare reform’ ends
Sheila Holt, in the UK, is in a coma for 2 months. She has also just been invited to “intensive job-focused activity” by the Dept of Work & Pensions.
Invermay: Meddling Joyce Ignores the Evidence
My brother has posted across at Red Alert on Steven Joyce’s bungling oversight of AgResearch’s current $100 million restructure. The Crown Research Institute […]
Pinning hopes on China
Our export-led economy is a rock-star according to those on the right. Australia kept us going, and now, despite the EU still spluttering, we can fly because China will buy all our milk powder. But there’s a potential flaw in putting all your eggs in one China basket, as a number of BBC stories have been revealing.
LB: Government Spin and Hidden Secrets
This National led Government has seriously mismanaged things and is desperate to hide the true effects of its governance over the last five years. I half suspect many of the retiring National MPs are jumping ship because they don’t want to be around when the proverbial hits the fan. National have carefully constructed showy facades that hide flimsy realities
Happy International (Working) Women’s Day!
The official theme of International Women’s Day this year is “Inspiring Change”. It’s a little vague, a little aspirational, not too confrontational – […]
Auckland Council CCO 2 step
Mai Chen argues that the current review of Auckland Council CCOs will put them on a tighter leash. Tony Holman argues against the whole CCO set up: it’s a trojan horse, 2 step towards privatisation of Auckland assets. Aucklanders need to have their say. Vote out Team Key to prevent such sales.
Tricky Patrick Gower in NZHouse of Cards
In need of public service media. TV3 News is a neoliberal propaganda vehicle. I’ve stopped watching it. However, today Martyn Bradbury posted a transcription of last night’s highly distorted report by Patrick Gower, with a critical analysis of just how much the report misrepresents.
Glen Innes ‘war zone’
A photo/video documentary project in March Metro Magazine shows Glen Innes as a war zone. The National Government’s war on the poor continues with the sales and removal of state housing. Protest this evening at Glen Innes.
National’s ICT failures.
After having the past five and bit years with National’s negative policies about anything to do with new technologies, it is really nice to see some partially formed red-tinged morning ideas about how to encourage local usage of the net appearing on the sky’s horizon. National’s ICT strategy seems to see how uselessly slow they can do everything and how much they can slow down the development of ICT in NZ.
NRT: Inequality is bad for growth
No Right Turn succinctly points out the impact of the International Monetary Fund changing its mind on the adverse effects of inequality in the economic sphere. A case of an accumulation of facts overriding dumb ideology.
NZ independence? back to the future
NZ seems like a client state of both US imperialism, and the UK monarchy: a throwback to the first part of the 20th century. John Key was quick to support the US & EU lines on the Crimea; some low achieving, British royals are visiting NZ at taxpayers’ expense.
A tale of two journalists
Trisha Dunleavy has outlined the problems a& challenges for public service TV in NZ. Contrasting tales of 2 TV journalists – Rachel Smalley & Patrick Gower – highlight the problems with NZ’s (currently) dominant infotainment approach to news.
The retirement age debate
Labour’s current policy to gradually increase the age of retirement is a fiscally appropriate response to the pressures that will result from the baby boomer bulge in the population approaching retirement. But is it the right thing to do?
How to build better beggars
In the United States, the street beggars have great patter. Despite what South Park would have us believe, when you walk down the […]
National misleads on child poverty
So under National Treasury has underestimated poverty significantly for the past five years. And rather than acknowledging this immediately they have waited two months and presented a full court press of information when admitting the mistake. And they still have ministers saying that poverty is not increasing in Aotearoa …
Why we train health and safety reps
Sadly those that don’t want workers to be trained in health and safety are attacking the courses the CTU runs for health and safety rep training, ironically including the Minister of ACC. This blog is a rather boring “on the record” blog setting out how the contract is run in preparation for any further attacks. They might not happen over night, but they will happen!
NRT: Treasury, National, and child poverty
In many ways what is even more irritating about this screwup by treasury is that it isn’t likely to be the children living below the poverty line that has an impact. It is the large numbers of elderly that Treasury has now discovered getting worse off and falling into poverty. After all they have a vote. Whereas children don’t so the future accumulated costs of their poverty aren’t something that this government will concern itself about.
Bent Bill
What do you call someone who knowingly relies on false information to defend his case?
Bill English.
Hyping doesn’t help the economy, work does
Looking at all of the hype that sometimes goes around about the economy, you have to wonder if anyone ever reads actual economic indicators later on. We have a government now that operates as if claiming a target is all the work that they have to do. For instance look at the tax take. It is “unexpectedly” low and the “expected” government surplus is in jeopardy. That is because this government has been ignoring growing the actual economy for 5 years. Taxes and jobs come from growing businesses.
Gini: A Measure of Inequality
In my previous post on how a UBI would address inequality, it turns out I figured out something that is already known as a measure of inequality called the Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve. A lower Gini coefficient is better and represents a more equal society. It is a recognised way of measuring and comparing inequality between countries, changes in equality overtime and for the effects of taxation proposals. Looking at it for NZ shows the effects of the last 30 years of neoliberal “reform”.
Songs from the inside out
I looked at some local newspapers to get away from the endless support for neoliberal values that dominates out MSM. I found people living with unaffordable housing – & how the power of song can unite people in their struggles at the sharp end of the big inequality gap. Maori TV, “Songs from the Inside”.
Rock star – “No depression”
Popular songs can capture the heartbeat of communities. “Rock Star” economy”? Or “No Depression in New Zealand”? A song that links the NZ of Muldoon & John Key. “History Never Repeats”? Who has pulled up the ladder & who wants to replace ladders with something more accessible to all?
David Cunliffe’s home
National is now targeting David Cunliffe and his family. Metiria Turei was attacked for living in a castle and wearing designer jackets, and now David Cunliffe is being attacked for being wealthy. The criticisms miss the point. There is nothing inherently wrong with being wealthy. But there is everything wrong in setting fire to the ladder of social support after you have had the opportunity to climb it.
Tale of two Irelands
Tracey recounts the rise and fall of the `financial genius` John Key’s pet financial hub for NZ to emulate the paragon economies that tried it. Like Ireland – the home of the jobless and deserted housing projects.
Fortunately he was somehow prevented from stuffing NZ in this way. However he did put in some legislation of dubious value to allow NZ to be used as a haven for hot money fleeing taxes…
Forestry families bringing their message to Parliament
Readers of The Standard have read and engaged on the campaign for forestry safety. There is now a Review underway and we need […]
Polity: Key practices 56% truth inflation
John Key makes up the figures during a session of parliament for the expected unemployment in coming years when he took office. The apparent reason is to make his governments piss-poor performance running the economy look better. Of course there is that problem that Rob Salmond can link to the December 2008 projections from the Treasury which show John Key to be lying (yet again).
Poverty on the agenda
The documentary ‘Mind the Gap’ and an interview with a UNICEF advocacy manager focus on poverty and inequality. Zombie “neoliberal” policies have increased poverty & inequality, damaging the futures of too many children. We will all benefit from good government policies underpinned by a commitment to collective approaches and responsibility.
LB: Greens’ Solar Sense and National’s Nonsense
Local Bodies looks at some (very cool) solar installations and the Greens solar policy. We are now seeing a stark contrast between a Government desperate to support the status quo of increasing charges and large company profits, while the future focussed Greens are truly progressive in their thinking.
Polity: Fizzy drinks: Tax or no tax?
There has been some discussion recently about whether we should tax fizzy drinks as a threat to public health. Otago University public health people say yes. Various anti-tax groups say no. Here’s Rob Salmond’s 2c worth.
Some interesting arguments
Herding Cats: Leadership, authoritarianism and Nationals “education”? policy
Not the bright young man who has to be paid a million dollars to come to work. The new broom, who fixes what ain’t broke, cost cuts, asset strips, takes his share options, and leaves.
Just what schools need. More of this approach.
Smirks & inversions
The Salvation Army’s latest State of the Nation Report is damning on child poverty & unaffordable housing. The government is misrepresenting the conclusions, reversing the main focus on failings, and focusing on the positives: the spin is repeated in an NZ Herald editorial.
Muddying the Waters
Dave Hansford contrasts the way that France handles its usage of waterways by farmers with the unsustainable degradation of NZ farmers. For that matter with the way that farming in the France is targeted at high value rather than commodity factory farming. Let’s have the really tough conversation: is a low-value, mass-market business model really the best we can do? Are cheap, anonymous, industrial commodities our finest work? And are they worth the hidden cost to farmers, taxpayers and the environment?
Economy-wide benefits of Living Wage?
An interesting article by Colin James in today’s ODT on the living wage proposals and how lifting may have wider economic benefits. Whether one agrees with him or not, he is widely read, independent, well-connected and what I like most always thoughtful and forward-looking. I miss him from the DomPost.
Inequality for all
There’s been an excellent Insight on Radio NZ on Sunday / Monday, looking at the income gap and the consequences for our […]