Economy

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

Crony Capitalism and Chorus

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 50 comments

The Axe the Copper Tax campaign has stepped up a notch with the release of a peer review of the original analysis that the tax would cost Kiwis $600 million.  The review states that the original methodology was sound and the findings conservative.  The issue itself has galvanised opposition from some of the Government’s most staunchest friends.  This is probably the first Standard Post ever to rely on comments from the Herald, the NBR, David Farrar and Matthew Hooton to justify a claim that this Government is engaged in the most basic form of Crony Capitalism.  Yes things are that bad for the Government.

Sign the TPPA petition!

Written By: Bunji
Date published: - 212 comments

Tell our government they shouldn’t sign such far reaching international agreements without public consultation. It’s not democracy and it’s not right. Also: celeb video.

Meridian on the block

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 40 comments

If you weren’t paying attention you could easily miss the fact that Meridian shares are opening today. that’s because there’s been a lot less mainstream hoopla about it than there was with the sale of MRP. Despite the face there’s been a whole host of taxpayer funded sweeteners attached to the deal.

On merit

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 35 comments

Which Labour MP has Matt McCarten today described as “Another Cunliffe loyalist rewarded.” and scored 5/10?

Now, which Labour MP got the government on the ropes with a member’s bill to the point that Bill English had to threaten a rarely used and politically damaging financial veto?

The cleaner & the ugly face of National

Written By: Zetetic
Date published: - 164 comments

Imagine that your job was to clean 130 toilets every day. Imagine the grinding unpleasantness of it. Imagine the horrors some disgusting person would regularly leave for you to deal with. Imagine you do that for just above the minimum wage, barely enough to support your family, far from enough to live a real life. And imagine seeing one of the people whose shit you clean sneer at you.

Key loses his “Centre”, Herald spins right, Smith on the ropes

Written By: karol
Date published: - 35 comments

Cunliffe’s moderate, centre left Labour is on the rise; MSM-supported, NAct smears & negative spin is in over-drive.  John Key and the NZ Herald editorial  spin from the radical “neoliberal” right.  Slippery Nick Smith, a NAct weak point, is under concerted pressure. [Updated]

Doing what we’re best at

Written By: lprent
Date published: - 53 comments

National is a very traditional party. They think that NZ is good at clearing land and raising animals, with a bit of mining on the side. The population is there to service farmers and miners on low wages. That may have been the case in the 1950’s. But as usual they’re hopelessly dated. Sometimes in recent years it has appeared to me that Labour thinks that way as well. But it looks like David Cunliffe is intent on refocusing us back on the burgeoning hi-wage and hi-growth hi-tech sector.

Hooton – please apologise

Written By: karol
Date published: - 220 comments

Matthew Hooton accused David Cunliffe of lying about his involvement with the Boston Management Group when it was providing advice that led to the development of Fonterra.  A little research supports Cunliffe’s claims and not Hooton’s.

“Predistribution”: From Miliband to Cunliffe

Written By: karol
Date published: - 41 comments

Ed Miliband got the idea of pre-distribution from Jacob Hacker. Cunliffe has followed.  Can “pre-distribution” underpin a new direction for the left in NZ: one relevant to the challenges of the 21st century, especially in countering the too wide inequality gap & re-instating social democracy?

Beyond the MSM? You Bet!

Written By: karol
Date published: - 221 comments

David Cunliffe spoke to the Left base in the Daily Blog Live interview last night: economy, tax, employment, GCSB, TPPA & more.  He raises hopes for a new, post GFC social democratic vision. But he spoke to those with economic & policy knowledge. His nods towards better social security, away from bennie bashing, need fleshing out.

NRT: Rewarding failure

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 17 comments

What seems to be the defining feature of this government is in providing corporate welfare to incompetents who underbid their competition for government […]

Vulnerable Children: The big picture

Written By: karol
Date published: - 43 comments

Yesterday Paula Bennett introduced the First Reading of the Vulnerable Children Bill.  Nat MPs separated child abuse from issues of poverty and income inequality.  Opposition MPs from Mana, Labour & The Greens called the Nats on it, arguing for the bigger picture.

John Key’s anti-democratic government

Written By: karol
Date published: - 48 comments

John Key tries to smear the winner of Labour’s democratic leadership contest as “far left”, while his government continues in its anti-democratic, plutocratic ways: sale of Meridian to avoid referendum; Joyce’s Broadband pricing “arm twisting”.

Enough of the Best for All of Us

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 22 comments

Today is the 75th Anniversary of the 1938 Social Security Act, one of Labour’s finest achievements that shaped our modern society. As Michael Joseph Savage said during the passage of the Bill: “There is enough of the best for all of us, and I want to bring about security for everyone during illness, whether it be temporary incapacity due to accident, or anything else. I should think it was the inalienable right of every person to be secured against distress of any form.”

Tales from the precariat: AAAP

Written By: karol
Date published: - 71 comments

Auckland Action Against Poverty did 3 days of advocacy action in New Lynn.  Their press releases & videos show the struggles of low income Kiwis to survive in John Key’s corporate-loving NZ.  The tales tell of a need for real social security legislation & a more client-friendly WINZ.

Housing: the options, the new left narrative?

Written By: karol
Date published: - 75 comments

The response to Metiria Turei’s sttements about affordable housing on The Vote, raises questions about political narratives are told to the general electorate? The Greens, Mana and Cunliffe have stressed their “vision“.  How to tell it so it reaches the hearts of New Zealanders?

Axe the Copper Tax

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 39 comments

social welfare not corporate welfareA coalition of organisations as diverse as InternetNZ, TUANZ, a number of corporates, Unite Union and even Kiwiblog are starting a campaign to oppose Government plans to stop the cost of copper broadband connections to retail users being reduced to the fair price determined by the Commerce Commission so that Chorus can recover unbudgeted costs on the fibre rollout.

This week’s Jonolist award goes to….

Written By: karol
Date published: - 86 comments

Jonolist award to Patrick Gower for slanted reporting of a non-poll result, continuing his anti-Cunliffe lines.  Special mention to 3 News report on The Vote bovver boys, against affordable housing for those in need, forcing a “back-down” from Turei on lowering house prices. Need better MSM.

Colin James on the asset sales referendum & Nats’ economic record

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 17 comments

Colin James takes on Key over the asset sales referendum, savaging the economic argument for sales. Then he turns to National’s other big financial markets call – suspending contributions to the Cullen Fund James discovers its cost us a lot of money. What James doesn’t recognise is that asset sales and suspending the Cullen Fund payments were never about what’s best for NZ.

The bankster memorandum

Written By: karol
Date published: - 160 comments

John Key honed his skills as a speculative banker. As PM, this casino capitalist has undermined democracy, & promoted international corporate interests, while beneficiaries & workers are brutalised, inequalities enhanced and NZ’s economy & sovereignty damaged.  Does one Labour leader contender have his number measure?

It’s about jobs … and social security?

Written By: karol
Date published: - 168 comments

Cunliffe & Robertson stress the need to improve employment laws, jobs, wages, the economy, workers’ rights. Cunliffe invokes Savage-like social security & the need to end the Nats beneficiary bashing.  Wider community pressure is needed for there to be real political change away from the destructive neoliberal scam.

UBI. (Universal Basic Income).

Written By: KJT
Date published: - 232 comments

The concept of UBI has a long history in New Zealand.

Of course, we already have a UBI for those over 65.  Which has been extremely successful at eliminating poverty amongst the elderly, at a very moderate cost by international standards.

TVNZ / Skycity deal is an asset dump

Written By: lprent
Date published: - 23 comments

If Key and Joyce aren’t simply corrupt, then they are some of the most stupid business people I’ve ever seen. But most likely they’re just politicians trying to cover their arses for making a stupid mistake. It looks to me like they have gutted TVNZ to give a bare land deal to SkyCity, ignoring the value of the building on top or the profitable business that they will destroy in the process.

Enough for us all, but they want it all for themselves

Written By: Michael Valley
Date published: - 180 comments

The howls of outrage from the Right elite were predictable. Robertson and Cunliffe promising a living wage for all government workers, are they crazy? Decent pay for cleaners? That’s not what their granddaddies fought for. It was predictable but it still makes you angry. These are the same people who cheered when the elite got billions in tax cuts. These are the people we have to throw out of power.

Selling our soul for 18 jobs

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 27 comments

The Greens have got hold of an official report that National has had for 2 years showing that the SkyCity deal will add just 18 jobs to the economy as a whole. Joyce in his ‘defence’ says the report looks at the wider economic impact on Auckland city, rather than the number of workers needed at the convention centre. Uh, huh. Everyone thought they were promising 800 extra jobs for the country, when the real number is 18.

‘Mind the Gap” – the way forward

Written By: karol
Date published: - 77 comments

TV3’s Mind the Gap documentary (Bryan Bruce) is very important because it put before the general population the damaging impact of income inequality in a clear and and straightforward manner.  The solutions?  Ideas from academics, journalists, campaigners & opposition politicians/parties.

Syria et al.

Written By: Bill
Date published: - 311 comments

Sometimes the most complicated and complex situation becomes clear when viewed from a simple and obvious perspective.

Who would buy Meridian shares after MRP?

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 209 comments

If you invested in Mighty River, you’ve lost 13% of your money so far. The word is the current plunge is prices is institutions selling off in order to force the Meridian listing price lower and Mighty River has a long way to fall yet. But the lower it goes, the less likely ordinary people will be to risk their savings on another privatised power company.

Smell the fear

Written By: karol
Date published: - 236 comments

John Key claims he doesn’t care who becomes the next parliamentary Labour leader, while trying to drive a wedge between candidates. As Cunliffe gains momentum, Key turns negative on Cunliffe & throws some stones in his glass house. Gordon Campbell puts things in perspective.