Meridian sale panic
The Nats must be panicking about the prospects for the sale of Meridian – because they’re resorting to extraordinary tactics.
Economy
Privatisation
Key, Brownlee: Not Auckland’s friends
John Key’s u-turn on Auckland City Rail is all smoke, mirrors and sleight of hand stealth of the common good. Phil Twyford and the Auckland Transport Blog are skeptical. Funding? Roads over public transport? Asset sales?
Should a country be run like a business?
Many business people say that a country should be run like a business. Maybe they are right. It should be run like a SUCCESSFUL business. It is appropriate for Government to take lessons from business success, and the reverse. But when it comes down to details, right wing Neo-Liberal business do not want Government and country they govern to become too successful or democratic…
Christchurch schools for sale
Recently closed Christchurch schools, which according to the Nats don’t have the student base and/or are too quake damaged to keep running, are going to be sold off for purposes including – charter schools.
The wheels are falling off
The Nats have tried to do too much too soon, and now the wheels are obviously falling off their sad “flagship” privatisation programme.
Budget: corporate “charity” not the solution to Feeding the Kids
Thursday’s budget is likely to make businesses central to blunting the edge of child poverty. Campbell Live is concerned about the marginalisation of skilled community organisations. Harawira has delayed the reading of his Feed the Kids Bill & argues for the state to play a stronger role.
MRP sale fail numbers
Here are the numbers that sum up the MRP sale fail – foremost among them the $1,000 that the government has spent per Kiwi investor attracted.
Asset sales petition has more work to do
Breaking – The asset sales referendum petition has collected 292,000 valid signatures. It needs 16,500 more (about another 5%) to reach the threshold. The Keep Our Assets Coalition has 2 months to get the remainder – and says it will get them…
It’s all in the “game”
Supporters of the sale of the powercos, portray the Labour-Green NZ Power policy in terms of political strategy and game-play. They focus on the “market”, risk, profits & “fat cat hatred”. They avoid dealing with the guts of the issue: fuel poverty, income inequality & damaged lives.
Axe-grinders of the world unite…
Brokers and analysts, you’ve nothing to lose but your fees. (although there’s already been $200million from the taxpayer). Now Steven Joyce has turned to the axe-grinders for support. There couldn’t be a clearer indication that Joyce and National are on the side of investors with money to burn, while Labour and the Greens with are on the side of the consumers who worry about turning on the heater.
The Greens, electricity & sustainability
The Greens and Labour are planning a joint announcement on their policies on power prices. Both parties want to bring down costs of electricity. The policies of the two parties will also have some differences. How will it mesh with Green Party policies on sustainability?
A float with no %name%
The Nats have spent $48.7 Million of our money “preparing” Mighty River Power for sale, and they couldn’t even get the very basics right.
Asset Sales: Orcon
It was announced today that Government-owned Orcon was sold off last Friday.
External review of Wellington City Council outsourcing needed
The Wellington City Council has agreed to a review of the outsourcing.
But that review needs to be independent.
Attention Mum and Dad investors
Labour’s Clayton Cosgrove reveals that when selling Mighty River Power shares, brokers will get twice the commission for selling to a foreign buyer. This will send ownership overseas and drive up prices for Kiwis.
WCC outsourcing vote – the results
Yesterday Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown cast her vote for the first stage of out-sourcing to continue with the result that the street cleaning and gardening work has been outsourced.
That’s 27 jobs gone.
More pay for them; bigger bills for us
Ryall has announced that Might River Power top brass will be receiving massive pay rises, in relation to the sale of the powercos. The directors have multiple positions, and questions have been raise about the past of one or two of them. They benefit; we pay.
Will Wellington’s Green mayor outsource council jobs?
Hard to believe, but despite having a Green Party mayor the Wellington City Council is about to outsource work currently done by council […]
How austerity is destroying Britain… coming soon near you
A raft of Tory policies have been dismantling the British welfare state: bedroom tax, privatising the NHS: NZ’s NAct government is following the same pattern of slyly changing small things, adding up to major changes that are ultimately socially & economically destructive.
Selling out our education
Profit-driven private sector cowboys are damaging the reputation of our education system. Naturally, National wants to make matters worse by subsidising foreign owners of profit-driven charter schools. Brilliant.
Has John Key jumped the shark?
Micky savage of Waitakere News looks at John Key’s involvement in the Solid Energy fiasco. National’s undeserved reputation as sound economic managers takes another hit…
What if Winston…
What if Winston Peters holds the balance of power in 2014? Just a little something for potential Mighty River Power investors to consider…
Two Things
David Shearer won’t rule-out asset buy back (at cost), and a great blog post on “Climate Change: The New Normal”
Shearer signed up for sale
On Morning Report this morning there was a clip of John Key (in Brazil) saying that David Shearer had signed up to buy […]
Should the Left keep opposing asset sales?
Should the parties of the Left continue to oppose asset sales? Lew At Kiwipolitico (loudly cheered on by Bryce Edwards) doesn’t think so. I think Lew is wrong. Here’s why…
Spoiled brats running MRP
No surprise to find that Mighty River Power bosses are behaving like spoiled brats – that’s pretty much what they are.
Strategic blunder
Amidst the froth of predatory “excitement” about the sale of our power generation assets, it was refreshing to read in The Herald yesterday a single lone voice who was thinking long term.
Mighty River is go!
Prepare for the government’s million dollar asset sales ad blitz…
What now for Sky TV?
News Corp is selling shares in NZ Sky TV. What does these mean for the on-going decline of public broadcasting? It is possibly part of the shift away from media moguls, and towards control of news media by bankers.
Kiwis at the front of the queue?
One of the promises that Key made about asset sales was that Kiwis would be “at the front of the queue”. So why will up to 30% of the current offering be heading overseas?
The Government must be crazy
Come one, came all to National’s fire sale! See how fast we can flog off your assets! Low prices, great returns to foreign investors!
Regulate this!
If we can’t afford to buy the assets back, we should at least make clear we will regulate them severely and take the profit out of electricity companies…
Breaking: Supreme Court dismisses Maori Council appeal
Unanimous decision by the 5 judges to dismiss the Maori Council’s appeal.
Body on Mighty River
Asset Sales delay?
The Herald reports that the Supreme Court will not meet the Government’s timetable for its decision on the Maori Council’s challenge to Asset Sales.
Charter Schools: A failed idea
Submissions for the Education Amendment Bill 2012 (includes Charter Schools) close on 24 January. The PPTA reminds us that Charter Schools are a failed idea. Even Treasury documents show they are a bad idea.