What has the Government ever done for business?
Borrowing heavily from Monty Python’s Life of Brian Labour MP Deborah Russell sets out what the Government is doing for small business in these Covid 19 times.
workers' rights
unemployment
Most leaders of the opposition are unemployed, they just don’t know it yet
Holy hyperbole. Todd Muller has claimed that most kiwis are unemployed although they do not realise it yet. Although in one case he may not be wrong …
New leadership same old tactics
National has released a social media ad suggesting that New Zealand’s per head of population Government debt figure will be worse than Greece’s by 2014. But the data used presumes the effects of Covid 19 in New Zealand’s figure but no effects of Covid 19 in Greece’s figure.
Two Tier. Bull. Shit.
I thought we were “in this together” or some such?
Covid19 and the Stock Markets
In this time of uncertainty when mass unemployment beckons you would expect that stock exchanges would be plummeting. But think again. Because they seem to be doing fine.
The “Others”.
“Othering” has long been a staple of Governments that want to remain in power for the benefit of an Oligarchy, an “Elite”, a small ruling class, or the ones with, “the money”. Deflecting blame for economic and social issues on, an ethnicity, a class, the elderly, the poor, the young, the unemployed, young solo mothers, the disabled, immigrants, or any other convenient group that can be demonised. Very soon more of us may become the “others” we didn’t care about.
Are the Vultures Already Circling Above?
We cannot go back to business as usual after the lockdown but can we shape the way things will be for the greater good?
New Zealand’s poor in this new crisis
Covid 19 is not some great leveller. To succeed the state has to completely redirect the economy to so that ordinary workers and working families are supported.
Do poor people and women exist in right wing economics land?
David Seymour has written a critique of Deborah Russel’s review of the hard right economic tome “Economics in one lesson”. And totally missed the point of what she was saying.
Five days is a long time in politics
Five days ago Simon Bridges predicted that unemployment had gone up. The latest figures show that the unemployment rate is at its lowest rate for the past eleven years. Update: My enthusiasm was too high. It has been pointed out to me that the Bridges tweet was from last year. My apologies to Simon …
The hard change of forestry
Forestry is forcing an important tilting point between mitigating climate change and land use, and it’s going to affect the viability of some North Island towns.
This Could Happen To You
For some reason, this story struck a nerve. An 80-year old had his 59-year career terminated by an impersonal e-mail from a faceless […]
Too many jobs being created
The latest unemployment data showing the jobless rate falling to under 4% follows the equally bad 1.0% economic growth in the September quarter and a budget surplus of $5.5b, confirming the economy is going down like Donald Trump, as predicted by the ANZ Bank’s business confidence survey
Forward to the 70s
National thinks that getting back to full employment, having wages and conditions sufficient to allow a working family to live in decency on one full time wage, and home ownership rates of about 70% are a bad thing.
Squeeze
This is as good a year as it is going to get to squeeze your employer for a fair wage.
Thank you Metiria.
Some movement on social security (a thing we all deserve)
Employment Relations changes announced
The Government has announced changes to the Employment Relations law which on the whole are positive and beneficial for workers. But following New Zealand First lobbying the 90 day fire at will provision will be retained for small firms.
Why President Trump should be opposed by the left
Ten reasons why Donald Trump is anti worker and bad for America’s working class.
Happy Oompa Loompas?
Dunedin hosts a celebratory graduation ceremony for discarded labour.
When immigration means exploitation
Those arguing for unrestricted immigration are – wittingly or unwittingly – fueling higher levels of exploitation in NZ.
2040? The robots will have taken over
Bill English’s new super plan falls between 2 stools. The super cost crisis that he’s trying to summon up, is before 2040 if it exists. The solution was the Cullen Fund. By 2040 you’re just adding yet another Baby Boomer cost onto GenX and the millenials, and there’s going to be a shortage of jobs anyway, without adding 65 & 66 year-olds to our dole queues.
Social investment meets the surveillance state
First they came for the budgeting services. Now we know that every social service agency has to provide clients’ private personal data to […]
Cadburys Dunedin to close with hundreds of jobs lost
Another blow to Dunedin.
Through the Looking Glass.
The culture being addressed will be familiar enough to many here in NZ who deal with Work and Income. Government strategies to address that culture? Well, that’s another story. This isn’t just happening half a world away. It might as well be happening in another universe – back on the sane side of some looking glass NZ has fallen through.
Chloe King – John Key, I am a low waged worker, and neither “lazy” nor “drug addled”
Blogger and social activist Chloe King, one of the hundreds of thousands of low waged workers in this country was devastated by John Key’s comments suggesting that she and others were lazy and had no work ethic. This is her response.
NZ: Home of Rugby, Raping and Beer
The whitewash of the rugby players who assaulted a woman at a post season piss up has been released. A mightily relieved rugby boss Steve Tew can now go into the rest of the season knowing that the All Black squad will not be affected by the loss of any players to suspension. The only person to have lost their job over the incident is the victim. How cool is that?
Grant Robertson on the adjusted unemployment figure
“The sad reality is that while the change in measurement might elicit a lower number or percentage it will not mean one fewer person is unemployed.”
“Died at some point in the recycling process”
Imagine taking shelter on a cold night and ending up crushed or asphyxiated to death in a compressed cardboard recycling bale.
Taihoa on Immigration?
Winston Peters has called for a slashing of migrant worker numbers and for screening of would be workers based on things like their attitude to women. Is it time for a taihoa on immigration or is Winston just doing a Trump?
We’re going to burn it all, until we burn it down.
What does it really mean to reduce NZ’s total fossil fuel use by 50% by 2030: a warm up discussion for an upcoming thought experiment.
Unemployment jumps
After eight long years of National there are almost 40,000 more unemployed than when they came to power.
Glasses and Brick Walls (& woods and trees).
The thing about not having great sight is that sometimes you don’t really see things coming.
The great big list of John Key’s big fat lies (UPDATED)
How many more lies will John Key tell today in his so-called State of the Nation address? Virtual chocolate fish to whomever guesses the closest number.
Food Bank Charity
Guest post from Kōrero Pono on the politics and ethics of food banks.
No, National shouldn’t have balanced the books.
Simon Louisson recently made a post about National’s profligacy, and all of the debt they have racked up. Guest poster Michael disagrees with Simon and says that “Yes, National was profligate.” and “No, National should not have balanced the books.”
250 to 300 Job Losses at Unitec in Auckland
Under Unitec’s new vision students will be known as Customers. Student services will be outsourced (overseas)
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