Economy

economy

The future for oil…

Written By: Guest post
Date published: - 48 comments

The US Department of Energy shows a comparison between the world’s likely demand for liquid fuels (including oil) over the next 20 years and the various components that will make up the supply of liquid fuels over that time. The emerging gap is alarming, as “Unidentified Projects” would actually be more accurately described as “unfulfilled demand” – meaning quite literally a demand for oil that will not be able to be met.

Forget wondering when peak oil might happen in the future – the answer to that question is: it’s already happened.

More Muldoonism

Written By: Guest post
Date published: - 15 comments

The government announced a package of measures for the aquaculture industry – including a power for Ministers “to amend regional coastal plans in exceptional circumstances where it is in significant regional or national interest”. The Minister can unilaterally decide what is in a region’s interests, irrespective of what the people of that region may say to the contrary.

This continues this authoritarian government’s assaults on voters ability to choose the own representation.

John Key to slash public services

Written By: Michael Foxglove
Date published: - 48 comments

John Key is planning to slash and burn $2 billion out of our public services. Key says the slashing is needed to pay for increasing health and education costs. Bullshit. It’s about paying for John Key’s and his rich mates’ tax cuts.

Kiwis report future less bright under National

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 58 comments

In 2008, John Key was promising us a brighter future. 18 months on, we’re in that future he was talking about and Kiwis are reporting their lives are worse than they were before he came to power. 83% of Kiwis surveyed by ShapeNZ rated their quality of life as ‘good’ or better, down from 89% in 2008 and 92% in 2007. Key has a responsibility to live up to his promises

Let’s not repeat Ireland’s mistakes

Written By: Marty G
Date published: - 26 comments

The eXileD has a piece on Ireland’s woes and how they got there. The 1980s neoliberal revolution and dodgy deals for the Right’s mates are familiar. Ireland became a tax haven for bludging international financiers. It’s all come crashing down but John Key wants to copy their mistake by creating an offshore financial centre here.

NZ Fabian Society lectures

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 15 comments

This looks to be a fascinating set of lectures. I’ll be going – will you?

Economic orthodoxy continues to fail New Zealand. This failure is systemic, not cyclical. Despite this, prevailing political and economic orthodoxy has become almost immune from scrutiny. It seems that policymakers have yet to comprehend that the status quo will inevitably lead to economic collapse.

A fair pay-rise not unreasonable

Written By: Marty G
Date published: - 10 comments

An interesting piece on the SST yesterday: English has warned public servants such as teachers and nurses not to expect pay increases that […]

Repeating our past mistakes

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 19 comments

Since Marty’s away, no pretty graphs. There’s not much Christmas cheer in the new GDP numbers I’m afraid. The economy grew at just […]

Economic illiteracy

Written By: Marty G
Date published: - 7 comments

More economic illiteracy from our old friend: Certainly given the rhetoric from the finance minister of late I’d thought the numbers would be […]

In a land of plenty

Written By: notices and features
Date published: -

Alister Barry’s other classic documentary on the effects of the Right’s neoliberal revolution on every day New Zealanders, In a Land of Plenty, […]

Oram on the Brash Report

Written By: Marty G
Date published: - 12 comments

Always worth listening to, Rod Oram rips the Brash Report on Nine to Noon, not just on the findings but on the quality […]

What works?

Written By: r0b
Date published: - 49 comments

As the dust settles on the cynical theatre that was the 2025 Taskforce, one fact is becoming abundantly clear. The political Right haven’t […]

Dubai: Subprime state

Written By: Marty G
Date published: - 31 comments

Dubai is the subprime folly writ large. In the US, they built ‘exurbs’ in the Californian high desert, two hours each way from […]

Where’s Key?

Written By: Zetetic
Date published: - 17 comments

Brash’s taskforce releases its report today. Where’s Key? CHOGM ended yesterday but he’s not back until Wednesday. Catching Aussie by 2025 is meant […]

Broken English

Written By: r0b
Date published: - 24 comments

It looked like a duck. It walked like a duck. It quacked like a duck. Turns out it was a duck. The “Plain […]

Key’s $155b subsidy to polluters

Written By: Marty G
Date published: - 38 comments

A month ago, I wrote that National’s moves to gut the Emissions Trading Scheme would increase government debt by $73 billion by 2050. A Treasury […]

What stimulus spending?

Written By: IrishBill
Date published: - 7 comments

According to Stuff Bill English is planning to pull back the stimulus spending. The problem is there hasn’t been any significant stimulus spending. […]

Farrar vs the facts

Written By: Marty G
Date published: - 36 comments

I’ve never quite understood why David Farrar, who is after all paid to do statistical work, insists on performing transparent statistical tricks on […]

Unemployment up, productivity up

Written By: Marty G
Date published: - 9 comments

Like here in New Zealand, unemployment continues to climb in America. And one of the results is soaring productivity. (sources: 1,2) But wait, […]