Trump’s Muslim travel ban
Welcome to the new America.
International
im/migration
Peter Thiel’s citizenship and consequent questions of corruption
Journos have been looking at how Peter Thiel gained citizenship. Not because he shouldn’t have been made a citizen. But it was done without any public notice using a special section of the immigration act. That reeks of a corruption route by a minister or officials. Reasons need to be made public for this and other decisions done this way.
Hard Brexit
Theresa May has finally set out some guidelines on the shape of Brexit. Out of the single market, rejecting the European court, full border control.
This pattern of Kiwi’s exploiting migrants is shameful
A depressing feature in The Herald this morning explores the exploitation of migrant workers. The same pattern as the private sector’s treatment of foreign students. This paints a shameful picture of New Zealand. Greed has made us forget who we were.
I’m a Muslim, an Immigrant and I voted Trump
Take a deep breath and transcend your fear.
Rockstar! Is it?
National is very proud of the latest GDP-growth figures (third highest in OECD!), but are they helping you? And are they what they appear?
Key: Kiwis are lazy drug users
John Key let the mask slip yesterday – as he said that we needed immigrant labour even for unskilled work because of the work ethic and drug use of New Zealand workers. That’s how he sees normal Kiwis, but actually maybe they just need proper pay & conditions.
Only unsustainable net migration fuels “growth”
Our National dipshit ministers have decided to start a new growth industry. They importing low-skilled to extract their savings, using them to generate artificial heat in the service economy and to slow wage growth. On the way through they’re also screwing the housing market. Our current net permanent long-term migration is completely unsustainable. Perhaps it is time to vote NZ First?
Hickey on immigration and wages
Hickey: “The best way for an economy to grow is for the market to allow wages to grow. Allowing a flood of low-skilled migrants is frustrating that market mechanism with the short-term aim of keeping wages low for employers.”
Immigration jobs and housing
Until we sort out our housing and unemployment problems it is surely time to reign in NZ’s currently record levels of immigration.
Military coup underway in Turkey: Erdo-gone?
The attempted military coup appears to have been quickly and effectively put down by pro-Erdogan forces.
National’s Rodeo.
The fiction that National is doing a competent job of managing the economy is entirely due, now that the boom from Dairy and Christchurch rebuilding is ending, to immigration and rising house prices.
They are now riding a bolting horse that they cannot dismount, caused by their own inaction.
Double the quota
The Nats’ quota increase has now been described as “shameful and inhumane”, “stinks of a Government that doesn’t care”, “pathetic”, “mean-spirited and callous”, and more. Will they get the message?
Migration
The refugee rise didn’t go far enough… but we need to stop importing cafe managers and retail supervisors and fuelling Auckland’s housing and transport problems.
Kiwi Values
Epsom hologram David Seymour reckons we need to force refugees to pledge allegiance to what he calls ‘values’. Of course, ACT don’t know value, they only know price. And haven’t we heard this sort of thing from another party in years gone by?
Refugee quota increase “shameful and inhumane”
Reaction to Key’s pathetic increase in the refugee quota – “shameful and inhumane” (Amnesty International), “stinks of a Government that doesn’t care” (Double the Quota).
Essential reading – Hickey on immigration
Hickey: “Helping employers to bring in low-skilled migrants instead of investing in new technology and becoming more productive so they can pay local workers more is essentially stunting our productivity and real GDP per capita.”
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?
Key wants to turn New Zealand into a haven for the 1%
Fran O’Sullivan has spilt the beans. John Key thinks that overseas terrorism and by implication climate change are good for the New Zealand economy and that the country should not do anything about overseas corporates paying low tax rates because investment will occur. And he wants New Zealand to become a haven for people overseas fleeing from terrorism and climate change. But only if they are wealthy.
This is not the growth you’re looking for
There are different views on The Standard about growth and whether we really need it. But here’s one bit of growth that really seems pointless to me: that achieved only by increasing the number of people. Because if we’re only increasing GDP by increasing the number of people, as we are currently, we’re loading up the environment and we’re not even individually getting any richer for it. Thanks National.
Refugees to be settled in Dunedin
As reported yesterday Dunedin has been picked as the new settlement location for refugees. May they find a warm welcome and a future of peace and security here.
Andrew Little in Australia
Contrary to Key’s scaremongering about “making things worse” Little’s, visit to Australia seems to have been positive and constructive.
Briefing Papers: Refugees and inequality
Briefing Papers have been busy recently, check out some recent articles. How long can wealth keep sucking up before a society breaks down completely?
Refugee crisis a taste of things to come
The current refugee crisis is but a taste of the climate refugee crisis to come. But it according to Key it’s fine, because it won’t be a problem in the next year or two.
Wellington rallies for refugees
A great turnout at last night’s rally at Parliament to call for the government to double the quota for refugees.
NRT: Go on strike, get a police record
Over in the UK, the government is carrying out an unprecedented attack on employment and union rights in an effort to return things to their C19th utopia. Now they want to force striking workers to wear armbands and give their names to police as well. Presumably for blacklisting people exercising their rights.
A flag that suits Key’s NZ
Lyndon Hood in a work of bleak genius has come up with a flag that really suits Key’s NZ.
Market forces
Rosemary Macleod on the flag and market forces. Danyl Mclauchlan on the refugee disaster, market forces, and Key. Is this our New Zealand?
70 refugees dead in small truck on Austrian roadside
When European and NATO countries participate in destabilising and destroying nearby countries, the human tragedy doesn’t stay neatly confined to the other side of the border.
Lift the refugee quota
Refugees are people, but they get treated as a political football, as recent events in Australia and NZ have demonstrated once again. It is long past time that NZ raised its refugee quota.
Snakeheads
It is looking likely that the Australian Government has broken its own laws and international treaties by paying off people smugglers. Did John Key know? Did he approve of what may be criminal activity?
On Freedom of Speech and Tolerance and Powers of Surveillance
The slaying of staff at Charlie Hebdo and the killing of two police officers will no doubt cause further debate on the extent of freedom of speech, on our relations with Muslims and on the state’s powers of surveillance and if they should be increased.
rising poverty amongst asians
a new report shows that poverty related illnesses are growing at a rapid rate for asian children, and so are other poverty indicators. some of this is related to a more settled population, but we also need to talk about racism.
Bilateral mobility a bad idea
Who wouldn’t want the option of easy access to Britain, and hence Europe? But, hang on…
The FBI also wanted DotCom to stay in New Zealand
The FBI had been working with the New Zealand authorities for a year before he was arrested. They wanted to arrest him on his birthday “because it would be a big party and all the assets would be there.”A Department of Justice official revealed this to ex-Senator Dodd, chief lobbyist for the Motion Picture Association of America. The FBI is a Justice Department agency. The “party assets” were why he had to be kept here.
Jared Savage still trying for more inches
I realise that journalists have to show some column inches sometimes to justify their existence on the payroll. However the “Investigations editor” Jared Savage at the the NZ Herald appears to be overdoing that. The latest is Jared’s attempt to puff up three routine immigration letters in 2005. He really must be desperate for those extra inches. There doesn’t appear to be anything about it that holds much public interest apart from a simple desire to smear. Hardly journalism.