Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, April 29th, 2014 - 58 comments
Out of sight-out of mind seems to be the logic of Auckland City’s bylaw to come into effect next month, to outlaw begging on the streets. The clear message from Native Affairs report, ‘Walk on By‘, last night, is that the bylaw is the result of pressure from the comfortable middle classes. [Update: bylaw only says it’s an offence where begging causes a nuisance]
Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, April 28th, 2014 - 15 comments
The deaths of forestry workers are outrageous & sad. Helen Kelly has campaigned extremely well for change. An international day of remembrance yesterday, a procession on parliament today – a belated govt Bill that is an improvement, but does not go far enough.
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, April 27th, 2014 - 41 comments
The strength of the left: working together…. from the flaxroots. I agree with the parts of David Cunliffe’s speech to Young Labour where he talks of the importance of working together and mobilising the grass roots left in order to win the election. He is speaking about the Labour Party, but his words are equally true for the wider left
Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, April 26th, 2014 - 79 comments
As interest rates crank up in debt-laden NZ, we’re about to reap the consequences of 5 years of do-nothing, anti-worker, National government.
Written By: - Date published: 10:20 am, April 23rd, 2014 - 115 comments
Labour has swung positively behind the change from Jones to Kelvin Davis. In his interview on TV3’s First Line this morning, Davis was confident, down-to-earth, & energetic. Hone Harawira & Davis are strong candidates for Te Tai Tokerau and those struggling on low incomes. Both would be assets for a Labour-led government.
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, April 21st, 2014 - 14 comments
Greed used to be regarded as a major sin. Now it is often seen as either trivial, or, in Gordon Gekko’s words, “Greed is good”. Greed has become a religion, focused on the sacred “economy” and its “market” of (allegedly) “invisible hands”. Greed fuels inequality and undermines democracy. Democracy needs a more critical public sphere and media.
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, April 14th, 2014 - 64 comments
This article in the Herald gave me a giggle today. It refers to a cash payment being made to Parliamentary Services staff who are part of their workplace collective employment agreement. Similar cash payments have been denounced by National in the past – when it happened under Labour – and are being denounced by Don […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, April 7th, 2014 - 15 comments
Images from today’s mainstream media news: tales of class, crime, drugs, disasters…… and jet-setting beneficiaries.
Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, April 6th, 2014 - 83 comments
Auckland Against Poverty protest the Young Nats Ball and Paula Bennett’s war on the poor. Steven Joyce is cynical about the polls. A Stuff poll shows everything that is wrong with the media’s poll beat ups.
Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, April 3rd, 2014 - 22 comments
All of us, in our diversity, can make a big impact this election year. Time to end the “neoliberal” tyranny! Crime stats are celebrated masking the continuing impact of income & social inequalities. Rogernomics fractured gender politics & rape crisis intiatives.
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, April 1st, 2014 - 88 comments
We can now put a dollar figure – a conservative, probably-underestimated figure – on the cost of domestic violence to New Zealand business. That’s due to a report commissed by the Public Service Association, released yesterday in conjunction with a Member’s Bill from Green MP Jan Logie which will change our law to protect victims […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, March 31st, 2014 - 84 comments
A high proportion of Kiwis know that there is too big an income inequality gap. Economic power & media discourse too often work to maintain such inequalities. How can knowledge and understandings be changed via the media, social media and creative political action?
Written By: - Date published: 2:07 pm, March 28th, 2014 - 63 comments
Tomorrow Today: Support the important Day of Action across NZ against the TPPA – the TPPA is anti-democratic, pro-corporate & will make life harder for ordinary Kiwis; Support the NZEI demonstrations in Auckland & Wellington, for a living wage, for an excellent public education system, against poverty that undermines education. [Update: photos & reports]
Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, March 27th, 2014 - 24 comments
On this day in 1984 a suitcase bomb was left in the Wellington Trades Hall. At 5:19 it detonated, killing Ernie Abbott, the caretaker. The bomber has never been caught, despite a massive police investigation and a reward of $50,000 offered for information. We don’t even really know why the Trades Hall was targeted – […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, March 22nd, 2014 - 47 comments
Big (US) Pharma has been the leading lobbyist that has shaped the TPP, followed by corporates in the following industries; Hollywood, automobile, textiles, dairy. This makes the TPP a major threat to the interests and well-being of Kiwis. Good reasons to take part in next Saturday’s Day Of Action (29 March 1pm) across NZ.
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, March 16th, 2014 - 38 comments
An interview provides an insight into Russel Norman’s working class background & frugal, anti-consumerist outlook. Combines well with Metiria Turei’s working class background – which has motivated her campaign against child poverty and inequality.
Written By: - Date published: 9:42 pm, March 14th, 2014 - 34 comments
Sorry to hear that Tony Benn has died today, at age 88. He came from an aristocratic background, but became part of the UK Labour Party’s “radical” left. He spoke for Unions, people power and democratic process, and against neoliberalism. [Update – Tony Benn quotes]
Written By: - Date published: 2:23 pm, March 11th, 2014 - 27 comments
Just at present I’m particularly interested in adding union sites with RSS feeds to our feeds. But it is somewhat irritating. Many of the sites don’t have a RSS feed. They should have one. Unions are an inherent part of the labour movement that we like to think that we’re helping and a part of. It’d be nice if they did their bit to help us help them.
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, March 10th, 2014 - 32 comments
Gower’s one-dimensional, distorted, gotcha reporting, highlights the failings of TV3 news & The Nation. Corin Dann and Qu &A are less one-dimensional, but speak within the B-Hive-Media Loop, that speaks for the comfortable middle & Business classes, & manufactured a “problem” week for Cunliffe.
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, March 8th, 2014 - 28 comments
The official theme of International Women’s Day this year is “Inspiring Change”. It’s a little vague, a little aspirational, not too confrontational – fairly typical for this kind of awareness-raising exercise. But it is 2014, and it’s an election year, and the way we talk about women, and women’s work, does have the potential to […]
Written By: - Date published: 4:31 pm, February 28th, 2014 - 15 comments
Sadly those that don’t want workers to be trained in health and safety are attacking the courses the CTU runs for health and safety rep training, ironically including the Minister of ACC. This blog is a rather boring “on the record” blog setting out how the contract is run in preparation for any further attacks. They might not happen over night, but they will happen!
Written By: - Date published: 7:42 pm, February 19th, 2014 - 7 comments
Readers of The Standard have read and engaged on the campaign for forestry safety. There is now a Review underway and we need to maintain the organising momentum to ensure change is made. On 28 April is International Workers Memorial Day and we have invited the families of all workers killed since 2008 (that we have […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, February 14th, 2014 - 79 comments
Not the bright young man who has to be paid a million dollars to come to work. The new broom, who fixes what ain’t broke, cost cuts, asset strips, takes his share options, and leaves.
Just what schools need. More of this approach.
Written By: - Date published: 1:53 pm, February 8th, 2014 - 35 comments
After David Cunliffe’s state of the nation speech at the end of January, the spotlight was, appropriately, on the big policy announcement he made: the Best Start package for Kiwi kids. (It wasn’t the friendliest spotlight, unfortunately.) But there was a sentence at the end which hasn’t had a lot of pickup, and which could […]
Written By: - Date published: 3:17 pm, February 5th, 2014 - 47 comments
Charles Waldegrave has slammed Brian Scott’s critique of the method used to calculate the Living Wage in New Zealand. He shows Scott’s critique, and that of the Treasury, lack an informed understanding of the definition of a living wage and confuse market wage rates and welfare transfers. The living wage level was set at $18.40 per hour in February 2013. Scott’s paper has been given prominence on Kiwiblog 3 January 2014
Written By: - Date published: 6:06 pm, February 4th, 2014 - 37 comments
Roy Morgan survey reports New Zealand under-employment – those working part-time but looking for more work – has jumped to a record high 11.3% (up 2.7%). Simon Bridges’ policies to create precarious employment seem to be working.
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 pm, January 31st, 2014 - 46 comments
One handwritten poster by a student in South Korea, asking “How are you all doing?” has started a poster movement where people doing it tough talk truth to power. Campbell Live featured a woman writing to John Key about her struggles on low pay.
Written By: - Date published: 6:26 pm, January 29th, 2014 - 18 comments
Minister of Labour Simon Bridges today said he welcomed the Review of Forestry Safety and that he has asked Worksafe NZ to review the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) into the forestry sector to “clarify them”. Chris Finlayson was the Minister when the current regulations (ACOP) were signed off new in December 2012. He said […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, January 29th, 2014 - 23 comments
1919-2014: Gone but never forgotten. Songs for and of the people.
Written By: - Date published: 8:49 pm, January 28th, 2014 - 18 comments
The PMs’ statement todaywas a bit of a fizzer: lacking ideas, a lot of waffle. Some opposition speeches were more inspiring, & laid out some real alternatives: like the speeches from Cunliffe (on fire), Norman (inspiring), Ardern (animated) & Harawira (real people; real struggles).
Written By: - Date published: 7:19 pm, January 25th, 2014 - 40 comments
John Key seems to be trying to fudge the evidence of the damaging inequalities in NZ. I recap Bunji’s 2010 series of posts on The Spirit Level showing the benefits of a more equal society. Will this be addressed by Cunliffe and Turei this long weekend?
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