Saving the town
What do you do for a town when the company that provides all the jobs shuts down?
Housing crisis
Housing is very much in the news again. Short term profit and bugger the consequences!
Open mike 19/04/2016
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily Review 18/04/2016
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Bowron on a tired government
Jane Bowron writes in the Dominion Post: “Two things happened this week that could signal the beginning of the end of John Key and his government.”
McCully, the National Party donation and the Niue resort
Murray McCully has assured New Zealand that there is no link between the granting of valuable rights to manage a luxury resort in Niue and the making of large donations to the National Party.
Climate change – that ship has sailed
Our models and our plans for responding to climate change are already out of date.
What tax evasion robs us of – in NZ
Gareth Morgan estimates that NZ could be missing out on up to 25% of total income tax because the rich aren’t paying their fair share. What could a government do with an extra $7.5bn a year?
Open mike 18/04/2016
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
London – tens of thousands march against austerity
In the UK, Cameron’s latest cuts have provoked a very public response.
Opinion pieces on Labour
Two opinion pieces on Labour this weekend offer a full spectrum from insight to inanity.
Towards a new economic order
George Monbiot in the Guardian gives a precise and accurate description of neoliberalism and asks the question why has the left not come up with a modern alternative?
Open mike 17/04/2016
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Michael Wood standing for Mt Roskill
Michael Wood has announced his candidacy to be nominated as the Labour candidate for Mt Roskill when Phil Goff vies for the Auckland Mayoralty. I can’t think of anyone better for that role or for winning the electorate for the left. Go young Michael. This is an unsolicited and possibly unwanted endorsement from me.
A big thank you to IDG from thestandard.nz
Why we all, readers and authors, should praise IDG Communications for the generous gift of shortening this sites domain name.
Job losses everywhere
Brighter Future. Cusp of Something Special. Tell it to the newly jobless.
Open mike 16/04/2016
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily Review 15/04/2016
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
The secrecy uprising
It is clear from John Key’s irresponsible reaction to accusations of NZ being a loosely controlled tax haven, that we are becoming an international target. Contrast that with European reactions, and then have a look at the David Brin’s prophetic reasons for the fictional Helvitica War…
The solar surcharge
Profit gouging or genuine need?
Trickledown has failed
Two recent articles in the Guardian highlight the staggering amount of money being sent to overseas tax havens by the wealthy and how with the disappearance of work a universal basic income will become a necessity.
Panama papers – the dark side in a nutshell
Twyford on solutions to the housing crisis in Auckland
As Nick Smith flounders about uselessly, here are extracts from Phil Twyford’s speech on solutions to the housing crisis in Auckland.
Open mike 15/04/2016
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily Review 14/04/2016
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Offers of help flood in to Bill English
Bill English’s abominable comment that young Kiwi men are “pretty damned hopeless” has caused quite a reaction. But here’s an unexpectedly positive one.
What tax evasion robs us of
An interesting piece in The Guardian looks at the costs of tax evasion, and how (in America) the missing funds could be used to fund a UBI.
Holding back our productivity
Our “business leaders” are doing an objectively poor job. Perhaps instead of insulting Kiwi workers as “pretty damned hopeless”, Bill English should be taking aim at these captains of industry.
Open mike 14/04/2016
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily Review 13/04/2016
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Kiwi workers are pretty damned hopeless – says Bill English
National are now so convinced of their invulnerability that they have taken to actively insulting us. You couldn’t make this stuff up.
Another Nick Smith fail in Auckland
How’s Nick Smith doing on the Budget plan to round up 500ha of Auckland land for housing? The answer won’t shock you!
The Divide (Spirit Level – The Movie)
Based on the breakthrough book The Spirit Level, just released film The Divide puts a human face on low wage hell. “Why aren’t we earning enough to live?”
Can we trust John Key?
John Key’s relationship with Antipodes Trust Group Limited will need some explaining.
How much do you give John?
Maybe this is why John Key does not want to release his tax returns.