Digested Read – Spirit Level 3: Trust & Crime
The third of 6 in a series summarising the argument of The Spirit Level. This post examines how inequality affects crime and our attitudes to others.
The bludger paradox
So. If you’re too poor to afford house insurance and you’re left homeless by an act of god, the government won’t help you.
But if you’re rich enough to own a farm, then one year you get hit by an act of god, the government will come running to your aid.
The Smiths: Getting it Right
Lockwood and Nick did good work yesterday. So praise where praise is due: Keep it up boys.
Over promise under deliver
“I also want to pay a special acknowledgement to my friend and deputy, Bill English. What a great job he is doing as Finance Minister. He’s delivered two Budgets that have steered New Zealand out of recession and put the economy firmly back on track to grow and create jobs”. Or has he?…
Pause For Thought # 1
The suspension of normal democratic processes in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake should be an occasion to pause for thought in the light of likely future events.
Open mike 24/09/2010
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Spinning while the economy burns
The latest GDP figures are awful. the Reserve Bank had predicted 0.9% growth in the June Quarter. It came in at 0.2% – far worse than anyone expected and slower than population growth. The Key Government’s reaction? Deny there’s a problem and spin, spin, spin.
Enviro commissioner: end miners’ free-ride in DoC estate
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Jan Wright has released her Mining the Conservation Estate report. Among other important points,it asks what we asked during the Schedule 4 fight: Why do miners get to mine on conservation estate without paying a lease? No private land owner would give away their land like that.
Cosgrove slams McVicar’s role in Garrett affair
Great video of Clayton Cosgrove getting right stuck into the Sensible Sentencing Trust’s Garth McVicar over his hypocrisy on David Garrett. Cosgrove’s certainly no bleeding heart liberal so I’d say McVicar’s credibility on law in order is now pretty much shot.
Open mike 23/09/2010
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But will he make the trains run on time?
Parliament unanimously made Gerry Brownlee dictator. Apparently, this was necessary to save Christchurch. But are Dictator Gerry and Bob ‘the Rebuilder’ (wonder how long it took Kevin Taylor to come up with that one) actually delivering for the people who need it the most? Not if the anger in poor Christchurch suburbs is anything to go by.
Roads of National Party Significance Continue…
Transmission Gully: A road that makes no economic sense, that will now be forced through extra fast, with reduced consultation.
The next ACT
Key is strongly backing Hide.
That might be because he doesn’t want to deal with the ideologues who would replace him. Or it might be because Hide knows where the skeletons are buried.
Either way Key’s going to find it harder and harder to distance himself from the mess.
McCully’s Autocratic Cronyism
McCully doesn’t believe in the tender process. Or accountability. Cronyism? Well, that’s a different story…
Neoliberalism bringing US to its knees
A recent article in Canada’ MacLean’s magazine on the decline of public services in the US bears sobering links to what is happening in New Zealand. For three decades the neo-liberals have worked to starve public services to death with tax cuts for the rich. Now, the US is facing the consequences. New Zealand is on the same path just a little behind.
John Banks: Signs I’d like to see
John Banks has gone big on billboards in his campaign for mayor. So I thought I’d show some that I’d like to see…
Key’s clumsy opportunism
John Key has tried to use the ACT fiasco to take a clumsy swing at MMP.
I guess he reckons it’s just too hard to rip voters off when you have to chase a party vote.
Open mike 22/09/2010
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Depose Gerry the First!
Jeremy Harris has created a facebook group calling for the End of the Reign of Gerry Brownlee.
Join quick before he bans it.
Govt ignored advice to save lives with lower drink-drive limit
The government was told that lowering the drink-drive limit would save 33 lives and $238 million a year. They ignored it. Why? I reckon the only money they were worried about was donations from the booze barons. These idiots don’t bother with basic cost vs benefit analyses. It’s all about pay-offs for their mates. And donation kickbacks.
The real story on Slater’s videos
Twice in a fortnight, we have had the unedifying spectacle of media running a false story based on a video on Whaleoil. It is obviously beyond Slater to get the material for these vids. Now, my comrades in the media, here’s a real story for you: how National uses proxies to run false, muckraking media stories while appearing to keep its hands clean.
Garrett and McVicar partners in crime
Garth McVicar is head of ‘tough on crime’ lobby group the Sensible Sentencing Trust. David Garrett is a serial offender who now faces further criminal charges for perjury.
So naturally McVicar is backing Garrett to head up a new hard-line law and order party.
The first diktats
On Thursday, our new dictator Gerry Brownlee decreed by Order in Council that the following Acts of Parliament were amended: the Building Act, the Local Government Act, the Resource Management Act, various pieces of transport legislation, and the Civil Defence Act. Most of the changes deal with minutiae of government. Some are less innocuous.
Open mike 21/09/2010
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National’s dodgy tax campaign
According to the ODT government MP’s are going to be travelling around the country trying to convince New Zealanders that their plan to cut taxes for the rich isn’t actually a plan to cut taxes for the rich at all.
An indelible stain on parliamentary lawmaking
Andrew Geddis (Associate Professor of Law at Otago and writer at Pundit) is an expert on democratic theory. He has become required reading for politics junkies. His latest piece — a brutally honest analysis of the recent work of the Law and Order select committee — should be required reading for everybody.
Kiwis against Nats’ Fire at Will
A UMR poll just out asked 750 Kiwis if workers should have the right to appeal if they think they are unfairly dismissed within the first 90 days of employment. 80% said yes. That’s a damning rejection of National’s Fire at Will law, which the government wants to extend to every new worker. Will Key and Co listen? Fat chance.
Key’s crocodile tears for teachers & doctors
John Key says he supports the teachers and junior doctors’ claims for a pay rise ‘but we simply don’t have the money’. Yet Key who is borrowing half a billion dollars this year for tax cuts for the wealthiest 9%. It isn’t a question of what the government can afford. It’s who matters to National – the rich do, teachers and doctors don’t.
Stable government
John Key and the Nats are failing to provide the stable government that New Zealanders require – and vote for. His coalition partners are both self destructing. Interesting times.
Open mike 20/09/2010
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Phil Davison, bringing the passion back to politics
Some people are passionate about local government finances. Really, really, really embarrassingly passionate. Love when he says “If nominated tonight, I can guarantee with 100% certainty that what you are seeing tonight will be what everyone outside those doors will see over the next 8 weeks”. That’d be the clincher for any undecideds.
What are you using?
Periodically I have a look at the stats captured for the site. This time I thought I’d show you some of them for the last three months. I’ve picked out what browser and operating systems people have been using.