Author Archive

Don’t stress, our banks will be ok – RBNZ

Written By: - Date published: 4:34 pm, March 16th, 2016 - 36 comments

Guest Post: by Simon Louisson The news for cow cockies and the wider dairy industry just gets grimmer and grimmer, but relax everyone, the banks will be fine, according to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand today. On a day when prices fell another 2.9 percent in Global Dairy Trade auction and Fonterra announced it […]

Local democracy just got screwed

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, March 15th, 2016 - 31 comments

If the RMA Amendment Bill goes through, then community groups all over the country are going to become intimately acquainted with just how badly they have been shafted by Mr Smith and his accomplices.

RB snaps awake, jolts markets

Written By: - Date published: 3:06 pm, March 10th, 2016 - 49 comments

Simon Louisson on the Reserve Bank’s surprise announcement to reduce the official cash rate by 25 points.

Fonterra faces liquidity issues as rivers of “white oil” dry up

Written By: - Date published: 5:47 pm, March 8th, 2016 - 141 comments

Pundits, most residing in the National Party, just three years ago predicted the economy would surf high on “rivers of white oil” flowing from the dairy industry, but they now have cow pats splattered on their faces as Fonterra today announced another payout downgrade and signalled liquidity pressures.

Fight to save Christchurch’s trees

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, February 9th, 2016 - 50 comments

Christchurch has already lost so much. Now its “notable trees” are threatened. A small group is fighting to save them. Please help spread the word, or make a donation.

The toxic masculinity of Return of Kings

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, February 4th, 2016 - 28 comments

John Palethorpe on the Return of Kings group and plans to oppose their misogynist view and celebrate by way of a peaceful counter protest.

What they don’t tell you about the TPPA

Written By: - Date published: 7:07 pm, February 3rd, 2016 - 146 comments

When a government prepares to surrender a share of its sovereignty, you would expect a compelling reason for doing so. No country would accept limits on its law-making power without an equal trade-off, surely? Well, no country except New Zealand. The TPPA places substantial limits on the government’s law-making powers while offering very little in return.

Is RBNZ ignoring deflation bogey?

Written By: - Date published: 6:52 am, January 29th, 2016 - 71 comments

Is Reserve Bank Governor Graeme Wheeler so concerned about the bogey of Auckland’s housing bubble that he is underestimating an equally nasty bogey – deflation? Deflation will certainly cure the problem of the property bubble, but that cure will be at a terrible cost.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, January 25th, 2016 - 135 comments

Regular commenter Paul rounds up the links you need to read to prepare yourself for the coming second GFC. National won’t be able to pass this one on to future generations by loading NZ up with crippling debt. We’ll be paying for GFC2 economically, socially and personally, right here, right now.

Musings on Dead Cats and Sick Parrots

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, January 24th, 2016 - 100 comments

A self explanatory post by McFlock.

John Key – the White Ribbon Ambassador

Written By: - Date published: 12:03 pm, December 28th, 2015 - 278 comments

A comprehensive run through of behaviours and attitudes associated with a White Ribbon ambassador.

Guest Post: Employment and Unemployment

Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, December 26th, 2015 - 49 comments

Incognito on the meaning of work and unemployment at a time of increasing change.

Child poverty has been monitored – now what?

Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, December 18th, 2015 - 104 comments

A guest post from McFlock on what we might do about poverty when the talking’s done.

The mantra of ‘Poor Choices’

Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, December 12th, 2015 - 195 comments

It is that time of year when poor people realise just how poor they really are – the season for giving, the season to be jolly. Well that may be so for some of us, but some people will be working on Christmas day instead of spending time with loved ones. These will probably be […]

Sua William Sio: COP21 and the Pacific Islands

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, December 12th, 2015 - 25 comments

Labour MP and associate spokesperson for Foreign Affairs (Pacific Climate Change) Sua William Sio describes the repercussions of a COP21 conference that does not agree to limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees.

There is Hope.

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, November 10th, 2015 - 65 comments

Anarchism, past and present.

Poverty’s Beneficiaries.

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, November 8th, 2015 - 68 comments

While pondering this post, I was pointed to a post from last year, in which poverty and the cost of breakfast were on the agenda. Stephanie was writing in response to the ignorance of Nikki Kaye who claimed that giving affordable nutritious breakfast to children was easy. While I haven’t taken the time to read all of the comments on the subject, I thought Stephanie proved the point quite aptly that the reality is far different than the hypothetical world of poverty in which Nikki Kaye lives.

Food Bank Charity

Written By: - Date published: 4:45 pm, October 30th, 2015 - 97 comments

Guest post from Kōrero Pono on the politics and ethics of food banks.

Guest post: Auckland’s transport towards next year

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, October 1st, 2015 - 18 comments

Ad discusses Auckland transport projects likely to be introduced over the next 12 months.

English: it’s all the planners’ fault

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 30th, 2015 - 23 comments

A guest post from Ad analysing Bill English’s speech where he blames planners for Auckland’s housing woes.

Green Politics

Written By: - Date published: 5:19 pm, September 25th, 2015 - 205 comments

Think the Green Party have just sold out and will do a deal with National next election? Think again…

Guest Post – Hawkes Bay is GE free

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, September 14th, 2015 - 26 comments

A guest post by Ad on the Hawkes Bay’s decision to prohibit under its District Plan the release or the conducting of field trials of GM crops and animals.

Serco – the company that fails at providing public services

Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, August 30th, 2015 - 34 comments

They were, until a few months ago, the biggest company you’d never heard of.  They failed in the UK, they failed in Australia and they’ve failed here in our prisons. But they are still making good profits here. They’re a company dedicated, it seems, to making a profit while failing to deliver lots of different public services. We don’t need or want them here.

No, National shouldn’t have balanced the books.

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, August 28th, 2015 - 34 comments

Simon Louisson recently made a post about National’s profligacy, and all of the debt they have racked up. Guest poster Michael disagrees with Simon and says that “Yes, National was profligate.” and “No, National should not have balanced the books.”

Guest post: How the left should respond to financial crises

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, August 27th, 2015 - 136 comments

In a guest post Ad suggests that in this time of crisis the left should set out a plan for handling the crisis, rather than hoping that a new order will emerge.

In face of share market meltdown, Govt’s options limited

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, August 26th, 2015 - 55 comments

John Key says New Zealand has options in the face of a share market meltdown and is not like Greece (well that’s a relief). Simon Louisson asks how real are John Key’s options? Thanks to this Government’s profligate past spending, including irresponsible tax cuts, our options have narrowed drastically.

Like Solid Energy, hubris behind Landcorp’s predicament

Written By: - Date published: 2:22 pm, August 22nd, 2015 - 55 comments

Solid Energy was this month placed in Voluntary Administration following its financial collapse. Landcorp may not be in quite the same pit as the coal miner, but negative cash-flow and rising debt likely mean it has breached banking covenants. It may be forced to sell good assets at the bottom of the market. Simon Louisson questions why?

Radicals, Reformists or Revolutionaries? Ideologies of the Left.

Written By: - Date published: 7:19 am, August 14th, 2015 - 62 comments

James Gluck is doing an academic study of the ideologies that exist on the left. He is asking for those interested to participate in a anonymous online survey.

Labour did it too

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, August 12th, 2015 - 13 comments

Tautoko Mangō Mata has discovered the words to a mystery song buried deep in a Crosby Textor staff manual.

Guest post: The flag – a change is gonna come

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, August 4th, 2015 - 170 comments

A guest post by Enzo Giordani about why progressives should support a change in the flag and showing his proposal for a new flag.

Deborah McMillan’s story

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 3rd, 2015 - 36 comments

Deborah McMillan’s husband and Skyla McMillan’s dad Shane was killed in a workplace accident five years ago.  They are part of a campaign to strengthen the currently weakened health and safety legislation.