capitalism

The future is not going to be an Ecotopia

Written By: Colonial Viper - Date published: 1:38 pm, November 20th, 2015 - 71 comments

The way to keep people occupied during this period of “Pretend and Extend” is to keep a steady stream of establishment fairytales (and horror stories) flowing.

Chris Trotter is on fire

Written By: lprent - Date published: 8:32 am, November 19th, 2015 - 160 comments

“What differentiates the Left from the Right is the former’s fundamental rejection of the strongest human-beings’ proclivity to dominate, coerce and exploit the weakest. Without this proclivity, none of the economic and social systems elaborated by armed minorities throughout history could have endured.”

Indeed.

Groser flips the bird to the Judiciary and NZ Laws

Written By: tracey - Date published: 9:04 am, November 13th, 2015 - 13 comments

The Law? That’s not for Cabinet Members, the Law is for the lazy malcontents who don’t want to work hard.

Minister declined to comment…

Written By: tracey - Date published: 2:59 pm, November 9th, 2015 - 9 comments

Isn’t it amazing how many Ministers can’t wait to front up to the media when they are selling. But when it comes to after sale service they just don’t want to front?

Poverty’s Beneficiaries.

Written By: Guest post - 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.

Is this our brighter future?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:30 am, November 3rd, 2015 - 44 comments

This morning’s media has reports of increased domestic violence being reported by beneficiaries and an increase of the time and resources the police are having to put into helping the mentally unwell.  And record profits earned by the Australian banks.

Food Bank Charity

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

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

How America is killing the middle class

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:48 pm, October 23rd, 2015 - 11 comments

A short film from AJ+ which clearly describes what has gone wrong in the US since the 1980s.  The film is just as relevant for New Zealand.

Oram on the TPP

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:01 am, October 12th, 2015 - 143 comments

Rod Oram’s Sunday Star-Times column, as made available on Facebook, is a level-headed evaluation of the TPP. He lists five points of concern…

Climate and Trade

Written By: Bill - Date published: 5:43 pm, October 10th, 2015 - 41 comments

The proposed TPP is a protection racket – not a trade deal.

Clinton opposes TPP

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:35 am, October 8th, 2015 - 103 comments

Associated Press: BREAKING: Hillary Clinton says she opposes Pacific Rim trade deal, breaking with Obama.

TPP roundup

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:34 am, October 7th, 2015 - 161 comments

A roundup of the best analysis of and reaction to the TPP. The gains are minor and delayed, the losses are real. In NZ we don’t have any democratic input into ratification, but the US does, and the deal may fall there.

Diesel Bomb

Written By: Bill - Date published: 11:53 am, October 1st, 2015 - 37 comments

Last Friday I wrote a post on Volkwagen gaming NOx emissions. This is a follow up.

From out of the Shadows

Written By: tracey - Date published: 9:58 am, September 28th, 2015 - 20 comments

Goff has attempted to throw a fire-cracker into the notion of the National Party leadership and caucus being one big happy family. Is this the Labour Party’s way of sowing seeds of discontent without tainting the image of their leader? It is NOT Dirty Politics by any normal understanding of that term as captured in the book of the same name. Is this Goff’s role now? To box from the shadows?

NOx-ious shit all around.

Written By: Bill - Date published: 7:49 am, September 25th, 2015 - 109 comments

Been trying to get my head around the implications of Volkswagen’s rigged diesel performance tests. Predictably, and unlike most stories covering this, I couldn’t give a rat’s arse for the financial woes the company might be facing.