capitalism

Categories under capitalism

Shaw interview – we have a crony capitalist state

Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, June 2nd, 2015 - 61 comments

New Greens co-leader James Shaw on: climate change, ruling out coalition with National, creeping crony capitalism, and more…

The stupidest idea this Government has had yet

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, June 1st, 2015 - 92 comments

One News has reported that the Government is on the verge of introducing Social Bonds whereby investors in social services will be rewarded if targets are met.

Sheepgate

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, May 28th, 2015 - 103 comments

It has emerged that the New Zealand Government has paid money to a Saudi businessman allegedly to settle a legal dispute that does not exist but more probably to persuade the Saudi Government to enter into a free trade agreement.  Update – and maybe there was a threat of legal action but because of the actions of National, not Labour.

Epsom has its finger on the pulse of the people

Written By: - Date published: 1:13 pm, May 25th, 2015 - 14 comments

So what is important to the people of Epsom? Paul Goldsmith in his Newsletter recently told us what is important to him and suggested what might be important to us.

Human Synergistics, Richard Prebble, and the end of government

Written By: - Date published: 6:08 am, May 17th, 2015 - 64 comments

Back in March 1988 David Lange had a clear idea about what lay ahead for New Zealanders as the long-term consequences of Roger Douglas’ psychopathic worshipping of the metaphysical Invisible Hand gradually materialised.

TPPA circling the drain

Written By: - Date published: 2:58 pm, May 13th, 2015 - 40 comments

As widely reported today, the TPPA has taken a probably fatal hit in the US Senate. Good riddance.

Dear NZ Labour. Listen up.

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, May 12th, 2015 - 48 comments

For the sake of reference – Nye Bevan was a Labour mp and the architect of the British NHS. Michael Sheen’s  speech was a defense of that institution, but the underpinning message is, well…

Fear, Loathing and Denial.

Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, May 10th, 2015 - 49 comments

There’s a major and rather obvious contributory factor to UK Labour’s failure in the UK general election that doesn’t seem to have drawn any comment. Until now…

Pull the other one… ponytails, minimisation and male privilege

Written By: - Date published: 5:48 pm, April 25th, 2015 - 407 comments

From pulling ponytails to police minimisation, there is a deep problem in our country with attitudes towards women and to sexual violence.

ANZAC 4 SALE

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, April 21st, 2015 - 37 comments

Has the spirit of ANZAC Day become subsumed by the commercial imperative?

Wikileaks – Sony Archives

Written By: - Date published: 10:53 am, April 17th, 2015 - 6 comments

A Wikileaks dump of documents relating to Sony shows a close working relationship with the US government. Implications also for Kim Dotcom.

Dear Maccas, Burger King and Wendys, about those zero hour contracts

Written By: - Date published: 4:56 pm, April 10th, 2015 - 11 comments

Following its success in persuading Restaurant Brands to do away with zero hour contracts Unite Union has set up a webpage where people can email these organisations.

Dollar Parity

Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, April 7th, 2015 - 309 comments

As New Zealand’s dollar approaches parity with Australia’s a responsible Government should be pondering the implications and acting in the country’s best interests.  No such luck in Aotearoa …

Alternatives to banks

Written By: - Date published: 11:27 am, April 6th, 2015 - 96 comments

We need an alternative to fattening the coffers of Australian banks.

Trends in America

Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, April 6th, 2015 - 29 comments

Here’s some slow Monday reading to ponder, on political trends in America.

California drought

Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, April 3rd, 2015 - 47 comments

The California drought gives us a case study in how the effects of climate change are going to play out.

Screaming left-wing conspiracy theorist shocked at spying on Diplomats

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, March 24th, 2015 - 84 comments

In the NZ herald today, Terence O’Brien has been questioned about the recent revelations of spying to get Minister’s jobs after politics. Despite a Press Corp being with the PM in ROK, none has yet bothered to as the Koreans, or the former Foreign Minister GCSB spied upon, for their comment, instead relying on Honest […]

The rich want to hide their wealth because of kidnap threats

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, March 22nd, 2015 - 173 comments

The Liberal National Party Coalition in Australia want to overturn a requirement for corporations with a turnover of $100 million to disclose tax information on the grounds that kidnapping will occur even though the rich’s ostentatiousness is plain to see without the information being published. And in America it has been estimated that Wall Street’s bonus pool is twice the amount paid to full time American employees living on the minimum wage.

The “Brighter future”.

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, March 21st, 2015 - 34 comments

Labour, in 1984, with Richard Prebble and Roger Douglas, promised that if we adopted their prescription we would have a “Brighter Future”. Ruth Richardson in the 90’s promised a “Brighter Future”. Again in 2014 John Key’s National promises a “Brighter Future”.

A “Brighter Future”. For whom?

 

UPDATED: Developers will save Kauri – for a Price

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, March 11th, 2015 - 40 comments

Was driving through Henderson today toward the City centre and spotted a car with screen painting on its bumper…

“Keep Kauri standing”…

Anti TPPA Rallies this Saturday

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, March 6th, 2015 - 11 comments

  For details of protest action nearest to you check out the itsourfuture website.

National Ltd™ Battling Truth On Two Fronts

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, March 6th, 2015 - 13 comments

The lies and media pap being distributed for public consumption by the boys down at “The Club” are old and worn out now. Politicians, public commentators, and media heads who really think they can get away with this flimsy “rinse and repeat” justification of the indefensible are treated us with contempt. 

Expect more zero-hours crisis cases

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, March 5th, 2015 - 8 comments

Today is not a good day for workers. Employment law changes that take effect today weaken workers’ rights and will result in more cases of zero-hour contract “excesses”. Labour’s Iain Lees-Galloway has been doing good work on this issue (sign the petition). In contrast National’s position now appears confused, with Workplace Relations & Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse acknowledging problems even as today’s changes make matters worse.

Nats getting squeamish on zero hour contracts

Written By: - Date published: 10:14 am, March 4th, 2015 - 61 comments

Zero hour contracts are the logical end point of National’s agenda for employment legislation. But last night Workplace Relations & Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse promised legislation to “prohibit the worst excesses”. “Excesses” in the free market – who would have thought?

Politicising banking

Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, March 3rd, 2015 - 110 comments

The attack on banking services for Mega is a high profile example of the politicisation of banking. We’re on a very slippery slope here…

Politician salary rises and the minimum wage increase

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, February 27th, 2015 - 106 comments

John Key has yet again asked the Remuneration Authority to limit the increase in MPs pay.  And yet again they have said that the law required them to make the decision they did.  So MPs get a hefty raise at the same time that the minimum wage is raised slightly.  And the media report Key’s comments sympathetically.  He is the Prime Minister.  If anyone can change the law he is the person best placed.

NZ Banks are very worried…

Written By: - Date published: 5:59 am, February 25th, 2015 - 76 comments

New Zealand banks (which are really Australian banks) are REALLY worried for us (oh, and for themselves).

Another week another banking scandal

Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, February 12th, 2015 - 91 comments

Another big tax evasion scandal with links to NZ. Don’t expect the government to spend any time looking in to this.

The SkyCity Deal

Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, February 10th, 2015 - 76 comments

Eighteen months ago Stephen Joyce said about the Sky City Convention Centre deal that anything not written down was not happening. It appears that he was wrong as John Key softens us up for more public money being spent on a private convention centre.

A calculated feeding of the beasts within

Written By: - Date published: 2:13 pm, February 5th, 2015 - 76 comments

The social democracy of my youth has radically collapsed into our current culture of individualism, privatisation and personal greed.

The lie about productivity and wages

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, February 5th, 2015 - 49 comments

The Productivity Commission has a new report out which looks at changes in the labour income share, or LIS, from 1978 to 2010. The labour income share is described in the report’s summary as: The labour income share (LIS) measures the split of national income between workers who supply labour and the owners of capital. […]