capitalism

An Easter message: greed is not good

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:15 am, April 21st, 2014 - 14 comments

Greed used to be regarded as a major sin.  Now it is often seen as either trivial, or, in Gordon Gekko’s words, “Greed is good”.  Greed has become a religion, focused on the sacred “economy” and its “market” of (allegedly) “invisible hands”. Greed fuels inequality and undermines democracy. Democracy needs a more critical public sphere and media.

Tell the police, New Zealand has been robbed …

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:56 am, April 17th, 2014 - 72 comments

Genesis Energy’s shares have been sold at a price well below their value.  And despite considerable demand from local mum and dad investors one in four of the shares has been sold to overseas institutions.

Rogernomics, income inequality & gender politics

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:22 pm, April 3rd, 2014 - 22 comments

All of us, in our diversity, can make a big impact this election year. Time to end the “neoliberal” tyranny!  Crime stats are celebrated masking the continuing impact of income & social inequalities. Rogernomics fractured gender politics & rape crisis intiatives.

Highlighting the income gap

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:33 am, March 31st, 2014 - 84 comments

A high proportion of Kiwis know that there is too big an income inequality gap. Economic power & media discourse too often work to maintain such inequalities.  How can knowledge and understandings be changed via the media, social media and creative political action?

Corporates for TPP

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:00 am, March 22nd, 2014 - 47 comments

Big (US) Pharma has been the leading lobbyist that has shaped the TPP, followed by corporates in the following industries; Hollywood, automobile, textiles, dairy. This makes the TPP a major threat to the interests and well-being of Kiwis. Good reasons to take part in next Saturday’s Day Of Action (29 March 1pm) across NZ.

Russel Norman on consumerism & happiness

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:23 am, March 16th, 2014 - 38 comments

An interview provides an insight into Russel Norman’s working class background & frugal, anti-consumerist outlook. Combines well with Metiria Turei’s working class background –  which has motivated her campaign against child poverty and inequality.

Here’s an idea! Clean energy…

Written By: karol - Date published: 2:34 pm, February 4th, 2014 - 56 comments

Anadarko fails to find commercially viable oil in Taranaki, and is now moving on to waste even more time, money and resources in the Canterbury basin.  This is a big fail for John Key’s casino capitalist, speculative economic policy.  And a fail for NZ’s people and environment. [update: Hikoi]

“How are you all doing?”

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:21 pm, January 31st, 2014 - 46 comments

One handwritten poster by a student in South Korea, asking “How are you all doing?” has started a poster movement where people doing it tough talk truth to power. Campbell Live featured a woman writing to John Key about her struggles on low pay.

State of Nations

Written By: Bill - Date published: 6:11 pm, January 29th, 2014 - 25 comments

This post isn’t a ‘contrast and compare’ piece on the policy announcements of National, the Greens and Labour. Enough to say that National are pursuing privatisation while both Labour and Green are at least trying to do good things.

Shame about the reality of the bigger picture then.

Useless and venal

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 7:53 am, January 28th, 2014 - 197 comments

Following David Cunliffe’s announcement of Best Start New Zealand’s right wing took it upon themselves to show how useless and venal they are. It started with Jordon “the new Cameron Slater” Williams and the National front group Taxpayers’ Union’s eviscerating attack on “Middleclass Welfare” (honestly guys that line’s so 2007) only to blame it on” “Labour […]

Less (inequality) is more….

Written By: karol - Date published: 7:19 pm, January 25th, 2014 - 40 comments

John Key seems to be trying to fudge the evidence of the damaging inequalities in NZ.  I recap Bunji’s 2010 series of posts on The Spirit Level showing the benefits of a more equal society.  Will this be addressed by Cunliffe and Turei this  long weekend?

NRT: Global inequality is a threat to democracy

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:51 am, January 22nd, 2014 - 31 comments

No Right Turn writes on the Oxfam report about the deliberate concentration of wealth by subverting the political process towards the inequality levels displayed in the movie Elysium. Today’s shock statistic: the 85 richest people in the world control as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion of us.

A matter of “confidence”

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:43 am, January 21st, 2014 - 41 comments

Some say the economy often responds positively to “confidence”, while lack of it can result in some financial nose dives.  But whose confidence is being highlighted in reports of NZ’ “rock star” economy?  Not that of workers, beneficiaries – the precariat, say Labour, Greens.

Down among the women: limits of ‘growth’

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:22 am, January 14th, 2014 - 97 comments

The GDP measure fails to account for life sustaining activities outside paid employment.  Women do the majority of such unpaid work.  A gender blind approach to financial crises is socially and economically destructive.   An alternative, cooperative social and economic model would attend to gender and other diversities.

Garth George’s best column … ever

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:01 am, January 6th, 2014 - 117 comments

Garth George’s latest newspaper column has a progressive prescription for the abolishing of poverty, some marxist analysis, a heavy criticism of Australian Banks and a conclusion that laissez-faire capitalism has to go.  I never thought he was a radical …