capitalism

Categories under capitalism

discrimination (82)

Consumerism’s ‘desert of the real’

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:48 am, January 6th, 2014 - 47 comments

In The Matrix Neo discovers that his “reality”, is a virtual world that had kept him from seeing “the desert of the real”. George Monbiot cites research that shows how capitalism is eating itself and its consumers. The marketing con of “the good life” – desert of the real.

America is becoming a third world nation

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:39 am, December 29th, 2013 - 194 comments

It appears that America is becoming rich in name only as more and more of its people in jobs rely on state assistance to make ends meet. And many of these jobs are in highly profitable industries such as the Banks and Wal Mart where people at the top of those organisations make huge amounts. And the payments are a drain on the State’s finances and prevent it from funding important things such as asset renewal and education.

Chorus insider trading?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:40 am, December 17th, 2013 - 35 comments

The Government appears to be softening us up for a financial contribution to Chorus in the realm of $250 million so that it can do what it has a contractual obligation to do anyway. And TUANZ thinks that some insider trading is going on with Chorus’s shares.

What happened to the working class?

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:36 am, December 15th, 2013 - 175 comments

In post WWII UK, working class people were gaining a stronger voice in public life. Then came Thatcher and middle class capture of politics & the media. Something similar happened in NZ. How can those on low incomes and/or from the working classes gain a stronger voice in NZ politics?

The Carbon or the Swag?

Written By: Bill - Date published: 2:32 pm, December 12th, 2013 - 42 comments

So many choices! What’s a body to do?

Making sense of the (un)employment stats: Census 2013

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:22 am, December 12th, 2013 - 22 comments

A Statistics NZ Census quick stats page is both useful and puzzling. Nearly a 3rd of adults are not in the “labour force”, unemployment stats mask true unemployment, the young and low income women particularly are struggling, distorted occupation categories, and more….. [Update: Occupation categories]

How to: Pick an Excuse for Not doing Anything About Poverty

Written By: KJT - Date published: 11:08 am, December 12th, 2013 - 97 comments

Right wing, ~~excuses~~ reasons, for not doing anything about children in poverty.

The new right wing party

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:53 am, December 10th, 2013 - 172 comments

With ACT’s imminent demise, the Conservatives appearing to be decided flakey and National losing its free market credentials by engaging in crony capitalism the temptation to set up a new political party on the right is increasing. And you can be assured that money will not be a problem.

Get me inta here!

Written By: Bill - Date published: 12:34 pm, November 30th, 2013 - 18 comments

Some things don’t require much in the way of brains. Shame then that we tend to let no brain people determine shit so often.

Nat government treachery destroys public broadcasting

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:16 am, November 21st, 2013 - 30 comments

Key’s government has destroyed the weak attempts by Labour to enable some public service broadcasting on Freeview. The NActs have employed ideologically-driven, irrational, bad faith, underhand, agreement-breaking moves to protect commercial monopoly. The CBB is campaigning for non-commercial TV channels.

Nats’ demolition derby

Written By: karol - Date published: 5:20 pm, November 18th, 2013 - 107 comments

John Key’s government is going full tilt at dismantling everything of value in NZ, and selling as much as possible to the overseas investors. It’s the government of Drill It, Mine it, Sell it. Find out about the asset sales referendum & how to vote.

Shhh! It’s the ‘P’ word.

Written By: Bill - Date published: 5:01 pm, November 18th, 2013 - 340 comments

You don’t have to be white and male and financially wealthy to assume a prominent position within systems of patriarchy, but it helps. And you don’t have to be financially strapped and black and female to feel the full weight of patriarchy always pressing down on you, but it helps.

Is it any wonder?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:58 am, November 13th, 2013 - 90 comments

Never wonder again why National is opposed to any kind of wealth tax, including capital gains tax, and would rather tax hard work instead. Never wonder again why there’s hundreds of millions of dollars for uneconomic irrigation projects but crumbs to feed hungry kids. Just look at this table of what the richest MPs won, and remember their friends are of the same class.

Sir Edmund Thomas: “Reducing Inequality” – new ‘Values’

Written By: karol - Date published: 5:48 pm, November 6th, 2013 - 29 comments

Sir Edmund Thomas’s recent Bruce Jesson Lecture is now online. He argues for a need to reduce inequalities, via a change in values away from those directed by “neoliberal” economics, & for a struggle from “below”. Is this intended to soften capitalism & not replace it?

Everything you wanted to know about the Chorus deal …

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:19 am, November 6th, 2013 - 108 comments

The Chorus fibre roll out deal with the Government is one of those issues that promises to embarrass the Government deeply, more deeply than us lefties may think. Because amongst the ranks of this Government’s supporters are those who hold close to principles. They not be our principles but nevertheless from the view of the right are just as if not more important than ours. One of the most important is the sanctity of the market. This is why some on the right are distraught at the generosity being shown to one of our largest corporates.

Couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:18 am, November 6th, 2013 - 99 comments

National was warned not to give the main ultrafast broadband contracts to Chorus. All it would do would restore and strengthen the monopoly that had kept internet prices too high (which Cunliffe has addressed). Of course, National ignored that. And now, once again, National finds itself in a corner, about to bailout out a large corporate that is using its market power to threaten its political agenda.

Does Key want to nationalise Chorus Soviet style?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:46 pm, November 5th, 2013 - 62 comments

The Commerce Commission has now decided that there should be a significant reduction in broadband costs although not as much as previously proposed. Chorus has responded by saying that it may not be able to complete the fibre outlay. John Key is suggesting that Chorus could be nationalised. And the right wing are in revolt. How has National been able to muck this issue up so badly?

Doing what works

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:21 am, November 4th, 2013 - 88 comments

One of Steven Joyce’s favourite refrains is that Labour is trying to take us back to the 1970s. You know, those dark days when unemployment was near non-existent, wages were high, growth was strong despite external shocks, we had nearly no foreign debt, profits stayed here, were we one of the richest and most egalitarian countries. He’s not far wrong.

National: the party the insurance companies bought

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 6:47 am, November 4th, 2013 - 72 comments

National and the Insurance Council are in lock-step in their opposition to KiwiAssure. That’s no coincidence, the two are very closely linked. We know that the Insurance Council’s head was Bill English’s Chief Advisor. But the links go deeper. The insurers gave National a million dollars for its ACC privatisation policy in 2005, they colluded to keep the details secret.

Is New York Mellon Corp Bank a Mum and Dad Investor?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:40 am, October 31st, 2013 - 40 comments

Well known mum and dad investor the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation has accumulated 8% 4% of Meridian Energy’s shares. And the Dominion Post editor has described the Government’s asset sales programme as “an unmitigated disaster – so disastrous it borders on economic vandalism”. Who feels a whole lot of “told you so” coming up?

On the waterfront: art & politics

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:01 pm, October 29th, 2013 - 81 comments

Auckland authorities disrespected past worker struggles in allowing an art work on the waterfront, that commemorates the ruthless suppression of the 1913 strike. After protests, it has now been covered. Time for the many to unite for fairness at work & in daily living!

NSA: ‘full spectrum dominance’

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:39 am, October 28th, 2013 - 23 comments

Latest revelations about the NSA’s international surveillance show it is about “full spectrum dominance” of military, economic, business and political activities. The TICS Bill is the latest part of Key’s changes to NZ’s surveillance agencies, further enabling the US government dominance via NSA, especially in business & politics.

Is society collapse and inequality linked?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:34 am, October 27th, 2013 - 61 comments

US mathematician Peter Turchin believes that mathematics can predict events such as the recent constitutional crisis in America and has constructed a model based on social and economic data that he believes predicts periods of instability and disaster for nations. This work shows the negative side of inequality and neatly compliments the work of Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett in the Spirit Level that showed the benefits of increased equality.

Quote of the day: “Atlas shrugs off climate change”

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:59 am, October 23rd, 2013 - 37 comments

Kennedy Graham’s post on NZ’s appalling record on climate change: ‘Atlas shrugs off climate change – a New Zealand policy failure of monumental proportions‘, includes a great quote about Key shrugging in the face of his (and “neoliberalism”) failures. So apt.

Because it’s all about “me”

Written By: karol - Date published: 6:24 pm, October 22nd, 2013 - 22 comments

Cunliffe talked of moving from a “from a cost-based to a values-based” strategy. We need a new narrative: valuing all, including children of those on benefits; about long term benefits for all of less inequality & poverty, and more affordable housing & better public transport, & more.

The Guardian on Dotcom, GCSB, Key & US power

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:37 am, October 10th, 2013 - 21 comments

An article in today’s UK Guardian highlights the role of Key’s, US-supporting, government in the GCSB, Dotcom, surveillance saga (and TPP). It is chilling & shows why we need to continue to campaign against NZ’s surveillance state legislation and for TPPA transparency.

Freeview, SkyTV & IT

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:41 am, October 9th, 2013 - 88 comments

NZ’s broadcasting and digital communications policies, provisions and regulations do not provide the capability for widespread democratic engagement. Cunliffe has twigged that broadcasting and digital communications policies need to be inter-linked in the 21st century context. NZ’s policies, provisions & regulations on both need major restructuring.

APEC, TPP, Crosby-Textor, Philip Morris & John Key

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:33 am, October 8th, 2013 - 76 comments

John Key’s role as Obama surrogate in chairing TPP discussions at APEC just reinforce how much Key is deeply involved in crony capitalist, Big Corporate serving networks of influence: ones that link him with anti-democratic Big Tobacco, Big Oil, and climate change denial propaganda.

Shutdown 2013

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:15 am, October 7th, 2013 - 61 comments

The US is creeping toward a week of government shut down. Held hostage by the Republicans Tea Party wing.

It will be fascinating to see what this does to the GOP. Will it split into two parties one essentially fascist and one more like the republicans of old? Or will it just dwindle away for a while?

All hail RBNZ independence! – Armstrong

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:32 am, October 5th, 2013 - 94 comments

Old man Armstrong’s out on the Herald’s front lawn this morning, shaking his fist and telling those bloody kids in Labour to stop questioning whether the Reserve Bank is doing the right thing. They should sit quietly and accept whatever the Bank decides to do. This is called ‘consensus’, apparently. Problem is, Armstrong provides no justification for complete RB independence.