capitalism

We’re leaving & we’re taking the dams

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:57 am, May 7th, 2013 - 18 comments

Following the Labour and Greens’ rejection of their demand that the parties drop their NZ Power policy to lower power prices, the business elite has announced capital flight. ‘If Origin Energy loses its rentier profits, who’s next? said Phil O’Reilly, close to tears, ‘The banks? The Telecoms duopoly? The petrol companies?* The construction materials oligopoly? The ports and airports?

Networks of influence: Key & Anadarko Petroleum

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:25 pm, May 2nd, 2013 - 18 comments

John Key’s networks of influence include the bosses and directors of Anadarko Petroleum, which is doing some oil exploration in NZ. Gordon Campbell’s excellent piece of investigative journalism shows Anadarko and it’s bosses are not to be trusted.

Why First NZ Capital wants you to keep paying too much for power

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:48 am, May 1st, 2013 - 35 comments

A couple of people have questioned this series of posts outing the financial interests of supposedly ‘independent’ commentators who are coming out against the Green/Labour plan to lower power prices. ‘Everyone has links to everyone in New Zealand’. Maybe so, but not everyone is paid by the people whose interests they’re protecting while pretending to be independent in the msm.

Networks of influence: (dis)Advantage NZ

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:33 am, April 30th, 2013 - 21 comments

An Advantage New Zealand conference at SkyCity is the centre of major PR for John Key-backed, big oil exploration in NZ. While promoting and backing each others’ destructive profiteering, and endangering NZ’s environment, they are nurturing their networks of influence over expensive dinners and on the golf course.

It’s not us: it’s the big banks

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:01 am, April 29th, 2013 - 31 comments

MSM articles show the big Aussie banks are making record profits, Kiwis can save, and Adam Smith worshiping think tanks are not to be trusted. Cunliffe & Norman said it a while back – NAct policies and government spending cuts are not the answer.

Strikes: One Law for All

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:09 pm, April 26th, 2013 - 28 comments

National’s  Labour laws announced today have new sanctions on workers’ strikes: parties will have to provide notice of a strike, and employers will have a new right to fine workers for “partial strikes.” Also today the Herald’s Insider  reports business reaction to Labour’s NZPower and invokes the threat of capital strike,  posed as a threat to an elected government’s right to govern. If Simon Bridges wants to see fairness,  then capital strikes by business should surely face the same constraints as worker strikes.

‘That politician got amnesia again’

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:30 am, April 26th, 2013 - 21 comments

Today’s anonymous Dominion Post editorial points to the beginning of John Key’s fall from grace.  It centres on Key’s personal qualities, continues to support the MSM’s support of personality politics, glosses over the serious issues masked by Key’s (alleged) amnesia, and uses a false equivalence with Helen Clark.

Monbiot on our misplaced faith in “the market”

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:22 am, April 25th, 2013 - 23 comments

Relevant in so many ways to current events in NZ, here are extracts from an excellent article by George Monbiot. Read the full piece in The Guardian or at monbiot.com.

Loss of wealth? No, a redistribution of wealth

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 8:50 am, April 23rd, 2013 - 29 comments

Eddie explored yesterday who stands to lose from falling asset values in electricity companies resulting from lower power prices. The answer: the Crown and foreign investors. Now, JBWere has estimated those book value losses at up tp $1.4b for Contact and Trustpower, meaning $4b all up. But, despite the cries from the Right, that doesn’t mean wealth is being lost, it’s moving.

Nats still at panic-stations over NZ Power

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:29 am, April 22nd, 2013 - 16 comments

Can there be a greater sign of the threat that National sees in NZ Power than the fact they have put out 5 press releases condemning it in 4 days? I bet Key spends his Monday media round attacking it too. National knows they’re on to a hiding – they’re defending excessive profits over lower power prices for people. But they’re ideological bound to reject the solution.

The “socialist” vs capitalist PR war: NZ Power

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:19 am, April 21st, 2013 - 123 comments

The Key government and its allies are playing the “red scare” gambit, the Greens get to the heart of the reason for NZ Power, Parker goes Third Way, while Bernard Hickey and Matt McCarten weigh in to support the (alleged) “socialist” NZ Power policy. Bomber Bradbury adds some words of caution. [updated title]

Reaction to NZ power

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:09 am, April 20th, 2013 - 98 comments

The Labour / Green electricity proposals picked up very significant support from Vector CEO Simon Mackenzie. Other analysts and commentators have weighed in with support, while some of the reaction from the business community has been (like the Nats) bordering on the unhinged.

Do the lights ever go out on Planet Key?

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:19 pm, April 19th, 2013 - 33 comments

John Key says that the Labour-Green Power policy is “barking mad” and will take people back to the power cuts of the 1970s.  Another John Key brainfade, or just being “clueless”? I look at power cuts and fuel poverty since the 1990s.

NZ Power and the next step

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 7:43 pm, April 18th, 2013 - 54 comments

The NZ Power policy is the most significant break from the neoliberal political consensus we’ve seen for a long time.

Which is why it’s likely to draw a lot of fire from the elite. Let make sure there’s a lot of push back.

Networks of influence

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:45 am, April 14th, 2013 - 57 comments

John Key is into networking and schmoozing with the wealthy & influential. He’s  given special attention to the entertainment industries, GCSB, intellectual property & commerce.  He crossed paths with Warner’s people the year before the Hobbit dispute, but never played golf with Dotcom.