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Rashbrooke on poverty in NZ and UK

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:23 am, July 9th, 2015 - 15 comments

Max Rashbrooke has a major article in The Guardian today looking at poverty in NZ and the UK, and what each country can learn from the other.

Slash Greek debt now!

Written By: Colonial Viper - Date published: 7:00 am, July 8th, 2015 - 222 comments

Europe must agree to slashing Greece’s debt so that economic growth can begin again. Germany should understand this better than most.

Deconstructing the government’s report card

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 12:21 pm, July 7th, 2015 - 11 comments

The government has awarded itself a nice report card. Let’s take a closer look.

Common People; Yanis Varoufakis is all Class.

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 11:21 am, July 7th, 2015 - 81 comments

The Greek Finance minister has unexpectedly quit. He had already said he would resign if the referendum was lost; nobody expected that he would go after such a stunning win. But it was the strategically correct thing to do. Why can’t some of the veterans in the NZ Labour Party take the hint?

An idea that could catch on

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:50 pm, July 6th, 2015 - 51 comments

banks-rubbish

School lunches – Key vs data

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:11 am, July 6th, 2015 - 29 comments

Key claimed that the number of hungry kids in schools was limited to “the odd one or two”. Everyone knew it was nonsense. Now a survey by the New Zealand Principals’ Federation indicates the true extent of the problem.

Greece defaults

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:18 pm, July 1st, 2015 - 179 comments

As the last Global Financial Crisis taught us, we’re in for another round of protecting the banks and letting the people suffer.

Another disease of poverty making a comeback

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:18 am, June 30th, 2015 - 139 comments

Add another disease of poverty to the list of those that are making a comeback in NZ.

Will New Zealand social housing soon subsidise Australian social housing?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:56 pm, June 29th, 2015 - 58 comments

John Key’s interview on Morning Report this morning suggests that National does not know what it is doing with its social housing policy. Are we approaching a situation where profits from New Zealand social housing is going to underwrite the cost of Australian social housing?

Inequality – Treasury report

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:22 am, June 29th, 2015 - 22 comments

Last week Treasury came out with a detailed and interesting report, Inequality in New Zealand 1983/84 to 2013/14. It is no surprise to find that the last Labour government acted to reduce inequality, the current National government has acted to increase it.

Dickensian

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:23 am, June 25th, 2015 - 73 comments

Step 1: Make welfare assistance almost impossible to obtain. Step 2: Dismiss the concerns of the poor by telling them they should ask for more help. Done!

As the economy stalls it’s a great time to be a bank!

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:18 am, June 24th, 2015 - 34 comments

Ho ho – what am I saying? It’s always a great time to be a bank.

NRT: Disgraceful

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:05 am, June 23rd, 2015 - 11 comments

I/S at No Right Turn: “Since coming to power in 2008, the National government has sold more than a thousand state houses and tightened access to the remainder considerably. The net result? People not getting the assistance they need…”

Lift the refugee quota

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:16 am, June 23rd, 2015 - 69 comments

Refugees are people, but they get treated as a political football, as recent events in Australia and NZ have demonstrated once again. It is long past time that NZ raised its refugee quota.

The Best of British; The NHS, the Welfare State and David Bowie

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 12:39 pm, June 21st, 2015 - 24 comments

Massive anti-austerity marches have just ended all over Britain. Tens of thousands of protesters have turned out to let the Tory government know that the fight against the right has not ended with the general election. Welsh singer Charlotte Church told the crowd in London that she is proudly British, but for all the right reasons.

The death of trickle down economics and the mess we’re in

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:11 am, June 17th, 2015 - 139 comments

Trickle down economics is pronounced dead by the IMF. Housing, the working poor and the economy – the policy settings are wrong everywhere.

Deadly “social bonds”?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:57 am, June 16th, 2015 - 56 comments

The Nats want to turn over social problems to the private sector for profit. This account from the UK should give them pause.

The third way according to Tony Blair

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:06 am, June 14th, 2015 - 70 comments

Supporters of Tony Blair’s third way and the need for Labour to be aspirational should reflect on recent reports of his huge wealth earned with taxpayer support while he has been engaged on official business.

White Man Behind A Desk: Social Bonds

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 4:26 pm, June 12th, 2015 - 13 comments

White Man Behind A Desk on the death of government, social bonds, and more. Perfect for a Friday!

TPP designed to cripple our health system

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:31 am, June 11th, 2015 - 80 comments

“[The TPP] appears to be designed to cripple New Zealand’s strong public healthcare programme and to inhibit the adoption of similar programmes in developing countries.”

OECD sounding the alarm

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:26 am, June 10th, 2015 - 84 comments

Freeing up Auckland land for private development and sale at market rates isn’t going to cut it.

Relationships Aotearoa to close today

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:50 am, June 9th, 2015 - 19 comments

Relationships Aotearoa is closing its doors today, as a result of ineptitude and indifference on the part of the Government. Claimed safeguards are looking incredibly shaky. Only three of the five organisations touted to take up the work are prepared to do so. And MSD has caused upset to the Privacy Commissioner by misrepresenting his views.

Murdoch on state houses then and now

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:51 am, June 7th, 2015 - 4 comments

murdoch-state-houses

The shame of poverty in NZ

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:11 am, June 6th, 2015 - 30 comments

According to the Ministry of Social Development child poverty is worse in NZ than in any European country. According to the Child Poverty Action Group new figures are going to show an increase in poverty. According to the coroner a damp unhealthy state house contributed to the death of a child. Welcome to the “brighter future”.

The stupidest idea this Government has had yet

Written By: mickysavage - 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.

Budget gives with one hand and takes with the other

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:49 am, May 22nd, 2015 - 188 comments

An increase to the base rate of benefits is welcome, but it comes with nasty fishhooks. As the Nats are forced to address leftie / progressive issues – a capital gains tax, Auckland housing, poverty – we the people need to keep the pressure on.

Budget 2015 – A reactive budget

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:30 am, May 21st, 2015 - 161 comments

A panicked response to the Auckland property crisis. A welcome (albeit inadequate) adjustment to benefit rates. Public pressure is forcing action on the Left’s political agenda. Still no surplus, and no one believes the projected one next year. A reactive budget – there is no vision.