class war

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No Aroha for Key

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, February 7th, 2011 - 27 comments

Tomorrow is the first day of Parliament for the year, so I’m picking we’ll see John Key’s annual passing mention of the ‘underclass’. You remember Key’s promise to make lifting the underclass his priority, eh? Well, Key doesn’t. He has abandoned Aroha Nathan after using her for PR and now says he can’t do anything for the poor.

Key’s priorities laid-bare

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 7th, 2011 - 24 comments

When a millionaire director and a foreign corporate wanted millions in tax breaks, Key jumped to it. When SCF collapsed the investors got an average of $60K, no questions asked. But when it comes to helping the ordinary families of Christchurch and the West Coast, the Nats are nowhere to be seen once the cameras are gone.

Bloody Klowns

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, February 5th, 2011 - 80 comments

Ever been in a job where you thought you were underpayed and overworked? Ever voiced those feelings to your workmates? Either on the job, or during ‘smoko’, over the telephone or through some other electronic medium?

A Burger King employee in Dunedin has. And now, astonishingly,  faces the possibility of being fired for serious misconduct.

“Rich”

Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, January 23rd, 2011 - 259 comments

We have a national myth that everyone is in essence equal, yet we have a disparity of wealth where 10% own more than the other 90% put together and 50% have no net assets. How does one square away occupying a position of extreme privilege in a democratic society? Often, by convincing yourself that your privilege doesn’t exist.

Rise of the right-whingers

Written By: - Date published: 9:59 pm, January 17th, 2011 - 37 comments

In the last decade or so the right have taken the rhetoric of grievance and victimhood and used it to stifle debate. But there’s a big difference between real grievances like racial oppression and the so-called grievances rich, powerful right-wingers (or should that be right-whingers) subscribe to.

The Two Nations: or, Why Won’t They Bail Me Out?

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 pm, January 11th, 2011 - 38 comments

Under the supposed rules of capitalism, investors take a “haircut” if an investment goes bad – no reward without risk. It’s also Economics 101 that giving relief to the ‘little people’ will have a more stimulating effect on the economy than if you bail out the wealthiest interests in society. But the powers that be are breaking the rules to aid the rich.

The widening gap

Written By: - Date published: 11:12 pm, January 10th, 2011 - 93 comments

No, this post isn’t about Smile and Wave’s failure to close the gap with Australia. It’s about the widening gap between the tiny elite in this country and the rest of us. Even before the Great Recession, 10% controlled more wealth than the rest of us combined. The housing market shows that their wealth is still rising while ours falls.

Ministerial review: poverty

Written By: - Date published: 6:22 am, January 6th, 2011 - 26 comments

When was the last time that John Key mentioned the ‘underclass’? In his Statement to Parliament at the start of last year – after Eddie called him out on never talking about the underclass – but he didn’t actually read that part of the statement. So, what has Key actually done for the underclass that he purported to care for so much? Nothing. He’s let poverty worsen.

John “30-sec” Key…. smile and walk away.

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 pm, January 3rd, 2011 - 103 comments

The two significant things from the Herald interview: #1 The signalling by John Key of his willingness to step down. #2 The view of John Key that “essentially there is no money”. “There won’t be money for us and there won’t be money for Labour,” John Key. The significant thing about the first statement is, […]

Private Bradley Manning

Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, December 25th, 2010 - 22 comments

So, it’s Christmas; the season of good will and all. But for some of our institutions,  juggernauts of bad will that they are, they just roll on regardless . For what it’s worth there is an on line letter you can sign calling on the US to end it’s inhumane treatment of Bradley Manning. Maybe signing it constitutes a Christmas message of sorts.

Nats & Jackson played us for fools

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, December 21st, 2010 - 130 comments

The Herald has used the OIA to get hold of emails Peter Jackson sent Gerry Brownlee during the Hobbit shakedown. They show that the Actors’ Equity blacklisting was not a threat to the film staying here – yet Jackson and Brownlee told us it was to justify handing Warners $34 million and rushing through an anti-worker law.

Human Nature and Propaganda

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, December 17th, 2010 - 63 comments

We don’t have to care so much about beneficiaries any more. Or those single parents. Or the trials and tribulations of anyone else at all really. We have to be grown up. And we are more mean and lean than we used to be. Hell, even those pesky parliamentary lefties have abandoned the beneficiaries and the single parents. Yup. Nothing to see there. Life is good. We’re getting ahead. And we sure know what’s what. Don’t we?

Government Spending Ideology

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, December 16th, 2010 - 29 comments

The Right always advocates for less government spending as a percentage of GDP. Those with ideological blinkers cannot see the high correlation between being a free and stable country and paying for it. The most successful nations are willing to invest in quality public services. Government spending is low in poor, unequal, and unstable countries.

Key out of touch on taxes

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, December 14th, 2010 - 37 comments

Do you feel better off after the great tax swindle?  Two recent surveys have shown that the significant majority of us do not.  John Key has expressed his surprise at our ingratitude.  But the numbers tell the story.  Most of us don’t feel better off because we aren’t better off.  The only surprise is that John Key is so completely out of touch as to fail to understand this.

National Attacks Vulnerable Children

Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, December 14th, 2010 - 22 comments

National are consistently attacking the vulnerable in society – those who cannot fight back and complain. This is where a lot of their cuts are aimed at – those who need it most. Be it in health, education or welfare.

And in several recent health and education National cuts have hurt the most vulnerable – our children.  Not just the massive ECE cuts of Tolley, but cuts hurting those at the bottom even more.

Key on welfare

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 pm, December 13th, 2010 - 68 comments

Interesting piece by Sue Bradford over at Pundit.  If the quote attributed to John Key is for real, it’s a shocker: “If we cancelled welfare to 330,000 people currently on welfare, how many would starve to death? Bugger all.”

Tales from front-lines of the class war

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, December 6th, 2010 - 17 comments

This collection of articles from recent days illustrate the class war going on within this country. In a time of economic, environmental, and social crisis, either the established elite can be reined in or it will use its power to cement its position and take a greater share of the wealth. Because we’re letting them, the elite are winning the class war.

Another handout for bludgers?

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 pm, December 5th, 2010 - 47 comments

Warners bludge $30 mil out of us. Kiwifruit growers get a blank cheque while other firms go under. Farmers have their hands out cause it hasn’t rained. Rich finance investors get us to cover their losses. Now, a $10K a night resort wants us to pay for some royals to stay there. Apparently, it’ll be great value for money – that’s what corporate bludgers always say.

Welfare working group follows the formula

Written By: - Date published: 1:17 pm, November 25th, 2010 - 40 comments

I’m not going to waste a lot of time on the Welfare Working Group’s report. It follows the Brash-esque formula of mis-representing the issue as some massive problem and then presenting ‘solutions’ that have failed overseas. Like the Brash reports, it will be used by the Nats for bait and switch, making their actual cuts seem moderate by comparison.

So Sport and Politics Should be Kept Separate?

Written By: - Date published: 2:56 pm, November 22nd, 2010 - 3 comments

Seems Eric Cantona wasn’t listening.

I particularly liked the response given by Valérie Ohannesian of the French Banking Federation who, seemingly devoid of any sense of irony stated that,  “One of the main roles of a bank is to keep money safe. This appeal will give great pleasure to thieves, I would have thought.”

Spirit Level author on Q+A

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, November 21st, 2010 - 11 comments

The Spirit Level is the book that the loony right of politics loves to hate.  Today, Sunday morning political analysis show Q+A features Emeritus Professor Richard Wilkinson, co-author of The Spirit Level (9am on One).  Should be an interesting programme…

English: excuses but no solutions on plummeting incomes

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, November 19th, 2010 - 33 comments

Labour picked up on the statistics I revealed yesterday that show the median income of Maori has fallen 11.5% under National and the Pacific Island median income is down an astounding 19%. Kris Fa’afoi and Annette King put out press releases. Then King took the battle to Bill English in the House, who it seems is also a reader.

Framing the argument

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, November 18th, 2010 - 16 comments

Bill English and brother Conner, CEO of Federated Farmers, share a vision for the world. It’s one where the environment and workers are exploited to the hilt in the name of ‘growth’ and the fruits of that ‘growth’ flow to a privileged elite (like the Englishes). Yesterday rich-boy Conner chided the rest of us with a speech titled “There is no free lunch”

Managing Addiction

Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, November 6th, 2010 - 32 comments

We’ve had numerous prescriptions claiming to tackle ever growing numbers of social ills, but the elephant in the room; the underlying cause for our problems as a society is always, assiduously ignored.  And that means that many of our resources are being wasted (perhaps deliberately) on illusory problems.

Austerity in the UK

Written By: - Date published: 5:16 pm, November 2nd, 2010 - 63 comments

The UK entered the financial crisis over-committed and under-prepared.  They spent billions of taxpayers’ money bailing out the bankers.  Now the bills need to be paid, and the new government is embarking on a vicious austerity regime.  As usual, the burden falls on the poor…

Can we afford poverty?

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, November 2nd, 2010 - 215 comments

We know that poverty is the root of a good deal of society’s problems from crime, to poor educational outcomes, to poor health. Just the direct economic costs of these problems are in the billions per year, and we can’t forget the loss of human potential and happiness. The good news: we can easily afford to eliminate poverty.

Mark Ames on the rally to restore sanity

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 pm, October 31st, 2010 - 28 comments

Liberals too cool to be caught standing for anything sit on the fence and make clever whithering comment while oligarchs who realise just how serious it really is wage war on the poor and the middle class.

No, it’s not the Hobbit fiasco, it’s Mark Ames’ take on the rally for vanity and what it really means for the US.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Written By: - Date published: 1:10 pm, October 29th, 2010 - 22 comments

28% of the population raised out of poverty.

50% growth over a five and a half year period

8.2% growth per annum

Unemployment down from 21.5% to 8.5%

Inflation adjusted wages up by more than 40%

20 hours free to go?

Written By: - Date published: 1:57 pm, October 28th, 2010 - 33 comments

The last Labour government introduced 20 hours free early childhood education.  It’s a resource that many parents have since come to rely on, taking some pressure off household budgets as every other cost seems to keep on going up and up.  But now we have the latest in a series of indications that the Nats are going to cut the programme…

The price of our hysteria

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 pm, October 27th, 2010 - 180 comments

The Government will give the Hobbit producers an extra $33 million to stay in New Zealand and it’s going to use this ‘crisis’ as an excuse to slam through more anti-worker laws. New Zealand has been played like naive hicks. The Hobbit was never leaving. We let Jackson and his Hollywood mates whip us into a frenzy of fear – now we’re paying the cost.

A time of trouble, a time for action

Written By: - Date published: 2:15 pm, October 25th, 2010 - 5 comments

The release of 400,000 classified documents on the Iraq war today highlights a much broader issue for New Zealand. As the world moves into uncertainty, some commentators call it a ‘new new world order’, New Zealand must establish itself definitively, cementing the values we wish to hold true for the coming century.