class war

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October 20th, day of action for work rights

Written By: - Date published: 6:45 am, October 19th, 2010 - 12 comments

Unemployment is up, wages are down. But the Nats want to put the boot into workers to keep costs down for their rich mates. They’re trying to take away workers’ rights, remove protections, cut pay, reduce holidays and diminish access to sick leave. Tomorrow is the national day of action when we fight back.

An understanding of class

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, October 17th, 2010 - 52 comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mYY1QGK0jQ Here’s John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett in the classic “An Understanding of Class”, a lovely commentary on one of the pillars of capitalism. Since the abandonment of class rhetoric by Labour a few decades ago, we no longer have a lot of class consciousness in New Zealand. Which is a bit ironic […]

Rules are for you, not for big money

Written By: - Date published: 6:51 pm, October 14th, 2010 - 17 comments

In the US banks that turned mortgages into “complex financial instruments” that were so complex nobody knows who owns what are foreclosing on homeowners.

That’s despite the banks having failed to prove they have a right to. And the justice system is backing the big money. It’s gangster capitalism at its finest.

Congressman Alan Grayson explains…

TVNZ golden handshake for bigot?

Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, October 13th, 2010 - 35 comments

If you resign from your job today will your boss give you half a year’s pay as a parting gift? No? Funny because that, apparently, is standard practice for high-paid stars. It is being reported Paul Henry received up to $150,000 from TVNZ when he resigned due to the storm over his racist remarks. And that was regarded as a good deal for TVNZ!

Capitalist Ten Commandments

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 pm, September 30th, 2010 - 22 comments

A Capitalist Ten Commandments.

Do unto others…

Pattern recognition

Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, September 30th, 2010 - 23 comments

John Key tells a businesswoman he “would love to see wages drop“. National makes sub-inflation minimum wage increase. National makes no effort to bring unemployment back down. Unemployment chokes wage rises. National attacks unions, the biggest driver of wage rises. Wage gap with Australia widens National opposes pay increases for teachers, medical techs, doctors,… National […]

Hickey sees the light

Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, September 29th, 2010 - 73 comments

Bernard Hickey, one of the country’s leading economic commentators, was a hardline neo-liberal – ie. the market is god. Now, he’s changed his mind. He’s come to the realisation that there’s no invisible god’s hand directing capitalist markets. Instead they are directed by short-termist elites. We need to take back control.

Solo parent bashing

Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, September 28th, 2010 - 101 comments

Life isn’t hard enough already for solo parents, according to the Nats.  So they’re going to make it harder.

Super City Picks

Written By: - Date published: 1:46 pm, September 26th, 2010 - 18 comments

Matt McCarten’s website for who to pick for a progressive Super City is finally up.  If you’re in Auckland and haven’t voted yet – make sure to have a look.

The bludger paradox

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, September 24th, 2010 - 89 comments

So. If you’re too poor to afford house insurance and you’re left homeless by an act of god, the government won’t help you.

But if you’re rich enough to own a farm, then one year you get hit by an act of god, the government will come running to your aid.

Pause For Thought # 1

Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, September 24th, 2010 - 30 comments

The suspension of normal democratic processes in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake should be an occasion to pause for thought in the light of likely future events.

Neoliberalism bringing US to its knees

Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, September 22nd, 2010 - 145 comments

A recent article in Canada’ MacLean’s magazine on the decline of public services in the US bears sobering links to what is happening in New Zealand. For three decades the neo-liberals have worked to starve public services to death with tax cuts for the rich. Now, the US is facing the consequences. New Zealand is on the same path just a little behind.

National’s dodgy tax campaign

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 pm, September 20th, 2010 - 56 comments

According to the ODT government MP’s are going to be travelling around the country trying to convince New Zealanders that their plan to cut taxes for the rich isn’t actually a plan to cut taxes for the rich at all.

Key’s crocodile tears for teachers & doctors

Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, September 20th, 2010 - 31 comments

John Key says he supports the teachers and junior doctors’ claims for a pay rise ‘but we simply don’t have the money’. Yet Key who is borrowing half a billion dollars this year for tax cuts for the wealthiest 9%. It isn’t a question of what the government can afford. It’s who matters to National – the rich do, teachers and doctors don’t.

Amongst the rubble: a look at the Christchurch earthquake from the bottom up

Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, September 18th, 2010 - 16 comments

First posted on the excellent Beyond Resistance blog: While the dust settles and Christchurch recovers from the 7.1 earthquake, people have begun to pick up the pieces and get on with their lives. But for many working class people this is not so easy. Those most affected by ‘natural disasters’ are those already on the margins of despair.

Equality of opportunity

Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, September 13th, 2010 - 194 comments

“The Spirit Level” is a book with a simple message: An unequal society is a sick society.  It’s a message that has the right wing running scared, and trying to dodge the issue by pretending that they believe in “equality of opportunity”.  But across society there’s no such thing…

Nats fail to save jobs in quake zone

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 pm, September 9th, 2010 - 70 comments

86 workers have been fired from Kaiapoi New World, which will be closed for a year due to quake damage. This is exactly why the government should implement the kind of scheme I outlined where the government steps in to supply the full wages of workers who can’t work due to the quake, funded by delaying the tax cuts for the rich.

Broken principles and broken windows

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 pm, September 5th, 2010 - 48 comments

Rich investor and you put your money in a dodgy finance company? Did the company collapse? You get your money back. No questions. Lost your job thanks to this endless recession? Couldn’t afford insurance? Property damaged in the quake? Key says you can get stuffed. It’s called class war. Also, Key thinks the clean-up will be an economic stimulus. Someone tell this money-man about the broken windows fallacy.

SCF bail-out gets much, much murkier

Written By: - Date published: 8:46 pm, September 2nd, 2010 - 14 comments

A few people have made a hell of a lot of money off the South Canterbury Finance collapse and bail-out. Are these the same people behind the mystery company that was created just three weeks ago and wants to buy SCF for $1.57 billion? Whether it’s been an organised plan or just lone sharks attracted by blood in the water, the result is the same: the rich win, we lose.

NZ’s biggest welfare beneficiary revealed in shock horror Herald exclusive expose’

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, September 2nd, 2010 - 22 comments

To find out who it is, click here.
Will this individual’s personal file be read out in Parliament by Paula Bennett?
Will this beneficiary’s sex life be investigated by WINZ as grounds for disqualification?

Our $20 million bill for Nats’ expediency

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 pm, September 1st, 2010 - 28 comments

Many argue English should never have extended the deposit guarantee to South Canterbury Finance in April, or question whether the terms of the guarantee called for the pay-out. Then there’s the stink around the payment of SCF bonds. One thing’s for sure, the Nats didn’t need to spend $20 million on foreign depositors – they did it to try to kill the issue faster. Plenty of meat for Labour. Will they bite?

The many bail out the few

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 pm, August 31st, 2010 - 52 comments

Funny how quickly John Key and Bill English found that spare $1.7bn for wealthy investors after all that talk about how we should be tightening our belts.

It’s shows exactly where their priorities are.

Death of a Working Class Hero

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, August 28th, 2010 - 14 comments

In a culture where the only heroes seem to be sports stars and comic book characters it’s important to remember those whose have fought for the rights of workers.

Earlier this month, one of these heroes, Jimmy Reid, died.

He is a man who passing should not go unmarked.

Lies, damn lies and desperation

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, August 26th, 2010 - 43 comments

It is time we got away from Mr Key’s focus on individual greed and got back to a focus on better hospital, schools and care for those who are struggling. David Clark argues that Key’s tax cuts are going to actually drive away our high-achievers while Mr Key is telling us it’s going to bring them home.

Dunne: 80% of families will pay for income splitting & get nothing

Written By: - Date published: 9:28 am, August 17th, 2010 - 41 comments

Peter Dunne admits that income splitting will be available to only 310,000 families. The other 1.3 million will get nothing and be left to pick up the bill. Even of the lucky 19%, only a fraction will get big tax cuts. Most will get squat but a few families with big disparities between the partners’ incomes win big. Key has voted himself $22K of tax cuts so far, this would be another $9K. Will he be tempted?

More tax cuts for the elite coming

Written By: - Date published: 10:13 am, August 14th, 2010 - 42 comments

The Government is set to announce income splitting. Effectively, it allows a taxpayer to assign part of their income for taxation purposes to their partner on a lower income, the transferred income will be taxed at a lower rate. This will benefit a select group: wealthy nuclear families, especially those with a stay at home parent. An unaffordable, unfair, unnecessary policy.

The age of recession sharpens class war

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, August 13th, 2010 - 23 comments

So, it looks like we’re heading back into recession. We’re going to have to get used to the idea that we can’t depend on perpetual economic growth to deliver rising living standards to all. We could make nearly everyone wealthier with a fairer distribution of wealth but the opposite is happening. This is simply class war; a battle over shares of a diminishing prize. And we’re letting the rich win.

Unions launch name and shame

Written By: - Date published: 7:09 am, August 13th, 2010 - 144 comments

John Key challenged the unions to “put up or shut up”. So they’re going to put up. The CTU has launched a campaign to name and shame businesses that are abusing the fire at will (90 day probation) bill. It’s a campaign based around personal stories. Heather Smith tells the first of many…

The cycleway & the coming benefit cuts

Written By: - Date published: 9:24 am, August 12th, 2010 - 42 comments

Attacking beneficiaries won’t solve the real problems. There aren’t enough jobs, the recession is not really over. Rather than dealing with that, this government is carving off an ever large slice of our shrinking national wealth for their rich buddies. The poor and the jobless are turned into figures of public spite by a government of the rich which will cut to their meagre benefits will be pay for tax cuts for the rich.

Welfare working group tries to create a crisis

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, August 10th, 2010 - 43 comments

The benefit system is not unaffordable, the best way to lower its cost is to create jobs. But it is clear that is not on the Welfare Workings Group’s agenda. Their job is to paint beneficiaries as bludgers, the welfare system as broken and expensive. Their job is to pave the way for welfare cuts to pay for tax cuts that will leave the poorest Kiwi families more impoverished. They’ve made a good start.

Tory welfare bashing

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 10th, 2010 - 100 comments

If the political world can be split into Left and Right, is there any issue which is better at dividing us than welfare? Inevitably, the Tory attack on welfare has begun. The Rebstock report “dutifully deliver[s] the findings the government wants to hear”.