Economy

Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour

Categories under Economy

National forgets it apologised for Housing Corp meth hysteria

Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, September 22nd, 2018 - 31 comments

Three months ago National apoligised for getting dud advice and evicting hundreds of state house tenants where miniscule amounts of methamphetamine were discovered. This week National backed off from that very proper apology.

Tax Working Group report depressing reading

Written By: - Date published: 6:10 pm, September 21st, 2018 - 66 comments

The Tax Working Group says the gaping holes in our tax system make it unfair and undermine its integrity, but the prospect of the electorate embracing even its limited recommendations on taxing capital gains make for depressing contemplation.

GDP figures expose business confidence survey nonsense

Written By: - Date published: 1:29 pm, September 20th, 2018 - 99 comments

ANZ Bank’s Outlook business confidence survey has been forecasting gloom and doom for the economy ever since the surprise election result turfed out the National Party. Today’s GDP data showed the economy has actually been pumping along faster than the Reserve Bank believes is good for it.

Will there be a Brexit?

Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, September 19th, 2018 - 33 comments

In short, I think not.

Quite a day or two then!

Written By: - Date published: 6:17 pm, September 18th, 2018 - 83 comments

A quick smorgasbord of reported news from Syria, to China and Sweden, to antisemitism and (hidden behind the links) an interview with (hopefully) the first woman who will serve as President of the USA.

Updated

Someone tell the business sector, Kiwis like this Government

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 18th, 2018 - 29 comments

A recent survey conducted by IPSOS shows New Zealanders are feeling more positive about the Labour-NZ First coalition government than they were the previous one.

Beyond Left and Right?

Written By: - Date published: 8:27 pm, September 17th, 2018 - 78 comments

Does an understanding of class politics define being left? And if we’re not reading books by Marx and Lenin any more, will the revolution be digitalised?

Prime Minister Ardern’s Coalition Reset Speech

Written By: - Date published: 8:27 am, September 16th, 2018 - 132 comments

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to give a big speech today.  I’m hoping for something that gives some kind of plan, common purpose, and sense of direction.

They got bailed out and we got sold out

Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, September 15th, 2018 - 56 comments

Ros Wynne Jones in the Daily Mirror excoriates the excesses of the Banking system and wonders why the rest of us tolerate bankers’ behaviour.

Coalition Problems? Tell ’em they’re Dreaming!

Written By: - Date published: 6:44 pm, September 13th, 2018 - 82 comments

Oh dear. The Winston Peters led governing coalition has completely collapsed and thank God Simon Bridges is there to pick up the pieces. I warned you this would happen! And look! Over there … the sky is falling. Falling, I tells ya!

What does it take for bosses not to get their bonus?

Written By: - Date published: 11:26 am, September 13th, 2018 - 17 comments

Why is it that all risk lies with the shareholders? Why does poor performance by a company not result in CEO and top management bonuses being clawed back?

Fonterra’s loss

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, September 13th, 2018 - 67 comments

Fonterra has just reported an after tax loss of $196 million for the 2018 year. It’s never had an annual loss in its history.

Business NZ runs bogus poll

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, September 12th, 2018 - 65 comments

Business NZ has admitted that a poll that it ran was fundamentally flawed but has threatened to go to the ILO about Labour’s rather modest proposed changes to Industrial Relations law.  And Radio New Zealand has reported on an industrial dispute involving Sistema plastics where union workers are working 60 hour working weeks without overtime pay on not much more than the minimum wage.

The Global Financial Crisis 10 Years On

Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, September 11th, 2018 - 32 comments

Ten years ago this week massive financial businesses in the United States started collapsing. How has the world recovered from this?

Tilting at Windmills

Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, September 10th, 2018 - 42 comments

The Donald found a real one!

Ardern and Pelosi.

Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, September 9th, 2018 - 65 comments

There is something very wrong with “our” media when it takes a stand-up comedian to alert people to important stuff. But anyway…

Guest post – Breast is best

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, September 9th, 2018 - 26 comments

It is high time we wean ourselves off the indiscriminate use of fossil fuels. We need to grow up.

US Mid Terms; Obama Enters the Ring

Written By: - Date published: 1:24 pm, September 8th, 2018 - 30 comments

America gets ready to rumble in the November mid terms, as Barack Obama enters the ring. At stake is control of both houses and the fate of the Trump presidency.

Public Service Reform

Written By: - Date published: 4:30 pm, September 6th, 2018 - 27 comments

For a country the size of Melbourne, we have a ridiculously complex state, and this layer of accountablility is largely a complete waste of our taxpayer money and degrades our agency as citizens.  Can we do better?

Kremlin Killers?

Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, September 6th, 2018 - 272 comments

UK Police have named the two Russian spies accused of the Novichok poisonings. But what can Britain do about it?

And the antisemites are…?

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, September 5th, 2018 - 65 comments

UK Labour adopted the IRHA definition of antisemitism in full, and…

Government as startup

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 4th, 2018 - 67 comments

Labour and New Zealand First Ministers under the first term of the sixth Labour government sitting in the Cabinet office.

This new government is almost perfectly replicating the burn cycle of a startup business.

Parliament and bullying

Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, August 31st, 2018 - 41 comments

It should be a qualification of being a Labour Member of Parliament that they treat their worked in an exemplary manner.

Business confidence verses business certainty

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, August 31st, 2018 - 37 comments

Lately the news has been all doom and gloom about business confidence.  But what is the reality?  And should we worry what an Australian Bank is telling us?

Facing Meka

Written By: - Date published: 9:11 am, August 31st, 2018 - 143 comments

How should Labour react to the loss of two Ministers in a week? And what would John Key have done?

Simon Bridges says the weirdest things – petrol prices

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, August 30th, 2018 - 43 comments

Simon Bridges has been trying to create a narrative about increasing petrol prices being the fault of the current government.  But he has been tweeting an incorrect price and his claims about responsibility have been contradicted by BP.

Litigation and equal pay – a history of the 1950’s equal pay campaign

Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, August 28th, 2018 - 3 comments

Forward In 2016 I wrote the below dissertation as part of my History Honours degree at Victoria University.  This dissertation explores the 1950s equal pay campaign, and specifically looks at the Jean Parker Case. Jean Parker was a PSA member employed at IRD, who like Kristine Bartlett 60 years later, won a landmark equal pay legal […]

Rental Rights Review

Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, August 27th, 2018 - 68 comments

The Labour led Government has announced a review into tenancy laws. It’s about time we balanced the rental market, which has for too long let renters down.

Remembering Chris Morley

Written By: - Date published: 3:21 am, August 27th, 2018 - 7 comments

On Friday 27 July 2018, Wellington Tramways Union Vice President Chris Morley passed away after a short battle with Cancer, aged 62. Chris had been a Wellington bus driver since 1978, when public transport in the city was run and controlled by Wellington City Council. In 2008 I was privileged to be elected to the Tramways Union […]

Period. End. Done.

Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, August 26th, 2018 - 42 comments

The Scottish government has just taken a massive step to eradicate period poverty. Why not here?

Turnbull out, Morrison In?

Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, August 23rd, 2018 - 100 comments

Turnbull out, Morrison or Dutton in? The Australian Liberal Party self flagellation continues in Canberra. Updates as they roll in, cobbers.

UPDATE: Malcolm Turnbull calls press conference at 1PM AEST (3PM in NZ)

UPDATE: Turnbull to quit tomorrow, if ballot called.

UPDATE: Julie Bishop prepares bid.

UPDATE: Scott Morrison wins, Dutton defeated 45-40.