poverty

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The “Brighter future”.

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, March 21st, 2015 - 34 comments

Labour, in 1984, with Richard Prebble and Roger Douglas, promised that if we adopted their prescription we would have a “Brighter Future”. Ruth Richardson in the 90’s promised a “Brighter Future”. Again in 2014 John Key’s National promises a “Brighter Future”.

A “Brighter Future”. For whom?

 

Key runs from poverty protestors

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, February 16th, 2015 - 226 comments

The PM running from a yacht club when confronted with protestors against poverty. Pretty fair summary of where this country is at.

Salvation Army – State of the Nation

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, February 11th, 2015 - 18 comments

This morning the Salvation Army released their state of the nation report – A Mountain All Can Climb. It is mixed news, and most coverage has focused on the impact of the housing crisis.

Locking in housing inequality

Written By: - Date published: 3:20 pm, February 9th, 2015 - 37 comments

We are in the process of locking in inequality through the intergenerational ownership of housing, thus squeezing more and more mobility out of society.

No quick fix for diseases of poverty

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, January 16th, 2015 - 136 comments

The continued rise of rheumatic fever is an indictment of our society.

New figures show that there is no quick fix for diseases of poverty.

Your move, National.

What John Key actually believes in

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, January 6th, 2015 - 146 comments

Charlie Mitchell of the Dominion Post has analysed John Key’s formal speeches since 2007 to see what has from time to time been uppermost in Key’s mind. The results are interesting to say the least.

The Socialist Pope

Written By: - Date published: 1:26 pm, December 29th, 2014 - 54 comments

Pope Francis has created a stir recently.  He has been instrumental in the ending by the United States of sanctions against Cuba, he has criticised the Curia for being inwardly focussed and not sufficiently concerned for the poor and he has reached out to Muslims.  And to top things off he is intending to issue a Papal Encyclical on climate change and will be urging countries to enter into a meaningful agreement on climate change.

Europe & the anti-austerity left

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, December 24th, 2014 - 28 comments

The UK Green Party is gaining in popularity as many people turn away from the 3 established parties.  The radical left Syriza party in Greece could possibly gain power in their election – what powerful international right wing forces would then be unleashed?

R0b’s christmas suggestions

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, December 20th, 2014 - 11 comments

So suggestions on how to have an ethical christmas that is light on the planet and will improve the plight of humanity.

Power poverty on the up

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, December 19th, 2014 - 56 comments

The government has failed to tackle NZ’s on-going housing crisis. Fuel/energy poverty is increasing, with a higher proportion of households unable to afford any heating.  More Kiwis are renting than in the 2006 census, & more Aucklanders live in over-crowded households.

inability to access food

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, December 16th, 2014 - 33 comments

people are reporting that they have been unable to access emergency grants for food, simply because that are unable to reach WINZ staff to apply for one.

Inequality – two excellent pieces

Written By: - Date published: 8:55 am, December 14th, 2014 - 65 comments

Inequality has been very much in the news recently. Friday saw the publication of two really excellent pieces that between them provide a comprehensive, if depressing overview.

Christmas at the extremes

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, December 13th, 2014 - 65 comments

Two New Zealands will shortly celebrate Christmas, the poor and the rich. Here’s a crazy thought…

This is not business as usual. This is not some hippy over-reaction. This is serious shit!

Written By: - Date published: 4:18 pm, December 11th, 2014 - 55 comments

New author Mandy Hager joins us with some reflections on having become a grandmother: “So that’s why I’m speaking out now, every opportunity I get. Not because I like the exposure (shudder), but because I love this tiny little person and I will fight for his future, come what may. It’s the right thing to do. …”

The Roll of Shame.

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, December 10th, 2014 - 41 comments

Another day of shame for the New Zealand Government. as they march us in lockstep…….

Towards the sort of police State we used to fight.

rising poverty amongst asians

Written By: - Date published: 11:04 pm, December 9th, 2014 - 85 comments

a new report shows that poverty related illnesses are growing at a rapid rate for asian children, and so are other poverty indicators.  some of this is related to a more settled population, but we also need to talk about racism.

Save Our State Houses: Labour Party

Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, November 28th, 2014 - 12 comments

Kevin Hague says, the government’s plan to replace state housing with “social housing” will make the affordable housing crisis worse & is “economically reckless”. The Labour Party have circulated a petition to save state houses from being sold by the NZ government.

Democracy, Money and Power

Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, November 27th, 2014 - 6 comments

The stage was long ago reached where members of the US Government were told they should “wear their sponsors logo’s on their shirts”.

The working poor

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, November 8th, 2014 - 183 comments

The Nats’ line on poverty is that beneficiaries need to get in to work. The rise of the working poor both in NZ and internationally, shows what nonsense that excuse is.

Campbell Live on ‘Feed the Kids Bill’

Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, November 5th, 2014 - 14 comments

The main message from Campbell Live last night is we really need the “Feed the Kids” Bill to pass it’s first reading: then the Bill will go to Select Committee, so everyone can have a conversation. Update: reading postponed ‘cos Key’s war statement debate gets priority.

Poverty and the need to belong

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, October 25th, 2014 - 37 comments

I’ve read a couple of thought-provoking accounts of poverty lately. There are common themes – issues that the political right, which can only see “the poor” as separate from “us”, will never understand and acknowledge.

Measuring poverty

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, October 22nd, 2014 - 40 comments

The National government has always been selective about what it likes to measure, and so far refused to measure poverty. Under questioning on Morning Report this morning Key finally made a commitment to do so. We must hold him to it.

Hiding the government’s failure on poverty

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, October 17th, 2014 - 81 comments

Thanks to Radio New Zealand, we now know that National got no real plan to address poverty, but also that they really, really don’t want to be honest about it.

Official advice on poverty

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, October 15th, 2014 - 53 comments

An excellent piece by Brent Edwards on Morning Report today, looking at official advice to the government on poverty. Underneath the politicised process the answer is as obvious as ever.

The power & the pressure

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, October 14th, 2014 - 115 comments

We need a new green left direction, now and for the future.  A future Labour-Green-Mana coalition government could provide such a direction.  The original NZ Values Party Manifesto provides an important Blueprint.

Cause of poverty and inequality found!

Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, October 8th, 2014 - 36 comments

Good news citizens! The National government has revealed unto us today the cause of poverty and inequality.

Boots Theory: Numbers are meaningless when families are living in cars

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, October 5th, 2014 - 137 comments

There’s something obscene about the way the economic story gets framed: the figures on a page, the points on an index, the number of dollars someone can swap for a number of different-coloured dollars, when people are suffering.

The politics of poverty

Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, October 2nd, 2014 - 86 comments

Every election Key is confronted with the issue of poverty. His response is always pure politics with no effective action, and this election has been no different. We will be here again in 2017.

NRT: Will Key act on child poverty?

Written By: - Date published: 6:38 pm, September 24th, 2014 - 17 comments

While the left lost the election, it looks like we’ve won another battle in the war of ideas, with John Key being forced to at least pretend he wants to do something about child poverty. Ideas long recommended from the Children’s Commissioner may finally be implemented.

WANTED: new ideas on child poverty

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, September 24th, 2014 - 88 comments

It’s great to see John Key taking a sudden interest in addressing child poverty in New Zealand. But why the change of heart?

The Election That Left One Third of Us Behind

Written By: - Date published: 5:32 pm, September 23rd, 2014 - 171 comments

No one should begrudge John Key and the National party the right to celebrate an impressive election victory. It is little consolation to those who opposed them that the win is very much a personal triumph for the Prime Minister rather than for the party and government he leads. As the tumult and the shouting […]