Privatisation

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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”.

Social housing providers

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, November 12th, 2014 - 46 comments

Is Key planning to flog off state houses at half price to a liquor company?

Effects of privatised power

Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, November 11th, 2014 - 120 comments

The entirely predictable effects of privatising much of our electricity generation capacity are arriving thick and fast.

Mum and Dad Investor?

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, July 27th, 2014 - 124 comments

The SST this morning have broken a story about how an American couple were able to purchase $1.6 million worth of shares in Genesis while “mum and dad kiwi investors” had their share allocation limited to $5,000.

The real aims of National’s “Education” policy.

Written By: - Date published: 10:32 am, July 8th, 2014 - 149 comments

If the aims of National/ACT’s education policy were, genuinely, to to improve the learning, education and career choices for our children, including the ones that are failing at present, they would not be following policies which have signally failed to achieve any of these goals, anywhere else they have been tried.

A John Key. With assembly instructions.

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, June 29th, 2014 - 11 comments

How to make your very own New Zealand Prime Minister. Even better looking than this vessel.

Labour please take note.

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, May 26th, 2014 - 71 comments

The more that National publicly adopts “left wing” “socialist”  party policies, such as “free” medical care for children under 13, keeping the retirement age as it is, and balancing the budget, the more they rise in the polls.

Laissez faire capitalists think that India’s labour laws are too protective

Written By: - Date published: 2:09 pm, May 20th, 2014 - 53 comments

India has a new leader following recent elections.  Narendra Modi has some strange ideas on Labour laws unfortunately and thinks that Indian workers have too much protection.

Key Govt asset stripping state housing

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, April 25th, 2014 - 54 comments

Phil Twyford has exposed the government’s asset-stripping approach to running down state housing, while  favouring of private & overseas entities.  The Greens & Mana have strong policies for increasing the amount of state housing. Still waiting for a commitment from Labour.

$135 million to John Key’s mates

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, April 17th, 2014 - 24 comments

That’s how much National gave away today, by setting the price too low on Genesis. They were scared that they couldn’t attract enough buyers and it would be clear how unpopular their policy is, but they made it enough of a lolly-scramble that the few percent at the top who can afford it, couldn’t resist. […]

NRT: Privatization is theft

Written By: - Date published: 6:56 am, April 3rd, 2014 - 33 comments

A government is carrying out a crash-program of privatization without a mandate. It is desperate to sell, so it sets the price of the shares artificially low, and loses $1.5 billion in a single day. No, this isn’t New Zealand (yet) – its the UK:

Walking the talk – protests Sat 29 March

Written By: - Date published: 2:07 pm, March 28th, 2014 - 63 comments

Tomorrow Today: Support the important Day of Action across NZ against the TPPA – the TPPA is anti-democratic, pro-corporate & will make life harder for ordinary Kiwis; Support the NZEI demonstrations in Auckland & Wellington, for a living wage, for an excellent public education system, against poverty that undermines education. [Update: photos & reports]

The Genesis share float – or is that share sink?

Written By: - Date published: 10:03 am, March 14th, 2014 - 24 comments

The Government is continuing with the Genesis share float.  Shares with an anticipated yield of 15% are being sold to pay off debt on which interest at 5% is being charged.  What sort of economic lunacy is this?

Auckland Council CCO 2 step

Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, March 7th, 2014 - 13 comments

Mai Chen argues that the current review of Auckland Council CCOs will put them on a tighter leash.  Tony Holman argues against the whole CCO set up: it’s a trojan horse, 2 step towards privatisation of Auckland assets.  Aucklanders need to have their say. Vote out Team Key to prevent such sales.

Herding Cats: Leadership, authoritarianism and Nationals “education”? policy

Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, February 14th, 2014 - 79 comments

Not the bright young man who has to be paid a million dollars to come to work. The new broom,  who fixes what ain’t broke, cost cuts, asset strips, takes his share options, and leaves.
Just what schools need. More of this approach.

NZ Herald watch – history repeats

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, February 7th, 2014 - 146 comments

The NZ Herald has a long history of opposing Maori resistance and supporting colonisation. It has always been right wing with a strong commercial focus & MO.  Yesterday it censored news of Waitangi Day protests.  Today an editorial spins in slippery style, for the Govt’s failing PowerCo sales.

Welfare profiteers

Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, January 22nd, 2014 - 33 comments

Paula Bennett’s punitive welfare reforms are bad enough (pressuring people into unsuitable work, or off benefits without alternative support); then there’s privatising the scheme by outsourcing enforced work placement to private companies  –  worse still, to overseas corporates. Devaluing & dehumanising people, communities, & nurturing activities. [Update: APM conflicts of interest]

Turning around the books

Written By: - Date published: 5:44 pm, December 13th, 2013 - 23 comments

So according to John Key, turnout in the referendum is so low it doesn’t mean anything to him (despite his government working hard to get turnout down).  But he reckons it does mean David Cunliffe needs to promise to buy back the assets..?

Asset sale disaster

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, December 5th, 2013 - 30 comments

The Government are lowering their lowest estimate for how much they’ll raise from asset sales. They’ve done a terrible job implementing a stupid policy – if you’re going to put your ideological blinkers on and do it, at least do it right. Now it must stop.

Battle weary & marginalised: state housing

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, November 28th, 2013 - 61 comments

The National government is destroying NZ’s state housing system.  Right of tenure removed,  a shift towards private provision of “social housing”,  housing campaigners marginalised, & Tracy Watkins crowing about the shift from the “welfare state”. Greens & Mana are for more state houses.  And Labour? [Update] Picket of (Nat) Party for the Rich Dec 8 Akl. NZH article.

“The purists can weep”

Written By: - Date published: 9:11 am, November 3rd, 2013 - 105 comments

Labour’s new KiwiAssure policy has been welcomed by John Armstrong as good politics. And it is. But it’s also good policy – at the same time we’ve got a government hell bent on making sure electricity profits flow to overseas investors, David Cunliffe’s policy is about giving Kiwi’s the ability to ensure that any money made from their insurance stays in the country and pays for hospitals, schools, and New Zealanders’ retirement.

Is New York Mellon Corp Bank a Mum and Dad Investor?

Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, October 31st, 2013 - 40 comments

Well known mum and dad investor the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation has accumulated 8% 4% of Meridian Energy’s shares.  And the Dominion Post editor has described the Government’s asset sales programme as “an unmitigated disaster – so disastrous it borders on economic vandalism”.  Who feels a whole lot of “told you so” coming up?

John Key admits National Government failed to properly monitor Solid Energy

Written By: - Date published: 1:26 pm, October 29th, 2013 - 31 comments

John Key has just admitted that Ministerial and Treasury oversight of Solid Energy was not up to scratch but suggests that external analysis would have provided a lot more accountability.  Oddly enough I had always thought that it was the job of the relevant Ministers and their advisors to provide oversight.  And he has hinted at the privatisation of TVNZ and NZ Post …

The English are also selling their assets cheaply

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, October 25th, 2013 - 23 comments

Meridian’s share price appears to be under value and will no doubt ensure that shareholders reap an early bonus.  With a rate of return of over 10% for the first year you have to wonder what economic genius decided to sell shares to pay down debt with an interest rate of half that amount.

Over in the UK the tories there have engaged in a similar exercise where Royal Mail was sold under value and shareholders watched as their shares went up in value by over 60% in a month.

I wonder if Key and English have been receiving lessons from the Tories?

Government in trouble over Meridian Float

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 pm, October 23rd, 2013 - 34 comments

The Government has announced the results of the Meridian Share float and the results are all bad.  The country will receive up to $1.1 billion less than the shares were worth in 2011 and overseas entities will own 13% of the shares.  Remind me why we are selling the shares ?

Meridian on the block

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, September 30th, 2013 - 40 comments

If you weren’t paying attention you could easily miss the fact that Meridian shares are opening today. that’s because there’s been a lot less mainstream hoopla about it than there was with the sale of MRP. Despite the face there’s been a whole host of taxpayer funded sweeteners attached to the deal.

Mighty Big Gamble on Mighty Big Gift

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 pm, August 20th, 2013 - 19 comments

Hey John, how much public money are you going to pay the wealthy to “buy” our assets? (And how just desperate are you…?)

Where our Assets have gone

Written By: - Date published: 3:24 pm, August 13th, 2013 - 133 comments

Labour have OIA’d a Treasury list of where the money from Asset Sales has gone.  Hint: it’s mostly not schools, hospitals, or paying down debt like National said.

Market not impressed with $30 Million payout

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, August 9th, 2013 - 89 comments

Yesterday John Key gave $30 Million of tax payer’s money to Rio Tinto in order to prop up its electricity deal with Meridian – and thus to prop up his privatisation ideology. Mighty River Power shares took a hit. Smart investors getting out?

The magical world of New Zealand’s, Neo-Liberal right wing.

Written By: - Date published: 6:06 am, August 1st, 2013 - 83 comments

It has been obvious that some people live in a different world than the rest of us. One where Chicago school economics, work! One where you save the village by blowing it up! One where global warming can be stopped, Canute like, by legislation. One where dropping wages and giving everything to bloated financiers, makes […]

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