economy

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Economic credibility – mote and beam

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:11 am, November 8th, 2011 - 20 comments

The focus of attention has moved on to costing the policies, promises and projections of the major parties. The Nats’ are desperate to have the media focus stay on the mote in Labour’s eye, and ignore the beam in their own. In the interests of informed choice, let’s hear both sides of the story…

Labour shows us the money

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:06 pm, November 4th, 2011 - 155 comments

Labour has shown us the money. In surplus in the same time frame as National, and paying off debt faster because we keep the revenue streams from owning our own assets.

Drunken Seaman John Key: borrowed $40 billion in 3 years to spend on his mates

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 8:45 am, November 3rd, 2011 - 222 comments

NRT on the most important issue

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:50 pm, November 2nd, 2011 - 39 comments

NRT on the issue that is most important to Kiwis. It isn’t the economy.

Business isn’t buying it

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:05 am, November 1st, 2011 - 48 comments

You’d think if the Nats could convince anyone that they knew what they were doing it would be the business community. But no, less than 35% of business owners think that the government has a plan…

Do you feel lucky PREFU?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:22 am, October 26th, 2011 - 72 comments

The PREFU paints a pretty dismal picture of the economy. The worst case scenario is catastrophic, and (at one in five) I think that Treasury has significantly underestimated the odds. Do you feel lucky?…

The austerity death trap

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:15 am, October 25th, 2011 - 89 comments

In response to tough economic times, Government austerity programmes do more harm than good. It’s a pretty simple equation based on the debt / GDP ratio. With an election coming up soon, NZ needs to look for economic competence and a willingness to try new ideas, rather than muddling along deeper into the austerity death trap.

Cameron cancels Key photo-op

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 7:06 pm, October 24th, 2011 - 16 comments

David Cameron has cancelled his planned trip to Japan and New Zealand. He is facing a backbench revolt over European Union membership at the same time as he is trying to intervene in the crucial financial summit trying to sort out problems in the Euro zone on Wednesday. Oh well, one less photo op for John Key – perhaps its just as well as Britain’s future isn’t getting brighter.

A ludicrous budget

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:01 pm, October 20th, 2011 - 90 comments

This family budget is in terrible shape. I can’t see any way out, can you?

National’s undeserved reputation

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 11:05 am, October 19th, 2011 - 46 comments

National are seen by many as the party of business, and thus the party of the economy, who know what’s best for the country’s wallet. But the statistics don’t add up. Their reputation is undeserved.

CTU on the tax switch

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:15 am, October 14th, 2011 - 7 comments

This press release from the CTU deserves wide discussion.

Doldrums

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:10 am, October 7th, 2011 - 48 comments

Looks like the RWC isn’t going to be the economic stimulus that we hoped. We’re stuck in the doldrums, and (just like in England) the government’s austerity programme is exactly the wrong response.

A PM but not a leader

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:27 am, October 6th, 2011 - 124 comments

In the last few days Key has refused to accept responsibility for NZ’s credit downgrades, stated that he is “not concerned in the slightest” about his possible breach of electoral law, and used an unfortunate incident in Parliament to launch an ugly attack on Labour. John Key is no leader.

Will Bill English heed his own warning?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:43 am, October 5th, 2011 - 18 comments

Will double dipping double downgrade Bill English have the guts to heed his own warning?

Pollyanna

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 2:54 pm, October 4th, 2011 - 37 comments

John Key’s relentless optimism is designed to make the country feel good, and to feel good about him – that nice man Mr Key. It doesn’t, however, solve our large economic problems.

Downgrade aftershocks continue

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:44 am, October 4th, 2011 - 54 comments

The credit rating downgrades have been quite a political earthquake, and the aftershocks are going to continue for some time.

Game on

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:39 am, October 2nd, 2011 - 56 comments

The weeks of the RWC were supposed to be a politics-free zone. Bread and circuses. It hasn’t turned out that way, as both Armstrong and O’Sullivan point out in weekend opinion pieces. The credit downgrades have dropped a bomb in the middle of the political landscape. But I think that both are wrong in expecting any action from the Nats.

Nats warn of credit downgrade

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:39 am, October 1st, 2011 - 17 comments

The Nats have indulged in a long series of boastful posturings and dire warnings about the risks of a credit downgrade, many of them as recently as August 10th. Now that they have suffered not one, but two separate credit downgrades, Mr Smile and Wave has some explaining to do.

A Smidgen of Truth Escapes the msm

Written By: Bill - Date published: 1:19 pm, September 29th, 2011 - 15 comments

It’s not often that ‘bald truths’ escape the filtration of the msm. The video below is an example of one of those rare moments.

English on the economic turmoil

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:20 am, September 23rd, 2011 - 53 comments

As most of the headlines this morning focus on the crumbling world economy, it was interesting to hear Bill English on RNZ. Among various inane comments there was one interesting gem, when English called for higher taxes…

Roaring out of recession

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:07 pm, September 22nd, 2011 - 30 comments

So here we are then. “Roaring out of recession”. Or – not.

The wrong problem

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:13 am, September 21st, 2011 - 53 comments

Economist Paul Krugman argues that governments the world over need to wake up to the fact that they’ve been trying to solve the wrong problem.

Counterpoint

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:05 pm, September 10th, 2011 - 12 comments

I’ve just read Vernon Small’s piece today and I actually learned things from it, other than opinions plucked out of thin air by the author. Small explains the fiscal and economic challenges now existing that the next government will have to cope with and, with a nod and wink, tells us National is going to push out its date for getting back to surplus.

Ready for round two?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:02 am, August 6th, 2011 - 79 comments

The global financial system, which has never properly recovered from the recession, is poised on the brink of a second crash. The headlines are a parade of bad news…

Update: US credit rating downgraded from AAA to AA+ with negative outlook (same as NZ). Announcement was made after close of markets. It’s gonna hit the fan on Monday.

Keynes vs Hayek debate at the London School of Economics

Written By: mummybot - Date published: 12:28 am, August 6th, 2011 - 25 comments

BBC Radio 4 in the UK has a very interesting debate pitting followers of Keynes vs those of Hayek

PSA launches myth busting campaign

Written By: Jenny Michie - Date published: 10:56 am, August 2nd, 2011 - 57 comments

The PSA is launching its election campaign this evening. Our big challenge is to break through the government’s narrative (now reaching mythic proportions) that NZ is sinking under debt the likes of Greece tooand the only solution is to cut public spending and sell assets. As the well informed readers of The Standard know, NZ’s […]

All the World’s A Square

Written By: Bill - Date published: 5:38 pm, July 31st, 2011 - 40 comments

Some inspiration as Monday morning looms.

Boggled

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:47 am, July 30th, 2011 - 39 comments

I/S at No Right Turn on the public’s perception of the management of the economy, and National’s “dismal non-performance “.

Many a true word

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:12 pm, July 25th, 2011 - 18 comments

Bill Maher on taxes, the deficit, and why 49% of Americans are voting away their future.

Teetering on the brink

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:23 am, July 23rd, 2011 - 84 comments

Over the last couple of months two potential crises have been unfolding in two very different countries. Greece and America both looked to be in danger of defaulting on their huge debts and triggering a cascade of disastrous consequences. The situation is still unfolding…

The problem is not in the schools

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:29 am, July 20th, 2011 - 90 comments

According to a recent report, disadvantaged NZ youth are at the “bottom of OECD league”. The report recommends various interventions in schools. The recommendations completely miss the point, because the problem is not in the schools, the problem is in society.