privatisation

Private prison a money-waster, despite Collins’ spin

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 6:55 am, July 13th, 2010 - 9 comments

Judith Collins is lauding the $1.2 billion of economic activity that will suppoedly result from the private prison at Wiri. But wait, the government is planning to spend $101 million on construction and $40m per year for 30 years on wages. That’s $1.3b spent for only in $1.2b of economic activity. How’s that? Oh, yeah, the private foreign owner who will be taking hundreds of millions offshore.

Private Prison Profile

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 11:41 am, June 29th, 2010 - 74 comments

When National get their ideological wish to get a prison privately run here, the most likely candidate will be Australian/UK prison company G4S. In the ‘care’ of these crime profiteers, an Aboriginal man died in a Western Australian prison van, during a four hour ride without ventilation in 50 degree plus temperatures that gave him 3rd degree burns. And that’s far from the only abuse.

Fighting back against privatisation

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:27 pm, June 27th, 2010 - 6 comments

The Government’s privatisation by stealth agenda continues – from ACC to Whanau Ora to mining to PEDA to water.

And the fight back is gathering strength.

Solid Energy on the block?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:48 am, June 18th, 2010 - 34 comments

Solid Energy chairman John Palmer has suggested that a partial sale of the SOE could be on the cards. John Key has backed down on every time when he has been challenged on whether he would ever sell a specific asset. We now have permanent promises that Kiwibank and NZPost will never be sold, in full or in part. Someone should ask him if he’s ever going to sell Solid Energy.

Privatisation: Day Of Action

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 12:30 pm, June 11th, 2010 - 22 comments

John Key continues to let his attack dog do his business, and take the heat. So on Saturday there’s some more heat with a big Day Of Action to fight Rodney’s latest nasty bill. The Greens, Labour and the Maori Party are all fighting this odorous piece of legislation that aims to allow privatisation of water, amongst other attacks on local democracy.

Dancing on a head of a pin on asset sales

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 8:36 am, June 5th, 2010 - 59 comments

National really, really wants to sell assets – it’ll be worth a fortune to their rich mates who can’t seem to generate any success on their own without a government hand out. But the public is firmly against asset sales. It would be an election losing campaign issue. So, National will play a game of ambiguous promises and confusing financial moves to sell without appearing to sell.

Key breaks Kiwibank pledge

Written By: all_your_base - Date published: 4:13 pm, June 2nd, 2010 - 54 comments

In the May budget Key broke his pre-election promise not to raise GST.

Today, in the House, Jim Anderton foreshadowed what looks like the next unequivocal promise that’s set for the chop.

Anderton pointed out that during the 2008 TV3 Leaders’ Debate Key promised not to sell Kiwibank “ever”.

The video is embedded below.

The weak neolib defence of asset sales

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 9:16 am, June 1st, 2010 - 23 comments

The neoliberal dinosaurs at Anti-dismal have presented their defence of National’s privatisation agenda by responding to my post “Privatisation: the facts”. Their responses offer an insight into the neoliberal mind – asset stripping is good, it’s fine to get ripped off when selling assets, and who cares that the ‘mums and dads’ line is bollocks, the rich deserve the assets more.

Privatisation: The Myths

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 10:57 am, May 26th, 2010 - 66 comments

So Blinglish’s new and improved less-bitter poison is part-privatisation. In much the same way as marketing a filling as more fun than a full root-canal, he thinks that if he sells each of his mates one piece of the family silver (and keeps the spoons) instead of flogging off the whole set to one of his mates, we’ll be much happier.

Fishing Industry Pushes For Self-regulation

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:00 am, May 24th, 2010 - 41 comments

In a move that can only be described as the fox guarding the hen house, the fishing industry has released plans for self-regulation entitled ‘Managing Our Own Ship’. National would be making a huge mistake to hand over more power to the fishing industry and in the end it would be the people who would have to deal with the consequences.

Why the miners are so keen on public land

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 10:19 am, May 3rd, 2010 - 36 comments

Most of this country’s mineral wealth lies under private land, according to the government’s own figures. So, why are the Nats so determined to override public opinion and let their mining allies dig up our precious protected lands? Simple: mining on private land means paying a lease to the owner. Mining on public land is cheaper: we’re played like chumps for bigger profits.

RNZ reveals ACC privatisation agenda

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 9:03 am, April 23rd, 2010 - 71 comments

National’s hysteria around ACC last year was focused on creating an air of crisis. Now they’re going to ‘do something’. That something is privatisation of ACC. It won’t work, it won’t save money. The costs of injuries will still exist. Privatisation will put more of that cost on the injured. Added ligation and profits will mean worse cover for more cost.

Anyone else make a connection?

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 12:34 pm, April 16th, 2010 - 34 comments

Last year, Telecom screws over its engineers. Decides to make them dependent contractors. EPMU wins real jobs for most of them. Better contract conditions for others. But a sh*tload of experienced engineers say screw Telecom and leave the industry. Then the faults start. XT becomes a laughingstock. Customers leave in droves. Next, profit warning.

PPPs don’t make economic sense

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 9:57 am, April 15th, 2010 - 55 comments

National’s apologists say we should let private corporations run our prisons because it will save money. But do Public Private Partnerships (privatisation in drag) really save money? The experience here and abroad says no. To put it bluntly, when you rely on someone else to deliver something you need they’ve got you by the balls and the profit motive gives them plenty of incentive to squeeze.