Globalisation

Categories under Globalisation

  • No categories

Canada and the TPP

Written By: - Date published: 7:06 am, October 21st, 2015 - 19 comments

Will the Liberals’ victory yesterday result in Canada dropping out of the TPP? Probably not. But Canadian farmers are going to push hard, creating an interesting opportunity for the Liberals.

Bottom lines weaker than tissue paper

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 pm, October 13th, 2015 - 287 comments

Today, Labour showed the commercial world that its non-negotiable “bottom lines” are actually very negotiable, and even disposable.

Oram on the TPP

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, October 12th, 2015 - 143 comments

Rod Oram’s Sunday Star-Times column, as made available on Facebook, is a level-headed evaluation of the TPP. He lists five points of concern…

Climate and Trade

Written By: - Date published: 5:43 pm, October 10th, 2015 - 41 comments

The proposed TPP is a protection racket – not a trade deal.

TPP aims to kill filesharing

Written By: - Date published: 1:37 pm, October 10th, 2015 - 159 comments

According to the EFF “The Final Leaked TPP Text is All That We Feared”…

Clinton opposes TPP

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, October 8th, 2015 - 103 comments

Associated Press: BREAKING: Hillary Clinton says she opposes Pacific Rim trade deal, breaking with Obama.

Gould on the TPP

Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, October 8th, 2015 - 59 comments

Bryan Gould on the TPP: “…it is about managed, not free, trade – and trade that is managed in the interests of large, international, and mainly US corporations.”

Labour to defy TPP on property ownership?

Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, October 7th, 2015 - 165 comments

If this report is accurate it opens an interesting can of worms!

TPP roundup

Written By: - Date published: 6:34 am, October 7th, 2015 - 161 comments

A roundup of the best analysis of and reaction to the TPP. The gains are minor and delayed, the losses are real. In NZ we don’t have any democratic input into ratification, but the US does, and the deal may fall there.

The (gradual?) decline of American empire

Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, October 6th, 2015 - 93 comments

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson was Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. And he says that the American empire is in decline.

TPPA deal close?

Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, October 5th, 2015 - 288 comments

The TPPA is said to be close to being concluded with resistance to change in Pharmaceutical rules being provided by Australia, not New Zealand.  And John Key says that the deal isn’t a very good deal for Dairy.

An R-101 Post

Written By: - Date published: 12:08 pm, October 2nd, 2015 - 89 comments

Someone once made an art-work of a brick with some ‘guy ropes’ attached to represent the ill fated R-101 airship…

Three minutes to midnight. John Key incoherent.

Written By: - Date published: 7:07 am, October 2nd, 2015 - 91 comments

Same ole, same ole. Except, this time, US neoconservative imperalism might have a problem. Russia.

Folding on the TPP

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, September 23rd, 2015 - 39 comments

As last ditch efforts to pass the TPP continue, Key is softening us up to sign a bad deal. Coincidentally, two articles yesterday highlight the risks to NZ.

Warner Bros – corporate welfare beneficiary

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, September 9th, 2015 - 63 comments

Figures have been released showing that Warner Bros were paid NZ $191 million in tax rebates to create the Hobbit Trilogy.  The films were very profitable.  Why is corporate welfare for profitable activity tolerated?

Nats losing it on the TPP

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, August 27th, 2015 - 73 comments

National are trying to evade even the simplest questions on the TPP – because the truth is profoundly undemocratic. As usual Groser and Key turn to insults instead of engaging with people’s legitimate concerns.

Hard left Corbyn receives public backing from 41 leading economists

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, August 24th, 2015 - 118 comments

Jeremy Corbyn announces the potential renationalisation of privatised state assets, with minimal compensation. While 41 leading economists back his anti-austerity stance. This is what left wing leadership and courage looks like.

Dom Post on TPP arrogance

Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, August 20th, 2015 - 32 comments

An unusually forthright anonymous editorial in the Dom Post yesterday – not comfortable reading for the Nats on the TPP.

Earth overshoot day

Written By: - Date published: 11:20 am, August 17th, 2015 - 22 comments

August 13th was Earth Overshoot Day. We have already consumed what the Earth can sustainably produce in a year, for the rest of this year we are consuming “ecological capital”. This can’t go on. But it is a problem that our current political and economic systems cannot solve.

National’s terrible deal making

Written By: - Date published: 10:20 am, August 9th, 2015 - 114 comments

A brief analysis of a number of deals that National has negotiated suggests that its reputation as a supposedly tough dealmaker is misplaced.

The modern precariat and the Unconditional Basic Income

Written By: - Date published: 2:09 pm, August 2nd, 2015 - 127 comments

A UBI would allow ordinary people to shift their daily focus from doing paid jobs making money for others, to doing useful work of their own choice, under their own control.

Malaysia are better negotiators

Written By: - Date published: 1:39 pm, July 31st, 2015 - 46 comments

Looks like (ht Danyl Mclauchlan) Malaysia is smarter than us.

John Key – Snake Oil Salesman

Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, July 30th, 2015 - 42 comments

John Key has tried to suggest that we have nothing to worry about planned changes to Pharmac caused by TPP.  But a recent further release by Wikileaks on the effects of the Trans Pacific Partnership on State Owned Enterprises makes you wonder if the implications of TPP on Pharmac are as limited as he says.

What will National give away?

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, July 28th, 2015 - 108 comments

Labour has set out its bottom lines for supporting the TPP. My question to National and its supporters – which of Labour’s bottom lines are you prepared to give away, and why?

Update: We can cross off point 1, Key sells out Pharmac.

Phil Quin resigns from Labour

Written By: - Date published: 12:37 pm, July 14th, 2015 - 390 comments

Phil Quin: “I cannot, however, belong to an organisation that considers racial profiling fair sport. It really is that simple. I will rejoin once this or any future leader publicly repudiates such tactics.”

Sheepgate: the McCully mess

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, June 3rd, 2015 - 20 comments

The media have joined opposition demands that Murray McCully’s actions in relation to sheepgate are investigated.  If John Key really expects high standards from his ministers this is the least that should be done.  Update: And a claimed “independent audit” of the tender process was conducted by none other than MFAT.

TPPA and sovereignty

Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, May 21st, 2015 - 13 comments

Grosser has confirmed that the TPPA (if it ever happens) will contain “ISDS” provisions that could limit the scope of our sovereignty by allowing foreign corporations to sue NZ.

Wikileaks releases TPP chapter

Written By: - Date published: 12:28 pm, March 26th, 2015 - 26 comments

Another chapter of the secret draft TPP agreement has been leaked.

Kiwis Stand Up To Corporate Bully

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, March 25th, 2015 - 14 comments

Cotton On’s act of provocation is matched in its cynicism only by the company’s contempt for the negotiation process. While attempting to feign an understanding of how the new law actually works, Cotton On simultaneously may also have breached the newly amended sections 4 and 32 of the ERA

Key’s credibility and the Snowden leaks

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, March 8th, 2015 - 71 comments

The Sunday Star Times has reported on the set up and reach of the Waihopai Spy Base.  Key’s statement that the GCSB does not have the physical capability to conduct mass surveillance appears to be not true.

TPP protest reports

Written By: - Date published: 4:05 pm, March 7th, 2015 - 33 comments

For any accounts from the TPP protest marches today.

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.