Globalisation
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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.
Where to the nation?
Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, December 23rd, 2014 - 143 comments
Left wing politics in New Zealand bends most of its attention and energy inwards onto the nation state. This is of course understandable because traditionally Parliament has been the prime locus of power. But no longer; two quite distinct forces are at work to change this picture. The first is globalisation. We are in its second […]
- The case for reading books about animals wearing clothes
In light of Gloriavale’s reluctant acceptance of Winnie-the-Pooh, Claire Mabey argues in favour of the wider canon of anthropomorphic animal literature. There is nothing more bleak than the banning of books and the curtailment of reading. Control what people read and you control what they think, and how they behave. ...4 days ago - Hīkoi day four: Setting off from Huntly on way to Wellington – bill reading
RNZ News Thousands of people are continuing their North Island hīkoi as the legislation they are protesting against, the Treaty Principles Bill, gets its first reading in Parliament today. The hīkoi enters day four and headed off from Huntly, destined for Rotorua today, after it advanced through Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau ...4 days ago - Coldplay and 57,000 babies at Eden Park
Review: Everything happens all at once at Coldplay’s sold-out show. About 15 minutes into Music of the Spheres, I realised that we were all just big babies. When Coldplay emerged for their first song, our compostable plastic wristbands lit up around Eden Park, delighting us all. Minutes later, Chris Martin ...4 days ago
- Health NZ Commissioner steps in to stop staff losing Milo
The man in charge of the country's public health system has stepped in to ensure all staff can still have a drink of Milo at work. ...4 days ago - Inland Revenue calls in debt collectors over overseas student debt
Around 1000 Kiwis working in Australia have begun repaying some of their student loan debt in the last three months, an IRD manager says. ...4 days ago
- Incorrect patient data found during system upgrades at Auckland’s hospitals
A team is working to correct and update this, Te Whatu Ora spokesperson says. ...4 days ago
- Dear Donald, here’s why you should cut NZ a break in the tariff torrent
Ten irrefutable reasons for the incoming president to exempt plucky little New Zealand from import tax hikes. The former and future president, Donald J Trump, has been re-elected on a platform pledging new and universal import tariffs of 10%-20%. The challenge for New Zealand politicians and officials is to somehow ...4 days ago
- Donald Trump picks Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general
The congressman, who remains under investigation for sexual misconduct, said it would "be an honour to serve" in the role. ...4 days ago
- A 41-million-digit prime number is the biggest ever found – but mathematicians’ search for perfe...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Voight, Professor of Mathematics , University of Sydney Imagine a number made up of a vast string of ones: 1111111…111. Specifically, 136,279,841 ones in a row. If we stacked up that many sheets of paper, the resulting tower would stretch into ...4 days ago
- Elon Musk has turned X into a globally influential media platform – and there’s more to come
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lewis Mitchell, Professor of Data Science; Director, Adelaide Data Science Centre, University of Adelaide kovop/Shutterstock During the recent United States presidential election campaign, tech billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) saw record high usage. The platform – ...4 days ago
- The NZ government’s plan to withhold COVID inquiry findings until 2026 leaves the country ill-prep...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Hendy, Professor of Physics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images The first report from a Royal Commission of Inquiry to review New Zealand’s response to the COVID pandemic was due to be released this month. ...4 days ago
- 6 things to do if your child’s weight is beyond the ideal range – and 1 thing to avoid
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Fuller, Clinical Trials Director, Department of Endocrinology, RPA Hospital, University of Sydney JPC-PROD/Shutterstock One of the more significant challenges we face as parents is making sure our kids are growing at a healthy rate. To manage this, we take them ...4 days ago
- ‘Catastrophic declines’: massive data haul reveals why so many plants and animals suffer after f...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Don Driscoll, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Deakin University The megafires that tore through Australia’s forests in 2019–20 burnt more than ten million hectares. The tragedy prompted a massive research effort to understand how plants and animals were affected. So what did ...4 days ago
- First off, have a plan – 5 ways young people can stay safe at schoolies
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Hutton, Professor of Nursing, Western Sydney University Year 12 exams are finishing around Australia and celebrations are beginning. Thousands of students will mark the end of high school in coming weeks with “schoolies”. This is an important rite of passage ...4 days ago
- Australia has backed away from plans to introduce local quotas on streaming platforms – again
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexa Scarlata, Research Fellow, Media & Communication, RMIT University The federal government has quietly shelved plans to introduce local requirements for Australian screen content on streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+. In October, Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke flagged quotas were being ...4 days ago
- Help Me Hera: Why do I only befriend people nobody else can stand?
How do I end this cycle of misery, once and for all? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera How do I break a lifelong pattern of forming close friendships with people that nobody else can stand? Ever since I was about 12, I have had a succession of very ...4 days ago
- First the Ferraris, then the mansion – tech leader takes record property hit
Multi-million dollar houses in exclusive private estates have been the biggest winners, and the biggest losers, in the three-year property downturn The post First the Ferraris, then the mansion – tech leader takes record property hit appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago - One NZ learns the hard way, don’t rely on Elon Musk
The Commerce Commission files criminal charges against the telco for over-promising, after SpaceX failed to deliver its much-vaunted direct-to-cell satellite service on schedule The post One NZ learns the hard way, don’t rely on Elon Musk appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- Live: Hīkoi heads to Rotorua as Treaty Principles Bill gets first reading
The hīkoi will leave from Huntly this morning and hold a gathering in Hamilton. ...4 days ago
- On the frontlines of Hīkoi mō te Tiriti
Thousands converged on Auckland, the day before the first reading of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...4 days ago
- Retracing the footsteps of past Māori protest movements
As the nationwide hīkoi for Te Tiriti made its way through Auckland it stopped at two sites synonymous with Māori resistance - Bastion Point and Ihumātao. ...4 days ago
- Treaty Principles Bill: Bill of Rights Act advice ‘quite damning’ – academic
The government's lawyers have advised the Treaty Principles Bill is consistent with the Bill of Rights Act - but only because they expect courts would not allow it to override that law or the Treaty itself. ...4 days ago
- Number of speed safety cameras slashed but cost per camera doubles
The government told RNZ the 800-camera network had been unfunded. ...4 days ago
- Health officials warned government more money needed to meet targets
Released documents show health officials made clear their belief the targets couldn't be reached without more funding. ...4 days ago
- D-Day for government’s Treaty Principles Bill
The legislation is up for its first reading after Question Time this afternoon. ...4 days ago
- You’re gonna miss the post office when it’s gone
Despite it dwindling locations and reduced service, NZ Post remains a pillar in every community, writes Hera Lindsay Bird. Every Saturday morning I arrive at 7.30am, and enter the post office box lobby. Behind the narrow corridor of identical red letterboxes, there is a locked room, full of ancient Christmas ...4 days ago
- ‘Whaka round, find out’: When the hīkoi came to Auckland
The Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi reached Auckland on Wednesday, seeing thousands cross the Harbour Bridge and walk around the coast to Bastion Point. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith joined them. Atop Bastion Point, a crowd of red, black and white gathered at the end of what we’ve been told is a history-making moment. ...4 days ago
- When women hit the grass ceiling of coaching
There’s a subject Alice Soper wants to stop writing about.It’s the sidelining of women when it comes to rugby coaching.But she can’t, as long as the problem still exists.“So often we get caught up in the good news,” she says.“There’s like a toxic positivity that’s attached to a lot of ...4 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 14 November
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 14 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- Labour needs to learn the art of the deal
Opinion: Unless the Democrats and Labour trim their policy sails accordingly, they will lose elections that matter The post Labour needs to learn the art of the deal appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- Trump II and the coming ‘golden age’ of tyranny in the Middle East
In his rambling victory speech on November 5, Donald Trump, having stoked the fears of Americans throughout his campaign, and sporting extra fake tan for the occasion, spoke of a new ‘golden age’.In terms of Middle East foreign policy, with whom will Trump look to build this ‘golden age’?In May ...4 days ago
- Book of the Week: Day of the lizard
When I first spotted the new illustrated book Geckos & Skinks: The remarkable lizards of Aotearoa in the window of a Wellington bookstore in October (I was visiting with my wife Fi who was going to WOW with her cousins and niece. I wasn’t. I went once in 2002 and ...4 days ago
- Daily crossword, Thursday 14 November
The post Daily crossword, Thursday 14 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- Survivors say torture widespread, Govt says that’s unlikely
Survivors and lawyers are calling on the Govt to release legal advice that says other abuse at psychiatric institutions doesn’t meet the definition of torture The post Survivors say torture widespread, Govt says that’s unlikely appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- An often-toxic artificial lake receives a collective shrug
A man-made lake north of Christchurch is a ‘filthy drain’ but few seem interested in fixing it The post An often-toxic artificial lake receives a collective shrug appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 days ago
- Trump appealed to left-behind people in left-behind places
Opinion: Many commentators are trying to make sense of the re-election of Donald Trump and as a geography teacher, I always think geography is a valuable discipline to make sense of momentous and world-changing events.Let’s start with some simple stories, ones that I have heard in the last few days. ...4 days ago
- Global carbon budget will be used up in six years
The annual carbon budget report from the Global Carbon Project dropped on Wednesday morning, reminding diplomats at the COP29 climate summit in Baku exactly what they were there for.Contrary to some hopes that carbon dioxide emissions have now peaked, the report estimates 2024 will set a new record for fossil ...4 days ago
- West Papuan leader makes ‘raise our banned flag’ plea over new threat
Asia Pacific Report An exiled West Papuan leader has called on supporters globally to show their support by raising the Morning Star flag — banned by Indonesia — on December 1. “Whether in your house, your workplace, the beach, the mountains or anywhere else, please raise our flag and send ...4 days ago
- Government to impose ‘duty of care’ on digital platforms: Communiations Minister Rowland
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will develop and legislate a “Digital Duty of Care” to place the onus on platforms to keep people safe and better prevent online harms, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has announced. In a ...4 days ago
- Senior NZ lawyers call for Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned
By Lillian Hanly, RNZ political reporter Members of the King’s Counsel, some of New Zealand’s most senior legal minds, say the controversial Treaty Principles Bill “seeks to rewrite the Treaty itself” and are calling on the prime minister and the coalition government to “act responsibly now and abandon” it. More ...4 days ago
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