This is what I would watch if the one of the resident teenagers hadn’t gone through all my Gigs for the month in the first couple of days. Wondering if I will get my first warning letter for illegal downloading. I hate holidays.
Keiser quote: “I think they need better metaphors than fiscal cliff. It’s more like a bottomless pit, it’s a bottomless pit of debt.” and “The country is diving into this bottomless pit of debt…”
Kiwiblog (July) and No Right Turn (Feb) celebrate their 10 year anniversaries this year. I have to congratulate both David Farrar and Idiot/Savant for the commitment they have made to their blogs, making several posts per day, despite juggling other commitments (work, family, etc) over this decade. They started in a world of PC’s running Windows XP or winME or even win95/98 (with a few nerds running Linux or Macs), where the large majority of internet connection in NZ households was still dialup, and Google was just finding its feet, and they have carried on through to the age of iPads, Smartphones, Android, tablets, Facebook, Twitter and Win 8, and with Ultra-Fast Broadband being rolled out round the country.
The internet is littered with defunct blogs, there being a growth spurt of blogs between 2004-2008, particularly in the months before the 2005 election, most of which are now defunct. Blogs that are still around from that period include:
Just Left
Frog Blog (the first blog sponsored by a political party)
Sir Humphreys
Tumeke
The Standard (of course)
The Hand Mirror
Russell Brown has kept a blog since 2003 , and an online column since 1999 so I think he needs to be mentioned, and I think the first political blog was NZPundit, set up in late 2002.
although on different wavelengths, I find QoT *sharp*; no Dixie Chicken http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Feat
(Lloyd George knew my father, father knew Lloyd George)
we three kings of orient are, one on a tractor, two in a car, one on a scooter tooting his hooter, following yonder star *…oh Star of wonder star of light…star that guides us through the night
For those interested in getting rid of the greedy hand of neo-lib economics and getting an economic system that helps us positively then you’ll be interested in Kim Hill’s first interviewee this morning. economist Steve Keen. Listen to the radionz audio.
Link to his site http://debunkingeconomics.com/
asleep while walking
Steve Keen warns that Brits are going down. Their debt to GDP (I think that’s the measure) is at about, 215% or more while USA’s was about 120%. So he says it is going to be interesting, as in ‘May you live in interesting times’.
their debt to GDP (I think that’s the measure) is at about, 215% or more
Actually a better measure (hat tip Kyle Bass of Hayman Capital) is the percentage of government debt servicing to total government revenue. Hardly anyone publishes this measure, you have to usually work it out from official statistics yourself.
Japan is actually more stuffed than the UK is. Currently they are spending approx 25% of their entire government tax take on debt servicing, and rising. A 300 or 400 basis point rise in their borrowing costs, and their entire tax take will be wiped out, spent on debt servicing.
This is why all these countries are printing like mad to keep their own borrowing interest rates at near zero percent. They can’t afford to do anything else at this point. This is all going to end very badly.
Speaking of Kyle Bass this recent presentation of his will open your minds as to what is really happening in the “markets”
Well no, it is more than obvious that ‘the Neo-liberals’ are all quite happy with the current system of economic management which simply hands all responsibility to ‘The Banks’ to ‘produce money’ and therefor essentially ‘run’ the economy,
Having washed their own hands of any ‘responsibility’ the Neo-libs, specially the political arm of the Ism have then in turn absolved the Banks of the responsibility of the current economic failure,
There can then in such a system of Political and Financial Sector irresponsibility be only one means of changing such a system which is reached via it’s ongoing collapse,
Keen’s actual words for what He sees as the next stage of collapse of the Ism for the British economy were ‘it should be fun’…
Paraphasing someone else whose name I can’t recall; the UK economy is seventy million people crammed onto a small island with no visible means of support
Keen is an interesting economist, and, it helps that it was Kim Hill interviewing Him as She is one of the few who has the ability to question someone like Keen in such a way that we all can understand (most) of what He is on about,
Keen who recently addressed the US Senate on the implications of actually dropping off the ‘fiscal cliff’ was probably instrumental in convincing more than a few of the Republicans to side with Obama,(temporarily), in ‘averting’ the immediate implications of the ‘cliff’,
While i agree with Keen whole-heartedly on his diagnosis of Neo-liberal economics and those who promulgate such i find His ‘solutions’ a little too complex when there are in fact far simpler measures than can and should be taken which in my mind would provide far more benefits to society and overall have the same out-comes as Keen desires…
I’ve been following Keen closely since 2006 and own a copy of Debunking Economics. The last chapter of the book is a summary of where he sees the various alternate strands of economics might lead us, along with his view of their strengths and weaknesses. (And the previous chapter takes a refreshing view of Marx, with a twist to the standard view of ‘the labour theory of value’.)
In addition to Marxian economics the main alternatives are:
1. Austrian economics which shares many of the features of the neoclassical economics, but without the slavish devotion to the concept of equilibrium
2. Post-Keynsian which is highly critical of the neo-classical economics , emphasises the fundamental importance of uncertainty and bases itself on Keynes and Kalecki.
3. Sraffian economics, based on Sraffa’s concept of the production of commodities by the means of commodities.
4. Complexity Theory and Econophysics, which apply concepts from non-linear dynamics, chaos theory and physics to economic theory.
5. Evolutionary economics, which treats the economic system as an evolving system along the lines of Darwin.
I’d suggest Keen engages with elements of all of these schools of thought to some degree; “they all have strengths in areas where neo-classical theory is fundamentally flawed, and there is a substantial degree of overlap and cross-fertilisation between the schools”.
“I would probably be regarded as a partisan for the post-Keynsian approach. However I can see varying degrees of merit in all five of these schools of thought, and I can imagine that a twenty-first century economics could be a melange of all five.”
I’d suggest this is why Keen doesn’t put up too many simple answers … he’s intellectually curious and honest enough to see the whole field as a massive “Work In Progress”.
(5), Evolutionary economics would seem a must have, the problem being the Neanderthal’s are still in the ascendency,
A smart evolved economy would have in terms of counting the beans viewed the Christchurch earthquakes as an accounting loss of growth on one side of the ledger and then ‘printed’ an amount of monies of an equal amount to regain such a loss,
The global financial fiasco and the relevant for Governments loss of income should have been treated exactly the same as above,
Given that 1% of inflation is easily measured,(and if we were anything but economic Neanderthals the deflation of recessions would also be measured and become part of the overall equation for Governments), such printed monies are easily introduced to an economy while still giving full regard to prescriptive economics such as the Reserve Banks inflation targets,
In simple language the current 300+ million being borrowed weekly by the present Government could have instead simply been printed and spent where the current borrowing is being spent with no inflationary expectation and more to the point no added Government debt which is sleep walking us as a country into much the same position as the PIGS economies of Europe…
Keen’s recent interest in the field of thermodynamic economics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14vVhhNvWX0) is actually helping to shore up a several decades old yet nascent field known as ‘Ecological Economics’.
But if you drop the labour theory of value you drop Marx, Ricardo, Adam Smith etc and pick up with the neo-classical revival at end of 19th century.
If something other than labour creates value, what is it?
The inherent limit to capitalism is its inability to screw enough surplus value from labour to return profit on the growing mountain of wealth. Money that cannot be exchanged for value loses its value (as all the psuedo-money in the form of bits of paper or computer entries dissappear), assets become asses and capitalism goes into a tail spin.
Any number of radical economists can document all these effects, but they can’t explain them without the labour theory of value.
Two good guides to Marxist economics for our time are Michael Roberts especially his book ‘The Great Recession’ and in his blog http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/
Here he is on Keen and Krugman http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/paul-krugman-steve-keen-and-the-mysticism-of-keynesian-economics/
But if you drop the labour theory of value you drop Marx, Ricardo, Adam Smith etc and pick up with the neo-classical revival at end of 19th century.
If something other than labour creates value, what is it?
Richard Wolff, Marxian economist, explains that the labour theory of value was a tool used by Marx to introduce his class analysis, but that it is the class analysis itself (and ideas of surplus generated by the economic system) which are the more crucial.
I have also read other writers say that for many products and services these days, automation and computerisation has taken labour almost right out of the value equation.
Wolff has his view, but there are Marxists and Marxists. Here’s my take.
One cannot separate the labour theory of value from class analysis in Marx and say which is more important. In Smith and Ricardo the LTV contradicted the existence of profit so they had to fudge extra arguments to justify profits.
Left Ricardians (Sraffa) said that this proved that capitalists paid wages below their value, right Ricardians said that this was a fair exchange since capital arose through thrift and saving – a reference to the ideology of Robinson Crusoe who saved his own wealth and so became the model of a self-made capitalist (Friday of course performing slave labour in the background).
Marx resolved the problem by critiquing the ahistorical assumptions (Robinsonism) underlying political economy. He showing that under capitalism, it was not labour as such that produced value but labour-power which was now a commodity. Commodities had exchange value and use value. Both took on a specific form under capitalism. The exchange value of labour power was equal to the socially necessary labour time required to reproduce it. It’s use value was its ability to produce more value than its own value. This arose because workers were dispossessed and forced to work longer than necessary labour time to work surplus labour time and produce surplus labour. Hence for Marx the labour theory of value took on a specific form under capitalism as a result of a specific form of social or class relations.
With this theory Marx could show that as labour saving technology reduced labour time in the production of commodities, it did not eliminate labour power as the source of value. Moreover, historically increasing labour productivity would create an insoluble problem for capitalism because the attendant rise in the rate of exploitation rose it could not keep up with capital advanced. Living labour could not valorise (realise a profit) on the total dead labour (accumulated capital). Hence the other contentious question for Marxists that Roberts and Kliman (cited above) address. Short version – capitalism has reached the end of the road and we better be ready to pick up the pieces.
But the fact that no other source of value exists apart from the living labour power of the working class (of course acting on nature – and how!) explains why capitalists continue to attack the working class to extract more profits, but that this cannot stop their profits falling and the system crashing and bring the planet down with it.
If there was another source of value they would have found it by now and dispensed with all of us as a mere drain on their profits. Fortunately we survive as their gravediggers and we will do that for free.
Thoroughly enjoyed all the links and debate you plural have provided. But why not take up IrishBill’s challenge and write some policy ideas down that touch New Zealand’s reality? More than one line wish lists, more than others’ books.
Write a post between you. Set it out clearly and carefully, and don’t let “political reality” enter too soon in the drafting. Test out on this site whether it would work in people’s lives, not just whether there’s ideological alignment. You will get huge support. Trust me.
Yes well worth a listen and a bloke who pulls no punches especially when discussing his peers and their stupidity at excluding the major cause of the GFC being the banking sector even now after its clear they caused it.
Very scathing on those who claim to predict the future saying they belong in a padded cell.
Makes some very succinct assessments about the bankstas and deconstructs the terminology, and assumptions using historical references certainly one of Kim’s best IMO
Great article (link below) with two great quotes, which perhaps need constant repetition so as to re-educate us all:
“The welfare state exists because competitive, choice-driven, capitalist economies by definition create winners and losers.”
“Democratic politics exists only to make the powerful answerable to the vulnerable. Without that exchange, it is nothing. The [government] – the right – overturns that link and despises the welfare state for giving the vulnerable protection from the powerful. They think that without protection, the vulnerability would disappear. ”
This is written about the UK…but as we’re both (NZ and UK) following the same Crosby/Textor plan these days, it applies to us too!
That is a very good article, and your quotes are very apt, especially this one: “Democratic politics exists only to make the powerful answerable to the vulnerable. Without that exchange, it is nothing.”
In all of the Western countries, political tension has arisen between deal-making and representation. It would be easier for politicians if deal-making was simply assumed, and constituents voted as fans rather than as people expecting representation, which of course makes a travesty of democracy.
Many of the vulnerable once made up a working constituency with muscles of their own to flex, which permitted a connection between representation and deal-making. Thirty years of neo-liberalism has changed all that, and parties of the left must now either represent this constituency without meaningful bargaining chips, or, under cover of branding, make deals that bypass their representation. So while we long for a Gandhi, we have a system that privileges the deal-making BAU technocrat. I think that only the growth of grass roots resistance can alter this state of affairs.
Fran O’Sullivan in this morning’s Herald sounds like a socialist. Go Fran!
An excerpt:
while the US is not simply dependent on a small number of primary exports (the standard definition of a banana republic), it arguably does boast an entrenched plutocracy that runs the national economy through the established power structure.
It’s a plutocracy whose very excesses make a mockery of the cut in living standards that ordinary Americans have had to bear since the global financial crisis left Main Street liable for Wall Street’s cavalier behaviour.
The most egregious example was the breathtakingly arrogant decision by Goldman Sachs last week to help 10 of its executives dodge the fiscal cliff tax increase for higher-paid Americans by accelerating the delivery of US$65 million in stock awards, including for CEO Lloyd Blankfein, to take place in 2012 instead of this month.
What it tells you is that even tory acolytes like Fran can see the writing on the wall.
The absolute, crucial fundamental of all human affairs in this world is trustworthiness; and even Fran can see that these people are lying, thieving toads who shouldn’t be trusted any further than I can spit upwind into a stiff nor-westerly howling over the tops.
The truth is that the top 0.01%’ers like Lloyd Blankfein are more than happy to screw to the wall the top 1%’ers like O’Sullivan and Armstrong.
The sooner that the single-millionaire class of elite realise that they are the next herd of sacrificial lambs in line at the slaughterhouse, the better off all of us are going to be.
Yes Fran, as mr smith in the matrix said. ‘hear that Mr Anderson, that’s the sound of inevitability…’
You’re next Franny along with all you folk worth less than say about 50 mill who think you’re part of the upside, more like fodder for the uber wealthy.
Don’t worry mickey normal service will resume from the Nat fan club at granny, they call this ‘balance’ she’d get credibility if she drew the line between this breathtaking arrogance and the same arrogance her govt shows towards its own people.
Anyone got some details on why this move of the Interislander to Clifford bay from picton is good for NZ. Typically glossy fact and detail light piece on TV3 last night.
Smells like a giant contract is in the works for some govt mates to build a port etc and maybe the transport lobby are tired of driving through the top piece of the south island. A number of about half a billion was tossed about as a cost…..savings and detailed rationale anybody.
Andre 7.2
Yeah that’s the way I see it. Another way of wrecking viable business for some ideological goal which will leave swathes of us poorer. Picton will be poorer, Nelson citizens and tourists will have to travel further.
It will be costly and there will be large sums of money invested and pipelines propped up to the Treasury for efficient movement of money away from government, which hasn’t got it anyway. Perhaps they will put a tax on toilet paper – that’s a common universal disposable item that hasn’t been touched as yet! But there will have to be austerity measures brought in also to pay for this important edifice that will be so good for transport companies, the National government’s friend, who look to have their back scratched – here, and lower here, and to the side there….
Train tracks will have to be laid to the new port, or is it a cunning plan to amputate the remaining countrywide train service? It’s a very open bay and there will need to be a lot of at- sea work which will bring mud and other land materials into the seemingly clean waters. What effect will this have on the fish stocks and travelling fish in that area? Is there a working brain with a heart also that has NZ interests foremost in the NACT Party?? I wonder whether we can break the dormant celebrity culture attitude that Rules OK in NZ voters today?
Everything Zen
Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Dave’s on sale again
Raindogs howl for the century
Sixteen Trillion Stones at stake
As you search for your demi-god
As you fake with a saint
There’s no sex in your violence
Everything Zen, I don’t think so.
“fu$k TARDs”-a quickie with space between estranged “family?
“These visions of the real world were laced through with patterns and connection and correspondences. They were accompanied by a feeling of intense, calm excitement. I felt that I was seeing the truth, that all things were like this and that the universe was alive and conscious and full of urgent purpose”
-Phillip Putnam, author of His Dark Materials (BIG is “good’;mitre Cutty Sark off)
Small is Beautiful http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Is_Beautiful a study of economics as if people mattered.
Pullman has a point; “when Christianity became the religion of choice for the powerful, the struggle over meaning was compounded by the struggle for authority”.
“The Authority is a religious, deathly force, the enemy of freedom and progress.
“one cannot convince a “master” of his error because (the unseen error) was taken as an integral part of the system which bestowed him a “master” and thereby legitimized him”
to paraphrase Denys Turner, a philosophical theologian, intellect is the place of light, for the light in which we see, and reason, and judge (hi Viper / s), and calculate, and predict and explain…that light is in us, but not of us.
“The point is that the most valuable spiritual insight lives on a knife-edge between pure intuition and careful discernment. You need both to keep your balance”. Refusing to acknowledge the insights of the ages leads to the construction of Baggy Trousers reality.
-naughty boys in nasty schools Headmasters breaking all the rules having fun and playing fools
smashing up the woodwork tools trying not to think of when the Forex bell will ring again.
a word or more from Abraham;
breathing food water sex sleep homeostasis excretion
body security employment resources family health
friendship family intimacy
self-esteem respect
achievement
spontaneity
creativity
ethics
an un-prejudicial problem solving acceptance of the facts.
10: The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming (Hang on…help is on it’s way, They’ll be there as fast as they can…) not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never by the same sacrifices repeatedly endlessly year after year make perfect those who draw nearly every last drop of blood (have you seen the front page of todays Dominion?)
24:Let us consider how we can spur each other on toward agape and good deeds.
11:11Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
11:14 For the lack of guidance a nation falls, yet many advisors make victory sure.
-from The Horses Mouth
( Ride the Kings highway baby, weird scenes inside the gold mine, driver where you takin’ us
Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain. The “west” is the “best” Ride the snake, the ancient snake, he’s old and his skin is cold. And he walked on down the hall, he went to the room where his sister lived, and…then he paid a visit to his brother, and then he He walked on down the hall
Father, “yes son”…
Mother…I want to Wake Up
Sorry old chum – first tingle of lettering Transmission Control Protocol was made just at the end of 1982. It actually failed but was resurrected early in 1983 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
Others had tried sort of words as far back as 1981 at University College London, but B-L created the current www/ ability next week 30 years ago
My understanding is that the WWW didn’t come into being until hypertext technology was incorporated as part of the internet. I’m wondering if perhaps you are conflating the internet with the world wide web? They’re not the same thing.
Both sorta right, but CV is technically correct. The World Wide Web was theorised in the late eighties and crystalised in 1990. Fortran is right to point to the TCP as a significant step though; it established the means for the web to exist.
On August 6, 1991,[9] Berners-Lee posted a short summary of the World Wide Web project on the alt.hypertext newsgroup.[10] This date also marked the debut of the Web as a publicly available service on the Internet.
I think you’re looking at the start of the TCP/IP network
This morning, all business news channels, papers etc point out that seeks statistics reveal that the average wage has risen by more than 5% and is in the vicinity of 90 -100k pa.
The audacity to report and print such utter rubbish and untruth leaves me breathless.
On the Front page of the Dom is an interview with a family who, with both adults working, are certainly not getting that kind of money on a joint income, let alone single. A little box on the same page shows a family budget that comes straight out of Alice in Wonderland. These figures and assumptions can only originate from people who are so far removed from reality that one shudders to think that their rubbish may have influence on any political commentators, politicians etc.
If I count all the people I know and work with there is only a very small number of people who would qualify for an income as reported by seek. The average income is more like 38k and the ratio between high and average earners is more like 1% to 99%. What is the purpose of such kind of reporting?
Yep, and if you translate this to hourly pay it maybe a wage cut in real terms. You are not alone, these figures from seek must be coming from a small talk fest of even higher paid people to sooth their conscience – if they have any.
5% for the elite, 1.5-1.75% for the working peasants, even the well educated ones though of course we have all imbibed that higher education will provide with higher salaries. Inflation around the 3% mark on the items measured, what it really is for the average joe and josie one doesn’t know.
Interesting stats on food costs as researched by Otago Uni since the 70’s so that gives continuity of figures from 20/2/2011 Sunday Star Times.
Otago University’s department of human nutrition has calculated the weekly cost of purchasing a healthy diet in five major centres since the 1970s.
Last year, it determined a “basic” food bill for a man, woman, adolescent boy and girl, ranged from $274 a week in Auckland, to $263 in Christchurch. Add in the use of convenience and imported foods, some out-of-season fruits and vegetables, more expensive cuts of meat and some speciality foods, and that grocery bill would grow to $426 and $411.
The reality? According to the latest from Statistics NZ, the average weekly household spend on food is $178.
And the reality for those queuing at the country’s foodbanks? Last year, the median income for a government beneficiary was $269.
IT’S TWO days after J… N…’s invalid’s benefit payment when the Sunday Star-Times meets him at Wellington’s Downtown Community Ministry. He has $5 left until his next pay day and just bread and jam in his cupboard. His last meal was an omelette, cooked at home last night.
Googlein’ North Korea and the “tea-baggers” are not very hot on the idea-Boehner to have a hard time “corralling” Republicans, even, yet more “chaos” to come (in the hands of a two-pack-a-day smoking gun)
ae-aequo animo-aerie-aerogrammaticemancipation
-odd (odzooks, what agadfly gadabout gadoid) 🙂
ps, that Lauda Finem looked interesting, nonetheless.
I’m endevouring to install a flash mp3 player for my website over the weekend, but probably not, so temper the anticipation. 😆
I’ve removed all content, for now, but if you still want a listen (and read of the lyrics), I’ve put up a selection of songs from side one and two Red/Green here
Someone has posted the TOTAL list of WINZs 290 “designated doctors” AND details on the ACC Forum website!!! Dr David Bratt, Principal Health Advisor of great bias, who has scared and humiliated so many, he must start to get bloody worried.
So if you want to check, go on the safe side next time, do some analysis, research, or even prepare to challenge any of the ones on the list, there you go. It is NOW in the open, who works for WINZ and does the at times “dirty” work for them:
Personally I’m more concerned about the Regional Health Advisors who have
– no duty of care towards clients
– questionable scope of practice (if any at all)
– little to no oversight because the legislation is carefully worded to ensure they cannot be held accountable for their advice. They give “advice” but the decision is made by the case manager, who basically follow the advice even if it is contrary to what a Registered Healthcare Provider has said.
pass judgement over clinicians signed applications for Disability Allowance, IB and pretty much anything related to health care. In other words your doctor can say one thing but the RHA can disagree and then it is up to you to prove they are wrong.
AWW – You are onto it. A medical practitioner can always be complained about to the Health and Disability Commissioner, if a face to face consultation and examination or assessment is conducted, and in some cases it may end up with the Medical Council, who then have to take measures to discipline a doctor who did not abide by the Code of Ethics of NZMA, which the Council also accepts and claims to uphold.
A Regional Health Advisor or Regional Disability Advisor is not bound by the Code, at least not in the position held within MSD. Only if there may be issues of law, which though need to be provable, then such a person may in some cases be possible to be taken to court, for breaching natural justice of whatever. That is very difficult and near impossible to do though, as they keep their cards close to their chests, and as MSD protect their staff.
I know of one RDA, who is also acting RHA, who has questionable “qualifications” and not in areas for physical medical treatment, care or diagnosis, yet that one has been making (partly very flawed) recommendations about persons with physical health problems. Terrible stuff is going on in that area, but so many beneficiaries are too afraid and poorly informed to defend themselves, hence these people get away with far too much.
They would only be ‘bound’ by the Code of Ethics of the NZ medical profession, if they would be acting in their roles as “treatment providers”, which the RHA and RDA clearly are not.
Also third party assessments that medical practitioners do (in roles as designated doctors for WINZ) are treated a bit differently to normal own doctor assessments, but the Health and Disability Commissioner still deals with any issues that arise in such third party assessments, if there is a face to face examination or assessement. If it would be done “on the books”, the Commissioner would not deal with any complaints.
You can read all this by going to the websites of the Medical Council, the NZ Medical Association and the Health and Disability Commissioner’s website. There is information on all this.
Doctors can be held accountable under their Code of Ethics when they “practice” medicine, which is usually providing treatment and performing tasks directly in their roles as health service providers.
MSD RHAs and RDAs are “advisors”, and they act in their roles not to deliver medical (treatment) services to patients, they simply give advice as a MSD or WINZ employee. Sadly it is treated a little differently, and others and I have discussed this repeatedly, read about the rules, and there is a gap in the law, which MSD is able to exploit and use.
It is intentional that the scope of responsibilities is set rather widely, and also look at the kind of experience they ask for. They list various health professions, even social worker being one, so any tertiary qualification as a social worker, or a nurse, a rehab professional of whatever sort, that gives them the authority to make recommendations on ALL cases put before them!
I know a RHA who has no proper “medical” qualification, but only in counselling, in social work, in working “with” psychologists, teachers, other counsellors and so on, but without such own skills.
They are simply “advising” case managers, who make the decisions about medical issues clients have. But it is also written on the WINZ website somewhere, that they usually will follow those recommendations. It is an arrangement set up to intentionally make it near impossible to hold one person as MSD staff responsible. They can always pass the buck, and say, I was only doing my duty.
Yet the true “decision-makers” are the RHAs, the RDAs, and in certain cases the PHA (Dr D. Bratt) and/or PDA (Anne Hawker), but they are protected by the systemic setup, able to hide behind the frontline curtains.
“Bio psycho social” is a term much abused now, by those “assessors”, DPW, ATOS and others in the UK, and by Dr David Bratt, Principal Health Advisor for WINZ (MSD), Dr Des Gorman (ACC), Dr Beaumont (advising MSD) and a fair few other “experts” of the extreme position and “work ability” interpreation here in NZ.
Hi,Before we crack into today’s Webworm, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Israel is pushing into Rafah. Over 100,000 Palestinians are now attempting to flee the one place that was deemed “safe”.Trouble is, the place they’re fleeing to is already destroyed. Total annihilation is the end goal here.“Israel is ...
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Buzz from the BeehiveReporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
Peter Dunne writes – I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
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And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction? Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...
Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
“Instead of following along countries that are investing in death and better ways of killing people faster, we need to invest in life and in making Aotearoa a fair, just and equitable place where everyone has what they need for a dignified life.” ...
MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI, TPM MP FOR TAI TOKERAU This Government will not waver in its mission to exterminate Māori. CHRISTOPHER LUXON Oh well look you know I don’t think that hard-working Kiwis want to hear language like that. It’s just really unhelpful rhetoric. My Government is genuinely committed to advancing outcomes ...
The body positivity movement started with women confronting the unrealistic expectations and unrepresentative portrayals of them in media and advertising. Men weren’t part of it … their bodies hadn’t been sexualised to the same extremes and they didn’t really need it. But now that’s changed. And in a warped sort ...
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Pacific Media Watch Television New Zealand Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities in a ceremony at Government House, reports 1News. She has been the Pacific correspondent for 1News since 2002, breaking many ...
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The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
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This is what I would watch if the one of the resident teenagers hadn’t gone through all my Gigs for the month in the first couple of days. Wondering if I will get my first warning letter for illegal downloading. I hate holidays.
http://maxkeiser.com/2013/01/04/us-dollar-will-collapse-in-2013/
Keiser quote: “I think they need better metaphors than fiscal cliff. It’s more like a bottomless pit, it’s a bottomless pit of debt.” and “The country is diving into this bottomless pit of debt…”
Kiwiblog (July) and No Right Turn (Feb) celebrate their 10 year anniversaries this year. I have to congratulate both David Farrar and Idiot/Savant for the commitment they have made to their blogs, making several posts per day, despite juggling other commitments (work, family, etc) over this decade. They started in a world of PC’s running Windows XP or winME or even win95/98 (with a few nerds running Linux or Macs), where the large majority of internet connection in NZ households was still dialup, and Google was just finding its feet, and they have carried on through to the age of iPads, Smartphones, Android, tablets, Facebook, Twitter and Win 8, and with Ultra-Fast Broadband being rolled out round the country.
The internet is littered with defunct blogs, there being a growth spurt of blogs between 2004-2008, particularly in the months before the 2005 election, most of which are now defunct. Blogs that are still around from that period include:
Just Left
Frog Blog (the first blog sponsored by a political party)
Sir Humphreys
Tumeke
The Standard (of course)
The Hand Mirror
Russell Brown has kept a blog since 2003 , and an online column since 1999 so I think he needs to be mentioned, and I think the first political blog was NZPundit, set up in late 2002.
I am amazed at how I/S keeps it up. His comments are always well researched and written. He is also often first off the mark with contentious stuff.
*cough*
Bless you.
What QoT meant was, five years blogging is no mean feat either.
So congratulations to QoT as well, the rising star.
although on different wavelengths, I find QoT *sharp*; no Dixie Chicken
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Feat
(Lloyd George knew my father, father knew Lloyd George)
we three kings of orient are, one on a tractor, two in a car, one on a scooter tooting his hooter, following yonder star *…oh Star of wonder star of light…star that guides us through the night
-Fred
For those interested in getting rid of the greedy hand of neo-lib economics and getting an economic system that helps us positively then you’ll be interested in Kim Hill’s first interviewee this morning. economist Steve Keen. Listen to the radionz audio.
Link to his site http://debunkingeconomics.com/
asleep while walking
Steve Keen warns that Brits are going down. Their debt to GDP (I think that’s the measure) is at about, 215% or more while USA’s was about 120%. So he says it is going to be interesting, as in ‘May you live in interesting times’.
Actually a better measure (hat tip Kyle Bass of Hayman Capital) is the percentage of government debt servicing to total government revenue. Hardly anyone publishes this measure, you have to usually work it out from official statistics yourself.
Japan is actually more stuffed than the UK is. Currently they are spending approx 25% of their entire government tax take on debt servicing, and rising. A 300 or 400 basis point rise in their borrowing costs, and their entire tax take will be wiped out, spent on debt servicing.
This is why all these countries are printing like mad to keep their own borrowing interest rates at near zero percent. They can’t afford to do anything else at this point. This is all going to end very badly.
Speaking of Kyle Bass this recent presentation of his will open your minds as to what is really happening in the “markets”
Well no, it is more than obvious that ‘the Neo-liberals’ are all quite happy with the current system of economic management which simply hands all responsibility to ‘The Banks’ to ‘produce money’ and therefor essentially ‘run’ the economy,
Having washed their own hands of any ‘responsibility’ the Neo-libs, specially the political arm of the Ism have then in turn absolved the Banks of the responsibility of the current economic failure,
There can then in such a system of Political and Financial Sector irresponsibility be only one means of changing such a system which is reached via it’s ongoing collapse,
Keen’s actual words for what He sees as the next stage of collapse of the Ism for the British economy were ‘it should be fun’…
Paraphasing someone else whose name I can’t recall; the UK economy is seventy million people crammed onto a small island with no visible means of support
Yep. 15x NZ’s population on a land area a bit smaller than NZ.
LOLZ, there used to be a law against that, ‘being a rogue and a vagabond with no visible means of support’…
Colonial viper
Happy New Year to you – right through the 365.
Thank you NoseViper, to you too. A big year ahead for all of us.
flowed into Chinese tele after a shower(you know how it is) and it was footage of Japanese Naval fleet and exercises?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senkaku_Islands_dispute
Lordy; was it dated film footage / prop or is this still coming
Keen is an interesting economist, and, it helps that it was Kim Hill interviewing Him as She is one of the few who has the ability to question someone like Keen in such a way that we all can understand (most) of what He is on about,
Keen who recently addressed the US Senate on the implications of actually dropping off the ‘fiscal cliff’ was probably instrumental in convincing more than a few of the Republicans to side with Obama,(temporarily), in ‘averting’ the immediate implications of the ‘cliff’,
While i agree with Keen whole-heartedly on his diagnosis of Neo-liberal economics and those who promulgate such i find His ‘solutions’ a little too complex when there are in fact far simpler measures than can and should be taken which in my mind would provide far more benefits to society and overall have the same out-comes as Keen desires…
I’ve been following Keen closely since 2006 and own a copy of Debunking Economics. The last chapter of the book is a summary of where he sees the various alternate strands of economics might lead us, along with his view of their strengths and weaknesses. (And the previous chapter takes a refreshing view of Marx, with a twist to the standard view of ‘the labour theory of value’.)
In addition to Marxian economics the main alternatives are:
1. Austrian economics which shares many of the features of the neoclassical economics, but without the slavish devotion to the concept of equilibrium
2. Post-Keynsian which is highly critical of the neo-classical economics , emphasises the fundamental importance of uncertainty and bases itself on Keynes and Kalecki.
3. Sraffian economics, based on Sraffa’s concept of the production of commodities by the means of commodities.
4. Complexity Theory and Econophysics, which apply concepts from non-linear dynamics, chaos theory and physics to economic theory.
5. Evolutionary economics, which treats the economic system as an evolving system along the lines of Darwin.
I’d suggest Keen engages with elements of all of these schools of thought to some degree; “they all have strengths in areas where neo-classical theory is fundamentally flawed, and there is a substantial degree of overlap and cross-fertilisation between the schools”.
“I would probably be regarded as a partisan for the post-Keynsian approach. However I can see varying degrees of merit in all five of these schools of thought, and I can imagine that a twenty-first century economics could be a melange of all five.”
I’d suggest this is why Keen doesn’t put up too many simple answers … he’s intellectually curious and honest enough to see the whole field as a massive “Work In Progress”.
(5), Evolutionary economics would seem a must have, the problem being the Neanderthal’s are still in the ascendency,
A smart evolved economy would have in terms of counting the beans viewed the Christchurch earthquakes as an accounting loss of growth on one side of the ledger and then ‘printed’ an amount of monies of an equal amount to regain such a loss,
The global financial fiasco and the relevant for Governments loss of income should have been treated exactly the same as above,
Given that 1% of inflation is easily measured,(and if we were anything but economic Neanderthals the deflation of recessions would also be measured and become part of the overall equation for Governments), such printed monies are easily introduced to an economy while still giving full regard to prescriptive economics such as the Reserve Banks inflation targets,
In simple language the current 300+ million being borrowed weekly by the present Government could have instead simply been printed and spent where the current borrowing is being spent with no inflationary expectation and more to the point no added Government debt which is sleep walking us as a country into much the same position as the PIGS economies of Europe…
Keen’s recent interest in the field of thermodynamic economics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14vVhhNvWX0) is actually helping to shore up a several decades old yet nascent field known as ‘Ecological Economics’.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_economics
But if you drop the labour theory of value you drop Marx, Ricardo, Adam Smith etc and pick up with the neo-classical revival at end of 19th century.
If something other than labour creates value, what is it?
The inherent limit to capitalism is its inability to screw enough surplus value from labour to return profit on the growing mountain of wealth. Money that cannot be exchanged for value loses its value (as all the psuedo-money in the form of bits of paper or computer entries dissappear), assets become asses and capitalism goes into a tail spin.
Any number of radical economists can document all these effects, but they can’t explain them without the labour theory of value.
Two good guides to Marxist economics for our time are Michael Roberts especially his book ‘The Great Recession’ and in his blog http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/
Here he is on Keen and Krugman http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/paul-krugman-steve-keen-and-the-mysticism-of-keynesian-economics/
and Andrew Kliman http://akliman.squarespace.com/
Roberts review of Kliman’s ‘The Failure of Capitalist Production’ with hundreds of comments http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/andrew-kliman-and-the-failure-of-capitalist-production/
Richard Wolff, Marxian economist, explains that the labour theory of value was a tool used by Marx to introduce his class analysis, but that it is the class analysis itself (and ideas of surplus generated by the economic system) which are the more crucial.
I have also read other writers say that for many products and services these days, automation and computerisation has taken labour almost right out of the value equation.
http://www.dogma.lu/txt/RW_ClassTheory.htm
Wolff has his view, but there are Marxists and Marxists. Here’s my take.
One cannot separate the labour theory of value from class analysis in Marx and say which is more important. In Smith and Ricardo the LTV contradicted the existence of profit so they had to fudge extra arguments to justify profits.
Left Ricardians (Sraffa) said that this proved that capitalists paid wages below their value, right Ricardians said that this was a fair exchange since capital arose through thrift and saving – a reference to the ideology of Robinson Crusoe who saved his own wealth and so became the model of a self-made capitalist (Friday of course performing slave labour in the background).
Marx resolved the problem by critiquing the ahistorical assumptions (Robinsonism) underlying political economy. He showing that under capitalism, it was not labour as such that produced value but labour-power which was now a commodity. Commodities had exchange value and use value. Both took on a specific form under capitalism. The exchange value of labour power was equal to the socially necessary labour time required to reproduce it. It’s use value was its ability to produce more value than its own value. This arose because workers were dispossessed and forced to work longer than necessary labour time to work surplus labour time and produce surplus labour. Hence for Marx the labour theory of value took on a specific form under capitalism as a result of a specific form of social or class relations.
With this theory Marx could show that as labour saving technology reduced labour time in the production of commodities, it did not eliminate labour power as the source of value. Moreover, historically increasing labour productivity would create an insoluble problem for capitalism because the attendant rise in the rate of exploitation rose it could not keep up with capital advanced. Living labour could not valorise (realise a profit) on the total dead labour (accumulated capital). Hence the other contentious question for Marxists that Roberts and Kliman (cited above) address. Short version – capitalism has reached the end of the road and we better be ready to pick up the pieces.
But the fact that no other source of value exists apart from the living labour power of the working class (of course acting on nature – and how!) explains why capitalists continue to attack the working class to extract more profits, but that this cannot stop their profits falling and the system crashing and bring the planet down with it.
If there was another source of value they would have found it by now and dispensed with all of us as a mere drain on their profits. Fortunately we survive as their gravediggers and we will do that for free.
Thoroughly enjoyed all the links and debate you plural have provided. But why not take up IrishBill’s challenge and write some policy ideas down that touch New Zealand’s reality? More than one line wish lists, more than others’ books.
Write a post between you. Set it out clearly and carefully, and don’t let “political reality” enter too soon in the drafting. Test out on this site whether it would work in people’s lives, not just whether there’s ideological alignment. You will get huge support. Trust me.
Yes well worth a listen and a bloke who pulls no punches especially when discussing his peers and their stupidity at excluding the major cause of the GFC being the banking sector even now after its clear they caused it.
Very scathing on those who claim to predict the future saying they belong in a padded cell.
Makes some very succinct assessments about the bankstas and deconstructs the terminology, and assumptions using historical references certainly one of Kim’s best IMO
Great article (link below) with two great quotes, which perhaps need constant repetition so as to re-educate us all:
“The welfare state exists because competitive, choice-driven, capitalist economies by definition create winners and losers.”
“Democratic politics exists only to make the powerful answerable to the vulnerable. Without that exchange, it is nothing. The [government] – the right – overturns that link and despises the welfare state for giving the vulnerable protection from the powerful. They think that without protection, the vulnerability would disappear. ”
This is written about the UK…but as we’re both (NZ and UK) following the same Crosby/Textor plan these days, it applies to us too!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/04/labour-spent-too-much-banks
That is a very good article, and your quotes are very apt, especially this one: “Democratic politics exists only to make the powerful answerable to the vulnerable. Without that exchange, it is nothing.”
In all of the Western countries, political tension has arisen between deal-making and representation. It would be easier for politicians if deal-making was simply assumed, and constituents voted as fans rather than as people expecting representation, which of course makes a travesty of democracy.
Many of the vulnerable once made up a working constituency with muscles of their own to flex, which permitted a connection between representation and deal-making. Thirty years of neo-liberalism has changed all that, and parties of the left must now either represent this constituency without meaningful bargaining chips, or, under cover of branding, make deals that bypass their representation. So while we long for a Gandhi, we have a system that privileges the deal-making BAU technocrat. I think that only the growth of grass roots resistance can alter this state of affairs.
Wow.
Fran O’Sullivan in this morning’s Herald sounds like a socialist. Go Fran!
An excerpt:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10857357
What it tells you is that even tory acolytes like Fran can see the writing on the wall.
The absolute, crucial fundamental of all human affairs in this world is trustworthiness; and even Fran can see that these people are lying, thieving toads who shouldn’t be trusted any further than I can spit upwind into a stiff nor-westerly howling over the tops.
The truth is that the top 0.01%’ers like Lloyd Blankfein are more than happy to screw to the wall the top 1%’ers like O’Sullivan and Armstrong.
The sooner that the single-millionaire class of elite realise that they are the next herd of sacrificial lambs in line at the slaughterhouse, the better off all of us are going to be.
Yes Fran, as mr smith in the matrix said. ‘hear that Mr Anderson, that’s the sound of inevitability…’
You’re next Franny along with all you folk worth less than say about 50 mill who think you’re part of the upside, more like fodder for the uber wealthy.
Don’t worry mickey normal service will resume from the Nat fan club at granny, they call this ‘balance’ she’d get credibility if she drew the line between this breathtaking arrogance and the same arrogance her govt shows towards its own people.
“Sir” Paul and his horrifying colleagues
Here’s something I wrote in 2004—more evidence that Paul Holmes should be shunned by the community, not knighted…
Newstalk ZB continues to be outlet for vilest bigotry
http://groups.google.com/group/nz.politics/browse_thread/thread/a2c55b4659dac92b/65f2a3b5244fdf8?q=
Anyone got some details on why this move of the Interislander to Clifford bay from picton is good for NZ. Typically glossy fact and detail light piece on TV3 last night.
Smells like a giant contract is in the works for some govt mates to build a port etc and maybe the transport lobby are tired of driving through the top piece of the south island. A number of about half a billion was tossed about as a cost…..savings and detailed rationale anybody.
Cliffords Bay was first muted in early 1981 I believe, and has been “reviewed” ever since
Seems like transport want it. And a nice contract to build it for someone. Seems easy just to put a ferry all the way to c/church.
Andre 7.2
Yeah that’s the way I see it. Another way of wrecking viable business for some ideological goal which will leave swathes of us poorer. Picton will be poorer, Nelson citizens and tourists will have to travel further.
It will be costly and there will be large sums of money invested and pipelines propped up to the Treasury for efficient movement of money away from government, which hasn’t got it anyway. Perhaps they will put a tax on toilet paper – that’s a common universal disposable item that hasn’t been touched as yet! But there will have to be austerity measures brought in also to pay for this important edifice that will be so good for transport companies, the National government’s friend, who look to have their back scratched – here, and lower here, and to the side there….
Train tracks will have to be laid to the new port, or is it a cunning plan to amputate the remaining countrywide train service? It’s a very open bay and there will need to be a lot of at- sea work which will bring mud and other land materials into the seemingly clean waters. What effect will this have on the fish stocks and travelling fish in that area? Is there a working brain with a heart also that has NZ interests foremost in the NACT Party?? I wonder whether we can break the dormant celebrity culture attitude that Rules OK in NZ voters today?
GST is a tax on toilet paper, among other things.
Murray O
heh heh – But it is possible that toilet paper could absorb more tax.
Everything Zen
Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Dave’s on sale again
Raindogs howl for the century
Sixteen Trillion Stones at stake
As you search for your demi-god
As you fake with a saint
There’s no sex in your violence
Everything Zen, I don’t think so.
“fu$k TARDs”-a quickie with space between estranged “family?
-Sly
Sly ?
You mean Gavin Rossdale from the band Bush.
“These visions of the real world were laced through with patterns and connection and correspondences. They were accompanied by a feeling of intense, calm excitement. I felt that I was seeing the truth, that all things were like this and that the universe was alive and conscious and full of urgent purpose”
-Phillip Putnam, author of His Dark Materials (BIG is “good’;mitre Cutty Sark off)
Small is Beautiful http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Is_Beautiful a study of economics as if people mattered.
Pullman has a point; “when Christianity became the religion of choice for the powerful, the struggle over meaning was compounded by the struggle for authority”.
a conclusion is that religious organizations can be destined to become, more or less, fight clubs-
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/
“The Authority is a religious, deathly force, the enemy of freedom and progress.
“one cannot convince a “master” of his error because (the unseen error) was taken as an integral part of the system which bestowed him a “master” and thereby legitimized him”
to paraphrase Denys Turner, a philosophical theologian, intellect is the place of light, for the light in which we see, and reason, and judge (hi Viper / s), and calculate, and predict and explain…that light is in us, but not of us.
“The point is that the most valuable spiritual insight lives on a knife-edge between pure intuition and careful discernment. You need both to keep your balance”. Refusing to acknowledge the insights of the ages leads to the construction of Baggy Trousers reality.
-naughty boys in nasty schools Headmasters breaking all the rules having fun and playing fools
smashing up the woodwork tools trying not to think of when the Forex bell will ring again.
-Bugs
a word or more from Abraham;
breathing food water sex sleep homeostasis excretion
body security employment resources family health
friendship family intimacy
self-esteem respect
achievement
spontaneity
creativity
ethics
an un-prejudicial problem solving acceptance of the facts.
covenanter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenanter
covenantor-party which subjects itself to a breech
10: The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming (Hang on…help is on it’s way, They’ll be there as fast as they can…) not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never by the same sacrifices repeatedly endlessly year after year make perfect those who draw nearly every last drop of blood (have you seen the front page of todays Dominion?)
24:Let us consider how we can spur each other on toward agape and good deeds.
11:11Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
11:14 For the lack of guidance a nation falls, yet many advisors make victory sure.
V For Victory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_for_Vendetta_%28film%29
-from The Horses Mouth
( Ride the Kings highway baby, weird scenes inside the gold mine, driver where you takin’ us
Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain. The “west” is the “best” Ride the snake, the ancient snake, he’s old and his skin is cold. And he walked on down the hall, he went to the room where his sister lived, and…then he paid a visit to his brother, and then he He walked on down the hall
Father, “yes son”…
Mother…I want to Wake Up
this is The End
Beautiful Friend
-from The Horses Mouth
Happy Birthday WWW. – 30 years old tomorrow.
I don’t think the world wide web came into existence until the early 1990’s.
Sorry old chum – first tingle of lettering Transmission Control Protocol was made just at the end of 1982. It actually failed but was resurrected early in 1983 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
Others had tried sort of words as far back as 1981 at University College London, but B-L created the current www/ ability next week 30 years ago
My understanding is that the WWW didn’t come into being until hypertext technology was incorporated as part of the internet. I’m wondering if perhaps you are conflating the internet with the world wide web? They’re not the same thing.
Ah, I see.
1 Jan 1983 was when ARPANet completed migration to TCP/IP.
Yeah I don’t know where you’re getting 30 years from.
What happened Jan 6th 1983?
Both sorta right, but CV is technically correct. The World Wide Web was theorised in the late eighties and crystalised in 1990. Fortran is right to point to the TCP as a significant step though; it established the means for the web to exist.
Nope. The world wide web was :-
I think you’re looking at the start of the TCP/IP network
This morning, all business news channels, papers etc point out that seeks statistics reveal that the average wage has risen by more than 5% and is in the vicinity of 90 -100k pa.
The audacity to report and print such utter rubbish and untruth leaves me breathless.
On the Front page of the Dom is an interview with a family who, with both adults working, are certainly not getting that kind of money on a joint income, let alone single. A little box on the same page shows a family budget that comes straight out of Alice in Wonderland. These figures and assumptions can only originate from people who are so far removed from reality that one shudders to think that their rubbish may have influence on any political commentators, politicians etc.
If I count all the people I know and work with there is only a very small number of people who would qualify for an income as reported by seek. The average income is more like 38k and the ratio between high and average earners is more like 1% to 99%. What is the purpose of such kind of reporting?
I didnt get my wage rise. In fact I feel like I work for hours and hours and I still get the same amount of money,
Yep, and if you translate this to hourly pay it maybe a wage cut in real terms. You are not alone, these figures from seek must be coming from a small talk fest of even higher paid people to sooth their conscience – if they have any.
It would be interesting to compare a budget for a high income person, same over 300 k.
5% for the elite, 1.5-1.75% for the working peasants, even the well educated ones though of course we have all imbibed that higher education will provide with higher salaries. Inflation around the 3% mark on the items measured, what it really is for the average joe and josie one doesn’t know.
Interesting stats on food costs as researched by Otago Uni since the 70’s so that gives continuity of figures from 20/2/2011 Sunday Star Times.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/4676276/Hunger-pains
Food basket info –
Food basket info
More detail on food info for ordinary families
There is quite a lot of info on google under Otago University food survey and other keywords
sadly, El Presidente is still unwell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Qyz3VnrZI
-od Reichenbacher ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Reichenbach ) sounds clearer than these “enhanced coercive interrogation techniques” of the C.I.A-Zero Dark 30
Googlein’ North Korea and the “tea-baggers” are not very hot on the idea-Boehner to have a hard time “corralling” Republicans, even, yet more “chaos” to come (in the hands of a two-pack-a-day smoking gun)
ae-aequo animo-aerie-aerogrammaticemancipation
-odd (odzooks, what agadfly gadabout gadoid) 🙂
ps, that Lauda Finem looked interesting, nonetheless.
pps annus mirabilis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annus_mirabilis 1666 was a year of plague and Fire also 2+0+1+3=
🙂 (Past The Mission and I smell the roses; “Baker Baker” baking a cake…)
-Puck (better do some work now)
Hello.
I’m endevouring to install a flash mp3 player for my website over the weekend, but probably not, so temper the anticipation. 😆
I’ve removed all content, for now, but if you still want a listen (and read of the lyrics), I’ve put up a selection of songs from side one and two Red/Green here
https://soundcloud.com/theal1en/sets/human-r-evolution
ta
FINALLY!!!
Someone has posted the TOTAL list of WINZs 290 “designated doctors” AND details on the ACC Forum website!!! Dr David Bratt, Principal Health Advisor of great bias, who has scared and humiliated so many, he must start to get bloody worried.
So if you want to check, go on the safe side next time, do some analysis, research, or even prepare to challenge any of the ones on the list, there you go. It is NOW in the open, who works for WINZ and does the at times “dirty” work for them:
http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/13301-what-to-do-if-you-are-required-to-see-a-winz-designated-doctor/page__p__138090__hl__%2Bdavid+%2Bbratt__fromsearch__1#entry138090
See the bottom of their thread, there is a PDF link offered, which can be downloaded!
Thankyou for that xtasy. Much appreciated. Damn. The pdf attachment now appears to be locked down behind password and sign in requirements.
Ahem. Unlock-pdf.com
Bill – sorry for that!
Perhaps register as a user of ACC Forum? That would solve the problem.
They have some interesting topics there also, including some about WINZ and their doctors and advisors.
Personally I’m more concerned about the Regional Health Advisors who have
– no duty of care towards clients
– questionable scope of practice (if any at all)
– little to no oversight because the legislation is carefully worded to ensure they cannot be held accountable for their advice. They give “advice” but the decision is made by the case manager, who basically follow the advice even if it is contrary to what a Registered Healthcare Provider has said.
pass judgement over clinicians signed applications for Disability Allowance, IB and pretty much anything related to health care. In other words your doctor can say one thing but the RHA can disagree and then it is up to you to prove they are wrong.
AWW – You are onto it. A medical practitioner can always be complained about to the Health and Disability Commissioner, if a face to face consultation and examination or assessment is conducted, and in some cases it may end up with the Medical Council, who then have to take measures to discipline a doctor who did not abide by the Code of Ethics of NZMA, which the Council also accepts and claims to uphold.
A Regional Health Advisor or Regional Disability Advisor is not bound by the Code, at least not in the position held within MSD. Only if there may be issues of law, which though need to be provable, then such a person may in some cases be possible to be taken to court, for breaching natural justice of whatever. That is very difficult and near impossible to do though, as they keep their cards close to their chests, and as MSD protect their staff.
I know of one RDA, who is also acting RHA, who has questionable “qualifications” and not in areas for physical medical treatment, care or diagnosis, yet that one has been making (partly very flawed) recommendations about persons with physical health problems. Terrible stuff is going on in that area, but so many beneficiaries are too afraid and poorly informed to defend themselves, hence these people get away with far too much.
“A Regional Health Advisor or Regional Disability Advisor is not bound by the Code, at least not in the position held within MSD.”
How does that work?
They would only be ‘bound’ by the Code of Ethics of the NZ medical profession, if they would be acting in their roles as “treatment providers”, which the RHA and RDA clearly are not.
Also third party assessments that medical practitioners do (in roles as designated doctors for WINZ) are treated a bit differently to normal own doctor assessments, but the Health and Disability Commissioner still deals with any issues that arise in such third party assessments, if there is a face to face examination or assessement. If it would be done “on the books”, the Commissioner would not deal with any complaints.
You can read all this by going to the websites of the Medical Council, the NZ Medical Association and the Health and Disability Commissioner’s website. There is information on all this.
See the following information:
http://www.mcnz.org.nz/news-and-publications/statements-standards-for-doctors/
http://www.mcnz.org.nz/assets/News-and-Publications/Statements/Non-treating-doctors.pdf
(see points 23 and 24)
http://www.mcnz.org.nz/assets/News-and-Publications/Statements/Employer-Guidelines-for-Health-Providers.pdf
Doctors can be held accountable under their Code of Ethics when they “practice” medicine, which is usually providing treatment and performing tasks directly in their roles as health service providers.
MSD RHAs and RDAs are “advisors”, and they act in their roles not to deliver medical (treatment) services to patients, they simply give advice as a MSD or WINZ employee. Sadly it is treated a little differently, and others and I have discussed this repeatedly, read about the rules, and there is a gap in the law, which MSD is able to exploit and use.
Mary –
See also this typical standard job description for a Regional Health Advisor:
http://www.bfound.net/Company/210-20120504151043.pdf
It is intentional that the scope of responsibilities is set rather widely, and also look at the kind of experience they ask for. They list various health professions, even social worker being one, so any tertiary qualification as a social worker, or a nurse, a rehab professional of whatever sort, that gives them the authority to make recommendations on ALL cases put before them!
I know a RHA who has no proper “medical” qualification, but only in counselling, in social work, in working “with” psychologists, teachers, other counsellors and so on, but without such own skills.
They are simply “advising” case managers, who make the decisions about medical issues clients have. But it is also written on the WINZ website somewhere, that they usually will follow those recommendations. It is an arrangement set up to intentionally make it near impossible to hold one person as MSD staff responsible. They can always pass the buck, and say, I was only doing my duty.
Yet the true “decision-makers” are the RHAs, the RDAs, and in certain cases the PHA (Dr D. Bratt) and/or PDA (Anne Hawker), but they are protected by the systemic setup, able to hide behind the frontline curtains.
Excellent article about the ‘bio-physical’ theory of disability underlying the Natz benefit ‘reforms’.
http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/2012/05/31/a-tale-of-two-models-disabled-people-vs-unum-atos-government-and-disability-charities-by-debbie-jolly-dpac/
A, I worked for Ryder-Cheshire
B, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_constructionism
C, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability#The_social_model
Oops! I meant bio-psychophysical not bio-physical.
http://funkymangosmusings.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/modelling-disability-spartacusreport.html
Yes that is a highly impressive, revealing and informative article, for which I had already posted the link in ‘Open Mike’ for 02 Jan. 2013:
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02012013/#comment-568961
See comment 13 there for details.
“Bio psycho social” is a term much abused now, by those “assessors”, DPW, ATOS and others in the UK, and by Dr David Bratt, Principal Health Advisor for WINZ (MSD), Dr Des Gorman (ACC), Dr Beaumont (advising MSD) and a fair few other “experts” of the extreme position and “work ability” interpreation here in NZ.