After the tax working group’s recommendations were widely rubbished as a lot of right wing twaddle, and extremist wish list, even the National government distanced themselves from it.
Don Brash who headed the TWG has his own take on the furore.
And it confirms his detachment from reality.
Don Brash claims that the TWG report ” ….attracted a lot of editorial support, including some from The Dominion Post, and considerable support from economists and business groups.”
Notice that the only source named here by Brash in support of his view of “considerable support” is the Dom. Obviously no one else was prepared to be publicly acknowledged as wanting this smellly albatross draped around their necks.
And, in an even more ludicrous attempt at spin, Brash puts up a straw man, claiming that the main critics of his report were against the report’s stated target of matching Australian income levels.
Then spends about 10 paragraphs battleing his own straw man.
What a lot of self serving tosh.
In fact the main criticisms of the report was it’s boringly predictable concentration on tax cuts for the Well-To-Do, with the fruity accents similar to his, paid for by vicious cuts in government spending on things that matter to the rest of us, like state funded health, education and welfare.
No mention of the Maori Party bill to remove from GST from food. No consideration of a Tobin Tax, which is being considered by far more serious and august bodies, in other countries contemplating tax reform in the wake of the failure of the unregulated free market.
The following are some links to serious mainstream international discussion on the idea of implementing a Tobin Tax.
I have also added links from the New Zealand union movement and socialists. That this discussion is carried out on the fringes in New Zealand society probably reflects how far NZ has gone down the neo-liberal road.
Almost three-quarters of parents support the Government’s controversial national achievement standards for primary and intermediate students, though few fully understand it, a Weekend Herald survey has found.
Looks and sounds impressive but,
The survey – conducted by Nielsen – asked 545 Herald readers with school-age children a range of questions about the standards system, which came into force this week.
It’s not even close to an impartial survey so it’s findings aren’t actually worth anything and shouldn’t be published at all. Just another pro-NACT statement by the Granny.
That is how National party spin tends to work. People do naturally want to know how their kids are doing, and National standards appeal to that desire. Questions as to whether National standards will achieve this, and what other agendas may come with the package, fall into the background. A further cause of excitement is the idea of getting rid of incompetent teachers, without any clues as to what will count as competency. If the government itself is anything to go by, it will not be based on the teacher who does the best job, but the teacher who best ‘sells’ the school.
Note that John Roughan, in this morning’s Herald, has come out in favour of the voucher system.
Bearing in mind that Belgium is generally viewed as being rather conservative as well as being capable of brewing some of the world’s better beers….
“For two weeks in January Belgian brewery workers blocked roads, set fire to beer crates, kidnapped managers and handed out free beer as part of their tactics against job cuts proposed by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer.”
Fran O”Sullivan’s article in today’s Herald “Foreshore debate all about big bucks” is a fascinating read. It may well provide the real reason behind the F&S Act, and adds a new dimension to the formation of the Maori Party and it’s… secret agenda?
As a relative newcomer to the Internet I have yet to learn how to link articles from other sources. Perhaps someone is willing to provide the link for The Standard readers. In fact it is worth a separate post as it would be interesting to read how others view O’Sullivan’s revelations.
Thanks Olwyn for info on copying links. My son had shown me how to organise one with a title but it is simpler to just print out full address as hyperlink. I am slow but steady learner and have to remember to use right click button on mouse.
The Maori Party gives up too easily when a bit of pressure is applied. Cutting funds to Te Hurihanga program is an example of the wasteful and shallow lack of commitment of government to social programs to help NZ give better opportunities and reduce crime.
Compare to the background of the Chapmans and the story by Kim Hill on Nat Radio this Saturday 6/2. Interesting how they have dedicated themselves to changing life positively for many who have lost their way and without government funding. They feel that government involvement reduces the effectiveness and that it has unreasonable expectations.
This is what the Beehive site had to say, and notice that the program has been running only 21 months, which since it is a 9 to 18 month programme has allowed only one cycle.
“Since April 2007, Te Hurihanga has been a pilot residential and community-based treatment programme for young male offenders aged 14-17 years, and run by the Youth Horizons Trust for the Ministry of Justice. The pilot was scheduled for completion on 31 March 2010 and to this date has cost $5.040 million.
“Twenty-three young offenders have begun the residential Te Hurihanga programme which serves the Waikato region,” Mr Power said. “However, only eight have completed the 9- to 18-month programme since April 2007. Averaged out, that’s an estimated $630,000 for each successful youth.” http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/fresh+start+te+hurihanga
This needed to be analysed into the running costs and the set-up costs if assessing the costs per “ex-offender”.
After finding himself on the receiving end of widespread criticism and unfriendly hashtags on Twitter, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has announced that he now considers Twitter messages and social networking as terrorist threats. He is quoted in this Spanish-language news report as calling for more state control over the internet.
You paraphrase a comment from a tabloid type site that claims a quote which, unless you read Spanish, can’t be verified!
A quick google search has none of this twitter stuff coming from any sites that are not of the rabid nonsense variety.
Wonder why?
How about….the twitter shit got traction ( out of all proportion to any actual efficacy of such messaging) in the msm when it was thrown up in relation to Iran. So if we throw it up again but say it is being controlled by the state because people on twitter were saying bad things about Hugo Chavez…and we might get a sympathetic echo from China and google and interweb control then…yeah, thumbs up good idea.
And if you had done even a minimal amount of digging you’d have seen that this twitter shit is just another pop gun fart in the elites panty wringing squealing campaign about how “Chavez is a bad man who is controlling all the media!”…in a state where the media gets away with far more than the media here (or in the US) would ever get away with…in a state where the media is owned and run by the elites who are vociferously against everything the Venezuelan government does and where the media even threw its weight behind a briefly successful coup.
“The media law establishes standards for child and adult programming, prohibits racist, sexist or inflammatory content and incitement to violence, places limits on commercial advertising, and requires stations to broadcast important government announcements.”
You want to compare that to, oh I dunno….let’s say NZ and then tell me what is so totalitarian about it?
I mean, you can see why the poor little rich kids of the fading elites might twitter in a froth after the very media that is or has been flouting the law, used their ‘reigning in’ as an excuse to ‘have a go’…again…can’t you?
And you do know that the student population comes from the privileged sectors of ‘old’ Venezuela, don’t you?
What I find amusing is that over recent years the right wing ( and many on the left too) have wanked on about how the media in Venezuela isn’t free and how it’s all controlled by the state, but the same people can’t see the disconnect between those earlier claims and the current claims that the media is being subject to state control.
If the former claims had been true, the present claims could not be made (’cause the state can hardly suppress state controlled media… just in case it needs spelled out)
We both know political regimes can interpret such laws to crack down on political dissent. Here’s a recent article at Human Rights Watch on Chavez’s media clampdown: Venezuela: Stop Abusing Broadcast Powers but I guess you’ll think that is just ‘elites panty wringing squealing’. A couple of years ago Chavez did expel a couple of their members; Venezuela: Human Rights Watch Delegation Expelled Maybe you have an explanation for that? What do you think of Chavez banning signs in stadiums recently?
Anyway on your comment on boing boing it’s a blog and your characterization of it is quite wrong http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boing_boing honestly why you must go into a rant about the site is beyond me – is it not suitably left wing enough for you? Here’s a blog article in the guardian on earlier comments of Chavez’s on twitter Just in case they’re up to your standards – http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/blog/2009/aug/03/hugo-chavez-takes-on-twitter The real threat is that of Chavez trying to control internet content.
“By publishing such a grossly flawed report, and acknowledging a political motivation in doing so, Mr. Vivanco has undermined the credibility of an important human rights organization,” the letter states.
As for the Press freedom Index…you are shitting me right? You know it’s compiled by Reporters Without Borders? Hardly bastions of impartiality or integrity.
Here’s a couple of wee snippets from wiki since you like wiki links
“It was clear early on that RSF and Robert Menard were not acting as objective guardians of freedom of the press in Haiti but rather as central actors in what can only be described as a disinformation campaign against Aristide’s government. Their attempts to link Aristide to the murder of Jean Dominique and their subsequent silence when the alleged hit man, Lavalas Senator Dany Toussaint, joined the anti-Aristide camp and ran for president in 2006 is just one of many examples that expose the real nature and role of organizations like RSF. They provide false information and skewed reports to build internal opposition to governments seen as uncontrollable and unpalatable to Washington while softening the ground for their eventual removal by providing justification under the pretext of attacks on the freedom of the press.
The blog on The Guardian you link to is just echoing the boing boing crap. ( And whereas I find the Grudgeon okay for a lot of stuff, it is generally woeful in it’s Venezuela coverage)
Nevertheless, here’s an article that first appeared there. Note the comment at the bottom?
Anyway, the real threat is Chavez and his big internet control switch…not corporate media prop…boing, boing being the sound of your credibility bouncing off down the street QtR.
The human Rights watch article I linked is not the one critiqued in the piece you link to. You could give me your opinion on their workers expulsion from Venezuela. Here is Amnesty international’s 2009 report on Venezuela.
Attacks on journalists were widespread. Human rights defenders continued to suffer harassment. Prison conditions provoked hunger strikes in facilities across the country. Some significant steps were taken to implement the 2007 law on violence against women but there was a lack of commitment from many of the authorities responsible. Lack of arms control contributed to high levels of violence and public insecurity.
Here’s Amnesty International’s section on Venezuela.
The Guardian is not echoing the Boing Boing ‘crap’ it was written months beforehand about a different comment of Chavez’s about Twitter.
Internet filtering or any other method that Chavez may use is a real threat just as it is a real threat here and as we know by the news recently already a problem in Australia.
Boing Boing is a good blog. The wiki article describes it as left wing – I know otherwise you wouldn’t read it. Cory Doctorow and the like write very good pieces criticizing intellectual property laws. You’re just being dismissive because they wrote something you disagree with. Have a look through their news section you might find it interesting.
It’s not a case of ‘not liking’ Reporters Without Borders. It’s a case of them being a disreputable source of information. Read through the links I provided.
Freedom House ( according to the link you provided) gets about 2/3rds of its funding from the US government and claims that “American leadership in international affairs is essential to the cause of human rights and freedom”
Hardly a platform for integrity and honesty is it?
Moving on.
The AI report is unremarkable if you actually read it. Even the quote you take, which I assume was meant to be damning, says nothing devastatingly negative about the Venezuelan government. I haven’t bothered to search, but I’d warrant that AI was more critical of the NZ government with regards prison overcrowding, seabed and foreshore, Ahmed Zaoui, the ‘terror raids’, immigration, tasers…..
Here’s the thing. You can run all over the net finding anti-Venezuelan crap like the BBC’s Family Guy nonsense (Here’s a different source on same story with a link to the clip. Venezuelan state TV today broadcast an exceprt from “Family Guy” as an example of how the U.S. promotes drug use. The clip features Stewie, the matricide-obsessed infant son of Peter and Lewis Griffin, singing a song extolling the virtues of smoking weed.) It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Like the Climate Change ‘debates’, the mudslingers have spread shit far and wide.
And the liberal media also initiates, misreports and encourages the bullshit. (BBC on Family Guy story as an eg) The corrections and refutations or just the level headed reports are out there, but are generally ignored…takes a bit of reading and a bit of critical thinking.
Anyway.
Trying to have an intelligent discussion on Venezuela is a bit like trying to have an intelligent discussion on aspects of climate change thanks to the thoughtless regurgitation of bullshit of both the obvious and subtle variety, by dumb arses who are too lazy or stupid to think things through for themselves and too quick to accept the spin of vested interests.
That’s a good link there’s a patently absurd statement from a Venezuela’s Interior Minister –
“We can observe how [the U.S. government] promotes and incites the population to consume that drug there,” said Tarek El Aissaimi, Venezuela’s Interior Minister. “There’s no subliminal message. It’s an animated cartoon where you can observe perfectly how they promote consumption and moreover they foster the legalization of marijuana.”
You may call it anti Venezuela ‘crap’ or ‘bullshit’ bill, but it is true and a disturbing example of media censorship in Venezuela and something that simply shouldn’t happen in any nation.
Insulting Chavez is a punishable offense in Venezuela by 6 to 30 months in prison – what would you say if Key introduced something similar here?
Do you not see any pattern – the closed radio and television stations, the forcing of others to play government propaganda, the banned television shows, the recent banning of political signs in stadiums, the expulsion and murder of human rights activists. It should be clear that this is no longer the operation of a responsible government. The work of Reporters sans frontiers, Human rights watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House etc should give you some inkling of a pattern. Whatever good intentions Chavez and his followers may have started out with the inevitable has happened. It is simply what happens when the state accrues such power.
This is the AI report on New Zealand for you to compare to Venezuela. You know I criticise New Zealand, I do it all the time on this website, we have a very serious lack of freedom in this nation, but it is certainly not as bad as Venezuela.
I think your support of Chavez is naive. I know whatever source I bring up you’ll decry it as elitist or some vested interest and see it all as some vast conspiracy against Chavez, but those organization do important work defending human rights and freedom around the world and maybe you should take a little time to listen to them and look at the situation in Venezuela with a bit more of a critical eye.
Go back to my previous comments and actually read them in regards to Reporters Without Borders, Freedom House and Human Rights Watch. Read through the links provided and you will get a good picture of the agendas pertaining to those particular orgs.
As far as your intention to run on the Family Guy angle well, it was aired on Venezuelan State TV …not censored. To agree or disagree with the ministers sentiments is one thing ( personally I think they’re stupid) but to take it and spin it in the way the BBC and others did is fucking fucked.
Insulting Chavez is a punishable offence? Really? Got a link? He is insulted daily and vociferously in the Venezuelan media. Nobody goes to jail.
And AI report on NZ is pretty much as I picked.
Meanwhile, those particular ‘concerned’ HR orgs that you seem attached to promote a Washington line and/or right wing economic line before human rights. Just read up about them ffs!
For the record. I am not uncritically supportive of the Venezuelan government. But where it seems that the power of the state is being used to divest the state of that very power and hand it over to the people in the form of worker and housing co-ops and so on I am broadly supportive and hopeful. That the old elites are fighting against this tooth and nail is predictable. That they try to moneywrench initiatives is predictable. That their allies abroad ( government and business) fume and froth and peddle lies to their own domestic populations thereby minimising international solidarity is also predictable.
And the constant and successful diversion away from substantive debate is bloody lamentable insofar as many on the left are adopting positions laid out by their natural class enemies.
So the left can’t have debate on what is and what might be; on how to achieve certain outcomes and avoid certain pitfalls because the reality of what is and isn’t happening on the ground in Venezuela has been successfully obscured and debate degraded by the imposition of infantile black/white, yes/no, good/bad political slanging matches.
Contrasted and compared with the debate and energy unleashed by the Nicaraguan revolution ( where the flaws and shortcomings were debated openly and positively by the left) has to lead to uncomfortable questions being addressed with regards gullibilities on the left and the why’s and wherefor’s of the current successful strategies of the right in shutting down meaningful dialogue and how it might be countered going forward.
I’m sure they’re ripe for criticisms as a lot of organizations are, but they do a lot of good work and there are too few such organizations doing such work. Do you really not see the good work they do?
I know any link I’ll provide you with you’ll complain about it being part of a conspiracy – even if it’s left wing like Boing Boing. Here’s one though it’s from Freedom House on the UNHCR site.
In March 2005, the penal code was revised to make insulting the president punishable by 6 to 30 months in prison.
and yes people have been imprisoned because of it.
But where it seems that the power of the state is being used to divest the state of that very power and hand it over to the people in the form of worker and housing co-ops and so on I am broadly supportive and hopeful
and where that happens in a meaningful and sustainable way that’s admirable. Land reform and support of cooperatives I can get behind, but the increased state control of the economy, I cannot nor the political persecution and media suppression that is plaguing Venezuela and of course the military buildup, the drug war the socially conservative policies etc. The creeping autocracy of Chavez is plain to see and it’s a shame you cannot see it. It’s as I said an inevitability and it is the major, as you say, pitfall, of the statist left.
This is a good piece on the latin american left – Un Colombiano MĂÂĄs on the Latin American Left. Just search the site anything from it is going to be good on this. This piece is a must read and follow the links – Que se vayan todos That’s the substantive debate you’re not going to get from the statist left and once again anything else on that site will be good on the topic.
This massive campaign of strike-breaking, union scabbing, and union-busting, which would have done Frick or Carnegie proud, is passed off today by compliant State Socialists in the U.S. as if it were a triumph for the working class. Meanwhile, in Argentina and then increasingly throughout South America, workers began to reclaim abandoned factories, and to run them under participatory, rotating worker self-management (autogestiĂÂłn); when ChĂÂĄvez and his revolutionary bureaucracy took notice of the trend, they started to heavily promote their own favored alternative: government expropriation of factories and the institution of “co-management” (cogestiĂÂłn), in which workers’ associations pay for the government’s help by ceding a substantial share of ownership (often up to 51%) and management (often filled by political appointees) to the Venezuelan government. The excuse for this gutting of worker management in favor of state bossism is that by putting the factory partly under government command, co-management ensures that it will produce in the interests of the “public” or the “nation” ĂąâŹâ as those interests are defined by detached government bureaucrats, rather than by the actual members of the public or the nation who happen to be engaged in doing all the work of making, buying, or using the factory’s products.
When ChĂÂĄvez, former leader of a military coup d’etat, rose to power, he took it upon himself to send out the military in virtually every one of his government welfare projects, and rather than altering, containing, or abolishing the existing military and the state security forces, he and his bureaucracy have taken deliberate efforts to militarize the civilian police forces and integrate paramilitary training and discipline throughout the government schooling system that they have been so assiduously expanding and remaking in their own Bolivarian image…
Or, in other words, under the name and banner of a “socialist” and “revolutionary” movement, the emerging Boli-bureaucracy has used subsidy, co-optation, conversion, and violent repression to devour any and every independent project or association, whenever, wherever, and however it could get them into its ravenous maw. All too many Potemkin-tour “Progressives” and authoritarian Leftists have deluded themselves into believing that this process of the endlessly self-aggrandizing State bureaucracy engorging itself on the living remains of industrial and civil society, is something that Leftist, grassroots, and populist tendencies ought for some reason to support; the Libertarian Left ĂąâŹâ i.e., the real, anarchistic Left, unencumbered by the reactionary apparatus of Authority ĂąâŹâ knows better than that.
You said: “Land reform and support of cooperatives I can get behind, but the increased state control of the economy, I cannot nor the political persecution and media suppression that is plaguing Venezuela and of course the military buildup, the drug war the socially conservative policies etc. The creeping autocracy of Chavez is plain to see…”
If there is land reform and cooperatives that you can get behind, and these things are happening, then these things are evidence of the opposite of state control of the economy are they not? That the state has taken over industries from major private interests and paid negotiated compensation to the former owners; that the state has tried (unsuccessfully) to pass said industries on to the workers and entered into transitional co management arrangements with workers in the meantime is known and the evidence can be linked to.
That elements within the bureaucracy pose a threat to the revolution is known. That elements of the bureaucracy have lined their pockets is known. That they are being tried and jailed if found guilty is known. And nobody has made any charges of show trials.
As for this political persecution and media suppression that plagues Venezuela…it’s mythical. Even ‘your’ HR groups…the ones that promote US foreign policy objectives in the region..have nothing of consequence relating to political persecution. They do (laughably) have stuff about media suppression in a state where well over 90% of the media is privately owned and anatgonistic; where even media that supported the coup were allowed to continue broadcasting until their licence came up for renewal and who still broadcast through cable with no state interference.
Military build up. Lets look at the neighbours. Columbia in particular. US proxy state. US bases in the country. And remember Nicaragua and how the US used the Contras to fight a dirty war to undermine the revolutionary gains in that country? And you know how the US has this penchant for invading oil rich countries? And of course, you know that before any invasion there has to be demonization of the invaded countries leaders or government (Hussein, the Talaban, Aristide…the list rolls on…oh, Chavez.) so that the US public feels comfortable with its government invading and occupying foreign lands…oil and empire are of course burdensome side effects to promoting democracy.
War on Drugs.
What is the problem? That the Venezualan military are unable to stop the cocaine smuggling?…or that they do?….or that Chavez has agreed with Morales that coca cultivation and use of coca should be legal and that only the processing into cocaine and it’s subsequent distribution should be subject to legal sanction?
Socially Conservative Policies.
Access to education for the poor. Housing for the poor. Land redistribution. Literacy and numeracy for all. Deliberate discouragement of democratic centralism through encouragement of horizontal democratic structures in the community and workplace. (Sometimes moving forward on co management basis where workers lack the confidence or will to assume full control.) Improved medical care for poor.
Autocracy.
Chavez is subject to electoral processes as are other elected officials. As said before, the danger is the bureaucracy… the civil service if you will.
Meanwhile if you want to read serious pieces (rather than just opinion pieces) on indigenous rights in Venezuela, or military and trade contracts, US meddling, press freedoms and political freedoms, then here’s a link with a plethora of sourced material as well as opinion and commentary which in turn links to other sources of information. If your interested.
If there is land reform and cooperatives that you can get behind, and these things are happening, then these things are evidence of the opposite of state control of the economy are they not?
If those cooperatives are of the bureaucratised co-managment vareity then they are not. Take a look at the ever more and more regulations Chavez is placing on the Venezuelan economy that’s quite the opposite of the state freeing the economy. It’s been much more pronounced in recent years than earlier and the negative economic outcomes are now becoming apparent.
That elements within the bureaucracy pose a threat to the revolution is known. That elements of the bureaucracy have lined their pockets is known. That they are being tried and jailed if found guilty is known. And nobody has made any charges of show trials.
Who is the head of that bureaucracy? A. Chavez. As the links I provided Chavez has insinuated his military and bureaucracy into the workers efforts coopted them and limited the possbility of any real independent and truly worker controlled orgainsations. And what of the oil workers mentioned in Que se vayan todos
When organized oil workers went on strike in 2003, ChĂÂĄvez and his revolutionary bureaucracy took the opportunity to fire 18,000 workers, to hire scabs and political favorites to cross the picket lines and replace them, and to create a new yellow-dog union federation that would support the official line of the government and the government-owned oil company
That’s not the work of a man commited to the workers struggles.
As for this political persecution and media suppression that plagues Venezuela it’s mythical.
That’s not mythical Bill. It’s reality. There is ample evidence of it and I’ve given you a fraction of that.
Military build up. Lets look at the neighbours. Columbia in particular. US proxy state. US bases in the country. And remember Nicaragua and how the US used the Contras to fight a dirty war to undermine the revolutionary gains in that country? And you know how the US has this penchant for invading oil rich countries? And of course, you know that before any invasion there has to be demonization of the invaded countries leaders or government (Hussein, the Talaban, Aristide the list rolls on oh, Chavez.) so that the US public feels comfortable with its government invading and occupying foreign lands oil and empire are of course burdensome side effects to promoting democracy.
So you support the military buildup? Do honestly believe Obama is going to invade Venezuela? I think there’s little excuse for the military buildup and the consequent squandering of money taken out of the pockets of workers to pay for it.
What is the problem? That the Venezualan military are unable to stop the cocaine smuggling? or that they do? That they do. Some positive moves have been taken, but using a militarised police and the military itself to attack drug traffickers is very harmful IMO. It’s in the best interests of the latin american nations to not fight the drug war against there own people. Morales is ahead of Chavez on this.
Socially Conservative Policies.
I wasn’t thinking of the policies you mentioned Bill. I was thinking along the lines of abortion, LGBT issues, drugs, etc. Same problems as other nations and Venezuela is no worse than many others in that respect.
No doubt some positive moves have been made by the Venezuelan government and the previous governments were very poor, but many negative moves have been made and the insinutaion of the military into workers affairs is a major one there as is the curtailment of freedom of expression. Your trenchant defense of Chavez is IMO misplaced. Things are getting especially worse in Venezuela in recent times and it will be interesting to see where it goes in the next couple of years and I think you may well change your tune then as will many other misguided leftists.
Yes it would be easy to turn into a conspiracy theorist with the run of colour-coded revolutions in recent years: rose for Belarus, orange for the Ukraine, green for Iran; all illustrated by attractive young people, all involving IT social networking. Soon they will run out of attractive colours that are negative connotation-free. A yellow revolution sounds cowardly, violet too much like violent with the “n” left out, Mr Chavez already has the copyright on red, and blue is ambiguous, being democratic in the US and tory in other places. All sign up for the heliotrope revolution? Hasn’t got much of a ring to it has it.
Blue is generally associated with “liberal” parties, so it’s actually pretty consistent worldwide, given that the democrats fit in roughly the same broad political box as the Australian Liberals, the British Conservatives, or our own National Party, except with a small social-democratic wing off to the left of the party. Red is actually a far more problematic political colour than blue. đ
The republicans have red because the US media originally switched blue and red colours every election to avoid anyone making value judgements based on the colours. For some reason they stopped, and the republican party got red.
At least, that’s what I’ve heard. I should probably check on it at some point. <..>
Thank you Jenny for including my blog in your links. The Tobin Tax as George Soros wishes to use it is a travesty and will be nothing more than a step toward a One World Government.
Ari, You are correct about how the colors came about for political parties in the US.
Bill, while it is not reported that anyone goes to jail Chavez does not take kindly to criticism. You asked for a link? Here is one of many that are available: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hugo-Ch-vez-
Speaks-Out-Against-Twitter-Terrorists-134245.shtml
To the owner of this blog. Very interesting blog. I plan to visit more often.
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The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. âThe latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while â simultaneously â cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with MÄori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, itâs hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kĆrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whÄnau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it wonât come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of Americaâs virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealandâs apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second âSputnik momentâ. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the worldâs first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Mr Mojo Rising: Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it.ABOUT TWELVE KILOMETRES from the farm on the North Otago coast where I grew up stands ...
You're nearly a good laughAlmost a jokerWith your head down in the pig binSaying, 'Keep on digging.'Pig stain on your fat chinWhat do you hope to findDown in the pig mine?You're nearly a laughYou're nearly a laughBut you're really a crySongwriter: Roger Waters.NZ First - Kiwi Battlers.Say what you like ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Climate denial is dead. Renewable energy denial is here. As “alternative facts” become the norm, it’s worth looking at what actual facts tell us about how renewable energy sources like solar and wind are lowering the price of electricity. As ...
Our originating document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between MÄori and the British Crown. Initially inked by NgÄ Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this governmentâs failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealandâs opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting MÄori and Pacific people especially hard, with MÄori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between MÄori and the British Crown. Initially inked by NgÄ Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing â National still wonât commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the countryâs public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te PÄti MÄori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymourâs âcost-savingâ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. âWhatâs the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?â Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the townâs Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mĆ Te KÄhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tĆ«puna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tĆ«puna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Childrenâs Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her governmentâs terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers â temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymourâs school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Governmentâs move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Governmentâs commitment to get New Zealandâs roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. âIncreasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. âToday I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in WhÄngarei will be offering childhood immunisations â the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Governmentâs record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealandâs strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealandâs national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Governmentâs transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. Itâs a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. âThe racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. âThe latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are âstill both very highâ.â The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawkeâs Bay Fallen Soldiersâ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawkeâs Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealandâs second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. âWe have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mĆ Te KÄhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. âThis Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. âA world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed KÄinga Oraâs decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. âIn 2024 KÄinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,â Mr Bishop says. âAs part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. âAs schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamarikiâs review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 Whatâs Up hotline. âWhen I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. âThe Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. âDecember 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labourâs blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. âThe previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. âNational campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 â the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. âThis yearâs Budget will drive forward the Governmentâs plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. âBudget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Governmentâs growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. âJust over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. âThe Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,â says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. âThe change is part of the Governmentâs plan to unlock New Zealandâs potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of KÄinga Oraâs development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. âIâve been a strong advocate for social housing on KÄinga Oraâs Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministersâ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.âHealth New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. âI referred the matter of Judge Aitkenâs alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. âLast year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. âOur diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealandâs interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,â Mr Peters says. âIt is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi â without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston Northâs biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whÄnau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. âThe Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. Itâs so great to be here and Iâm ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges â CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. âInvest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. âThe reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealandâs economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Ministerâs State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealandersâ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. âIn the previous governmentâs final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. âThat is completely ...
The Governmentâs welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. âThere are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. âI am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. âJon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. âIâm pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
The new minister of transport has opened the door for public consultation on at least some of the speed limit changes the government said would be automatic. ...
Officially, they’re called ‘memecoins,’ but KĆura Wealth founder Rupert Carlyon says the crypto world has another name for them: ‘shitcoins’.In digital finance, that phrase is used for tokens that have no true value – in essence, a money-grab.A few days before his inauguration, US President Donald Trump launched his own ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Guy Williams has made a whole show off the joke that he is a âvolunteerâ journalist. So getting publicly owned by David Seymour while trying to act as a journalist is a good and timely reminder not to underestimate the nuance and ...
Many of SÄmoaâs beloved dishes are the result of cultural collaboration, writes Madeleine Chapman. All photos by Jin FelletIf you ever find yourself at a barbecue in a SÄmoan home, thereâs 99% chance that sapasui (chop suey) will be on the table. For the past century, sapasui has ...
The funnyman takes us through his life in television, including Jono and Ben mayhem, live Telethon flubs, and funnelling all those experiences into his new comedy Vince. Thereâs an inciting incident in Threeâs new comedy Vince where morning television presenter Vince Walters (Jono Pryor) is visiting sick kids in hospital ...
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Is he still here?
After the tax working group’s recommendations were widely rubbished as a lot of right wing twaddle, and extremist wish list, even the National government distanced themselves from it.
Don Brash who headed the TWG has his own take on the furore.
And it confirms his detachment from reality.
Don Brash claims that the TWG report ” ….attracted a lot of editorial support, including some from The Dominion Post, and considerable support from economists and business groups.”
Notice that the only source named here by Brash in support of his view of “considerable support” is the Dom. Obviously no one else was prepared to be publicly acknowledged as wanting this smellly albatross draped around their necks.
And, in an even more ludicrous attempt at spin, Brash puts up a straw man, claiming that the main critics of his report were against the report’s stated target of matching Australian income levels.
Then spends about 10 paragraphs battleing his own straw man.
What a lot of self serving tosh.
In fact the main criticisms of the report was it’s boringly predictable concentration on tax cuts for the Well-To-Do, with the fruity accents similar to his, paid for by vicious cuts in government spending on things that matter to the rest of us, like state funded health, education and welfare.
No mention of the Maori Party bill to remove from GST from food. No consideration of a Tobin Tax, which is being considered by far more serious and august bodies, in other countries contemplating tax reform in the wake of the failure of the unregulated free market.
Laugh.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3297656/The-stark-choices-confronting-New-Zealand
I am a long time fan of the Tobin tax. Where is it being seriously considered for implementation?
Kia ora Shona,
The following are some links to serious mainstream international discussion on the idea of implementing a Tobin Tax.
I have also added links from the New Zealand union movement and socialists. That this discussion is carried out on the fringes in New Zealand society probably reflects how far NZ has gone down the neo-liberal road.
http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/09/a-tobin-tax-for-wall-street/
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk/Mervyn-King-backs-Obamastyle-.6016154.jp
http://afticker.blogspot.com/2008/09/barack-hussein-obama-george-soros-tobin.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/22/gordon-brown-tobin-tax-banking
This is a particularly good one.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=ajz1hV_afuSQ
And from NZ,
http://unityaotearoa.blogspot.com/search/label/tax
http://union.org.nz/sites/union/files/CTU%20Alternative%20Economic%20Strategy.pdf
A serious lot of hyperlinks – should help to get a good grasp of the subject Jenny.
Headline: National standards policy: How parents mark it
Looks and sounds impressive but,
It’s not even close to an impartial survey so it’s findings aren’t actually worth anything and shouldn’t be published at all. Just another pro-NACT statement by the Granny.
That is how National party spin tends to work. People do naturally want to know how their kids are doing, and National standards appeal to that desire. Questions as to whether National standards will achieve this, and what other agendas may come with the package, fall into the background. A further cause of excitement is the idea of getting rid of incompetent teachers, without any clues as to what will count as competency. If the government itself is anything to go by, it will not be based on the teacher who does the best job, but the teacher who best ‘sells’ the school.
Note that John Roughan, in this morning’s Herald, has come out in favour of the voucher system.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10624401
Bearing in mind that Belgium is generally viewed as being rather conservative as well as being capable of brewing some of the world’s better beers….
“For two weeks in January Belgian brewery workers blocked roads, set fire to beer crates, kidnapped managers and handed out free beer as part of their tactics against job cuts proposed by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer.”
http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/1847/1
Fran O”Sullivan’s article in today’s Herald “Foreshore debate all about big bucks” is a fascinating read. It may well provide the real reason behind the F&S Act, and adds a new dimension to the formation of the Maori Party and it’s… secret agenda?
As a relative newcomer to the Internet I have yet to learn how to link articles from other sources. Perhaps someone is willing to provide the link for The Standard readers. In fact it is worth a separate post as it would be interesting to read how others view O’Sullivan’s revelations.
You go to the bar at the top and choose “select all” and then choose “copy.” The you go to where yo want to put the link and choose “paste.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10624402
Thanks Olwyn. I suspect it’s still going to take me a bit of time to get the hang of it but I’ll make it eventually. đ
Thanks Olwyn for info on copying links. My son had shown me how to organise one with a title but it is simpler to just print out full address as hyperlink. I am slow but steady learner and have to remember to use right click button on mouse.
The Maori Party gives up too easily when a bit of pressure is applied. Cutting funds to Te Hurihanga program is an example of the wasteful and shallow lack of commitment of government to social programs to help NZ give better opportunities and reduce crime.
Compare to the background of the Chapmans and the story by Kim Hill on Nat Radio this Saturday 6/2. Interesting how they have dedicated themselves to changing life positively for many who have lost their way and without government funding. They feel that government involvement reduces the effectiveness and that it has unreasonable expectations.
This is what the Beehive site had to say, and notice that the program has been running only 21 months, which since it is a 9 to 18 month programme has allowed only one cycle.
“Since April 2007, Te Hurihanga has been a pilot residential and community-based treatment programme for young male offenders aged 14-17 years, and run by the Youth Horizons Trust for the Ministry of Justice. The pilot was scheduled for completion on 31 March 2010 and to this date has cost $5.040 million.
“Twenty-three young offenders have begun the residential Te Hurihanga programme which serves the Waikato region,” Mr Power said. “However, only eight have completed the 9- to 18-month programme since April 2007. Averaged out, that’s an estimated $630,000 for each successful youth.”
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/fresh+start+te+hurihanga
This needed to be analysed into the running costs and the set-up costs if assessing the costs per “ex-offender”.
This is one for the Chavez fans out there: Venezuela: Chavez equates Twitter with terrorism
Most politicians are egotistical control freak cunts, the more power they have they nuttier they become…….. nuf said.
That’s fucking ridiculous QtR!
You paraphrase a comment from a tabloid type site that claims a quote which, unless you read Spanish, can’t be verified!
A quick google search has none of this twitter stuff coming from any sites that are not of the rabid nonsense variety.
Wonder why?
How about….the twitter shit got traction ( out of all proportion to any actual efficacy of such messaging) in the msm when it was thrown up in relation to Iran. So if we throw it up again but say it is being controlled by the state because people on twitter were saying bad things about Hugo Chavez…and we might get a sympathetic echo from China and google and interweb control then…yeah, thumbs up good idea.
And if you had done even a minimal amount of digging you’d have seen that this twitter shit is just another pop gun fart in the elites panty wringing squealing campaign about how “Chavez is a bad man who is controlling all the media!”…in a state where the media gets away with far more than the media here (or in the US) would ever get away with…in a state where the media is owned and run by the elites who are vociferously against everything the Venezuelan government does and where the media even threw its weight behind a briefly successful coup.
Here, according to http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/5101 is the guts of the media legislation that was being flouted
“The media law establishes standards for child and adult programming, prohibits racist, sexist or inflammatory content and incitement to violence, places limits on commercial advertising, and requires stations to broadcast important government announcements.”
You want to compare that to, oh I dunno….let’s say NZ and then tell me what is so totalitarian about it?
I mean, you can see why the poor little rich kids of the fading elites might twitter in a froth after the very media that is or has been flouting the law, used their ‘reigning in’ as an excuse to ‘have a go’…again…can’t you?
And you do know that the student population comes from the privileged sectors of ‘old’ Venezuela, don’t you?
What I find amusing is that over recent years the right wing ( and many on the left too) have wanked on about how the media in Venezuela isn’t free and how it’s all controlled by the state, but the same people can’t see the disconnect between those earlier claims and the current claims that the media is being subject to state control.
If the former claims had been true, the present claims could not be made (’cause the state can hardly suppress state controlled media… just in case it needs spelled out)
We both know political regimes can interpret such laws to crack down on political dissent. Here’s a recent article at Human Rights Watch on Chavez’s media clampdown: Venezuela: Stop Abusing Broadcast Powers but I guess you’ll think that is just ‘elites panty wringing squealing’. A couple of years ago Chavez did expel a couple of their members; Venezuela: Human Rights Watch Delegation Expelled Maybe you have an explanation for that? What do you think of Chavez banning signs in stadiums recently?
Anyway on your comment on boing boing it’s a blog and your characterization of it is quite wrong http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boing_boing honestly why you must go into a rant about the site is beyond me – is it not suitably left wing enough for you? Here’s a blog article in the guardian on earlier comments of Chavez’s on twitter Just in case they’re up to your standards – http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/blog/2009/aug/03/hugo-chavez-takes-on-twitter The real threat is that of Chavez trying to control internet content.
You can compare New Zealand to Venezuela try the press freedom index
More Than 100 Experts Question Human Rights Watch’s Venezuela Report
“By publishing such a grossly flawed report, and acknowledging a political motivation in doing so, Mr. Vivanco has undermined the credibility of an important human rights organization,” the letter states.
As for the Press freedom Index…you are shitting me right? You know it’s compiled by Reporters Without Borders? Hardly bastions of impartiality or integrity.
Here’s a couple of wee snippets from wiki since you like wiki links
Venezuela
Le Monde diplomatique has criticized RWB’s attitude towards Hugo ChĂÂĄvez’s government in Venezuela, in particular during the 2002 coup attempt.[45] In a right of reply, Robert MĂ©nard declared that RWB had also condemned the support of Venezuela media to the coup attempt.[11] RWB has also been criticized for supporting Globovision’s version of events about its false reporting in relation to a 2009 earthquake, claiming Globovision was “being hounded by the government and the administration.
and
American reporter on human rights, Kevin Pina, who was imprisoned under GĂ©rard Latortue’s rule, said of RSF:
“It was clear early on that RSF and Robert Menard were not acting as objective guardians of freedom of the press in Haiti but rather as central actors in what can only be described as a disinformation campaign against Aristide’s government. Their attempts to link Aristide to the murder of Jean Dominique and their subsequent silence when the alleged hit man, Lavalas Senator Dany Toussaint, joined the anti-Aristide camp and ran for president in 2006 is just one of many examples that expose the real nature and role of organizations like RSF. They provide false information and skewed reports to build internal opposition to governments seen as uncontrollable and unpalatable to Washington while softening the ground for their eventual removal by providing justification under the pretext of attacks on the freedom of the press.
The blog on The Guardian you link to is just echoing the boing boing crap. ( And whereas I find the Grudgeon okay for a lot of stuff, it is generally woeful in it’s Venezuela coverage)
Nevertheless, here’s an article that first appeared there. Note the comment at the bottom?
Anyway, the real threat is Chavez and his big internet control switch…not corporate media prop…boing, boing being the sound of your credibility bouncing off down the street QtR.
Bugger. The links failed to show up.
wiki on RWB
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reporters_Without_Borders
Article that first appeared in the Guardian
http://ruby.zcommunications.org/anti-venezuela-spokespeople-misrepresent-reality-of-press-freedom-in-venezuela-by-mark-weisbrot
Don’t like RSF fine. Freedom House produces an index also Freedom of the Press (report) but I know you won’t like them either. New Zealand’s rating 14 Free – Venezuela 73 Not Free. Here’s a list of indices of Freedom you can compare Venezuela there.
The human Rights watch article I linked is not the one critiqued in the piece you link to. You could give me your opinion on their workers expulsion from Venezuela. Here is Amnesty international’s 2009 report on Venezuela.
Here’s Amnesty International’s section on Venezuela.
The Guardian is not echoing the Boing Boing ‘crap’ it was written months beforehand about a different comment of Chavez’s about Twitter.
Internet filtering or any other method that Chavez may use is a real threat just as it is a real threat here and as we know by the news recently already a problem in Australia.
Boing Boing is a good blog. The wiki article describes it as left wing – I know otherwise you wouldn’t read it. Cory Doctorow and the like write very good pieces criticizing intellectual property laws. You’re just being dismissive because they wrote something you disagree with. Have a look through their news section you might find it interesting.
Here’s one for you: Venezuela bans Family Guy cartoon
It’s not a case of ‘not liking’ Reporters Without Borders. It’s a case of them being a disreputable source of information. Read through the links I provided.
Freedom House ( according to the link you provided) gets about 2/3rds of its funding from the US government and claims that “American leadership in international affairs is essential to the cause of human rights and freedom”
Hardly a platform for integrity and honesty is it?
Moving on.
The AI report is unremarkable if you actually read it. Even the quote you take, which I assume was meant to be damning, says nothing devastatingly negative about the Venezuelan government. I haven’t bothered to search, but I’d warrant that AI was more critical of the NZ government with regards prison overcrowding, seabed and foreshore, Ahmed Zaoui, the ‘terror raids’, immigration, tasers…..
Here’s the thing. You can run all over the net finding anti-Venezuelan crap like the BBC’s Family Guy nonsense (Here’s a different source on same story with a link to the clip. Venezuelan state TV today broadcast an exceprt from “Family Guy” as an example of how the U.S. promotes drug use. The clip features Stewie, the matricide-obsessed infant son of Peter and Lewis Griffin, singing a song extolling the virtues of smoking weed.) It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Like the Climate Change ‘debates’, the mudslingers have spread shit far and wide.
And the liberal media also initiates, misreports and encourages the bullshit. (BBC on Family Guy story as an eg) The corrections and refutations or just the level headed reports are out there, but are generally ignored…takes a bit of reading and a bit of critical thinking.
Anyway.
Trying to have an intelligent discussion on Venezuela is a bit like trying to have an intelligent discussion on aspects of climate change thanks to the thoughtless regurgitation of bullshit of both the obvious and subtle variety, by dumb arses who are too lazy or stupid to think things through for themselves and too quick to accept the spin of vested interests.
That’s a good link there’s a patently absurd statement from a Venezuela’s Interior Minister –
You may call it anti Venezuela ‘crap’ or ‘bullshit’ bill, but it is true and a disturbing example of media censorship in Venezuela and something that simply shouldn’t happen in any nation.
Insulting Chavez is a punishable offense in Venezuela by 6 to 30 months in prison – what would you say if Key introduced something similar here?
Do you not see any pattern – the closed radio and television stations, the forcing of others to play government propaganda, the banned television shows, the recent banning of political signs in stadiums, the expulsion and murder of human rights activists. It should be clear that this is no longer the operation of a responsible government. The work of Reporters sans frontiers, Human rights watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House etc should give you some inkling of a pattern. Whatever good intentions Chavez and his followers may have started out with the inevitable has happened. It is simply what happens when the state accrues such power.
This is the AI report on New Zealand for you to compare to Venezuela. You know I criticise New Zealand, I do it all the time on this website, we have a very serious lack of freedom in this nation, but it is certainly not as bad as Venezuela.
I think your support of Chavez is naive. I know whatever source I bring up you’ll decry it as elitist or some vested interest and see it all as some vast conspiracy against Chavez, but those organization do important work defending human rights and freedom around the world and maybe you should take a little time to listen to them and look at the situation in Venezuela with a bit more of a critical eye.
You don’t actually read through stuff do you?
Go back to my previous comments and actually read them in regards to Reporters Without Borders, Freedom House and Human Rights Watch. Read through the links provided and you will get a good picture of the agendas pertaining to those particular orgs.
As far as your intention to run on the Family Guy angle well, it was aired on Venezuelan State TV …not censored. To agree or disagree with the ministers sentiments is one thing ( personally I think they’re stupid) but to take it and spin it in the way the BBC and others did is fucking fucked.
Insulting Chavez is a punishable offence? Really? Got a link? He is insulted daily and vociferously in the Venezuelan media. Nobody goes to jail.
And AI report on NZ is pretty much as I picked.
Meanwhile, those particular ‘concerned’ HR orgs that you seem attached to promote a Washington line and/or right wing economic line before human rights. Just read up about them ffs!
For the record. I am not uncritically supportive of the Venezuelan government. But where it seems that the power of the state is being used to divest the state of that very power and hand it over to the people in the form of worker and housing co-ops and so on I am broadly supportive and hopeful. That the old elites are fighting against this tooth and nail is predictable. That they try to moneywrench initiatives is predictable. That their allies abroad ( government and business) fume and froth and peddle lies to their own domestic populations thereby minimising international solidarity is also predictable.
And the constant and successful diversion away from substantive debate is bloody lamentable insofar as many on the left are adopting positions laid out by their natural class enemies.
So the left can’t have debate on what is and what might be; on how to achieve certain outcomes and avoid certain pitfalls because the reality of what is and isn’t happening on the ground in Venezuela has been successfully obscured and debate degraded by the imposition of infantile black/white, yes/no, good/bad political slanging matches.
Contrasted and compared with the debate and energy unleashed by the Nicaraguan revolution ( where the flaws and shortcomings were debated openly and positively by the left) has to lead to uncomfortable questions being addressed with regards gullibilities on the left and the why’s and wherefor’s of the current successful strategies of the right in shutting down meaningful dialogue and how it might be countered going forward.
I’m sure they’re ripe for criticisms as a lot of organizations are, but they do a lot of good work and there are too few such organizations doing such work. Do you really not see the good work they do?
I know any link I’ll provide you with you’ll complain about it being part of a conspiracy – even if it’s left wing like Boing Boing. Here’s one though it’s from Freedom House on the UNHCR site.
and yes people have been imprisoned because of it.
and where that happens in a meaningful and sustainable way that’s admirable. Land reform and support of cooperatives I can get behind, but the increased state control of the economy, I cannot nor the political persecution and media suppression that is plaguing Venezuela and of course the military buildup, the drug war the socially conservative policies etc. The creeping autocracy of Chavez is plain to see and it’s a shame you cannot see it. It’s as I said an inevitability and it is the major, as you say, pitfall, of the statist left.
This is a good piece on the latin american left – Un Colombiano MĂÂĄs on the Latin American Left. Just search the site anything from it is going to be good on this. This piece is a must read and follow the links – Que se vayan todos That’s the substantive debate you’re not going to get from the statist left and once again anything else on that site will be good on the topic.
You said: “Land reform and support of cooperatives I can get behind, but the increased state control of the economy, I cannot nor the political persecution and media suppression that is plaguing Venezuela and of course the military buildup, the drug war the socially conservative policies etc. The creeping autocracy of Chavez is plain to see…”
If there is land reform and cooperatives that you can get behind, and these things are happening, then these things are evidence of the opposite of state control of the economy are they not? That the state has taken over industries from major private interests and paid negotiated compensation to the former owners; that the state has tried (unsuccessfully) to pass said industries on to the workers and entered into transitional co management arrangements with workers in the meantime is known and the evidence can be linked to.
That elements within the bureaucracy pose a threat to the revolution is known. That elements of the bureaucracy have lined their pockets is known. That they are being tried and jailed if found guilty is known. And nobody has made any charges of show trials.
As for this political persecution and media suppression that plagues Venezuela…it’s mythical. Even ‘your’ HR groups…the ones that promote US foreign policy objectives in the region..have nothing of consequence relating to political persecution. They do (laughably) have stuff about media suppression in a state where well over 90% of the media is privately owned and anatgonistic; where even media that supported the coup were allowed to continue broadcasting until their licence came up for renewal and who still broadcast through cable with no state interference.
Military build up. Lets look at the neighbours. Columbia in particular. US proxy state. US bases in the country. And remember Nicaragua and how the US used the Contras to fight a dirty war to undermine the revolutionary gains in that country? And you know how the US has this penchant for invading oil rich countries? And of course, you know that before any invasion there has to be demonization of the invaded countries leaders or government (Hussein, the Talaban, Aristide…the list rolls on…oh, Chavez.) so that the US public feels comfortable with its government invading and occupying foreign lands…oil and empire are of course burdensome side effects to promoting democracy.
War on Drugs.
What is the problem? That the Venezualan military are unable to stop the cocaine smuggling?…or that they do?….or that Chavez has agreed with Morales that coca cultivation and use of coca should be legal and that only the processing into cocaine and it’s subsequent distribution should be subject to legal sanction?
Socially Conservative Policies.
Access to education for the poor. Housing for the poor. Land redistribution. Literacy and numeracy for all. Deliberate discouragement of democratic centralism through encouragement of horizontal democratic structures in the community and workplace. (Sometimes moving forward on co management basis where workers lack the confidence or will to assume full control.) Improved medical care for poor.
Autocracy.
Chavez is subject to electoral processes as are other elected officials. As said before, the danger is the bureaucracy… the civil service if you will.
Meanwhile if you want to read serious pieces (rather than just opinion pieces) on indigenous rights in Venezuela, or military and trade contracts, US meddling, press freedoms and political freedoms, then here’s a link with a plethora of sourced material as well as opinion and commentary which in turn links to other sources of information. If your interested.
If there is land reform and cooperatives that you can get behind, and these things are happening, then these things are evidence of the opposite of state control of the economy are they not?
If those cooperatives are of the bureaucratised co-managment vareity then they are not. Take a look at the ever more and more regulations Chavez is placing on the Venezuelan economy that’s quite the opposite of the state freeing the economy. It’s been much more pronounced in recent years than earlier and the negative economic outcomes are now becoming apparent.
That elements within the bureaucracy pose a threat to the revolution is known. That elements of the bureaucracy have lined their pockets is known. That they are being tried and jailed if found guilty is known. And nobody has made any charges of show trials.
Who is the head of that bureaucracy? A. Chavez. As the links I provided Chavez has insinuated his military and bureaucracy into the workers efforts coopted them and limited the possbility of any real independent and truly worker controlled orgainsations. And what of the oil workers mentioned in Que se vayan todos
That’s not the work of a man commited to the workers struggles.
As for this political persecution and media suppression that plagues Venezuela it’s mythical.
That’s not mythical Bill. It’s reality. There is ample evidence of it and I’ve given you a fraction of that.
Military build up. Lets look at the neighbours. Columbia in particular. US proxy state. US bases in the country. And remember Nicaragua and how the US used the Contras to fight a dirty war to undermine the revolutionary gains in that country? And you know how the US has this penchant for invading oil rich countries? And of course, you know that before any invasion there has to be demonization of the invaded countries leaders or government (Hussein, the Talaban, Aristide the list rolls on oh, Chavez.) so that the US public feels comfortable with its government invading and occupying foreign lands oil and empire are of course burdensome side effects to promoting democracy.
So you support the military buildup? Do honestly believe Obama is going to invade Venezuela? I think there’s little excuse for the military buildup and the consequent squandering of money taken out of the pockets of workers to pay for it.
What is the problem? That the Venezualan military are unable to stop the cocaine smuggling? or that they do? That they do. Some positive moves have been taken, but using a militarised police and the military itself to attack drug traffickers is very harmful IMO. It’s in the best interests of the latin american nations to not fight the drug war against there own people. Morales is ahead of Chavez on this.
Socially Conservative Policies.
I wasn’t thinking of the policies you mentioned Bill. I was thinking along the lines of abortion, LGBT issues, drugs, etc. Same problems as other nations and Venezuela is no worse than many others in that respect.
No doubt some positive moves have been made by the Venezuelan government and the previous governments were very poor, but many negative moves have been made and the insinutaion of the military into workers affairs is a major one there as is the curtailment of freedom of expression. Your trenchant defense of Chavez is IMO misplaced. Things are getting especially worse in Venezuela in recent times and it will be interesting to see where it goes in the next couple of years and I think you may well change your tune then as will many other misguided leftists.
You should read the article in the one linked to above: Venezuela, Socialism to the Highest Bidder
Yes it would be easy to turn into a conspiracy theorist with the run of colour-coded revolutions in recent years: rose for Belarus, orange for the Ukraine, green for Iran; all illustrated by attractive young people, all involving IT social networking. Soon they will run out of attractive colours that are negative connotation-free. A yellow revolution sounds cowardly, violet too much like violent with the “n” left out, Mr Chavez already has the copyright on red, and blue is ambiguous, being democratic in the US and tory in other places. All sign up for the heliotrope revolution? Hasn’t got much of a ring to it has it.
Blue is generally associated with “liberal” parties, so it’s actually pretty consistent worldwide, given that the democrats fit in roughly the same broad political box as the Australian Liberals, the British Conservatives, or our own National Party, except with a small social-democratic wing off to the left of the party. Red is actually a far more problematic political colour than blue. đ
You forgot last year’s kiwi black-out campaign against the government’s proposed section 92 copyright changes. A geek revolution.
So what’s with the Republicans having red? It shouldn’t be allowed!
And yes, I forgot about the geek revolution. Apologies to the geeks out there.
[lprent: indeed. ]
The republicans have red because the US media originally switched blue and red colours every election to avoid anyone making value judgements based on the colours. For some reason they stopped, and the republican party got red.
At least, that’s what I’ve heard. I should probably check on it at some point. <..>
Thank you Jenny for including my blog in your links. The Tobin Tax as George Soros wishes to use it is a travesty and will be nothing more than a step toward a One World Government.
Ari, You are correct about how the colors came about for political parties in the US.
Bill, while it is not reported that anyone goes to jail Chavez does not take kindly to criticism. You asked for a link? Here is one of many that are available: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hugo-Ch-vez-
Speaks-Out-Against-Twitter-Terrorists-134245.shtml
To the owner of this blog. Very interesting blog. I plan to visit more often.
Ticker in Texas, USA