Open mike 06/12/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 6th, 2011 - 83 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

83 comments on “Open mike 06/12/2011 ”

  1. Yesterday’s politics on Radio New Zealand’s nine to noon show left me with a familiar yet unusual feeling.  John Pagani was there to represent the left and Matthew Hooton to represent the right.  I expected the usual beat up on the left and claims of extremism and for such comments to be met with a reasoned and fact based response.

    This duly occurred.  There was the claim that David Cunliffe, one of Labour’s leadership candidates, had advocated for the forced renationalisation of privatised assets.  Forced renationalisation I tell you, forced renationalisation.  This was met with the calm response that the claim was “a bit extreme”.

    What was unusual however was that Pagani was the one who made the extreme comment and Hooton was the reasoned and fact based responder.

    Pagani’s claim that Cunliffe said he will forcibly renationalise sold assets has the unfortunate feature that Cunliffe actually did not say this.  Cunliffe actually said, when asked about what he would do about privatisation, that he would not rule out renationalising some sold assets and would look hard at buying them back.

    Somehow to Pagani this means that all sold assets will be forcibly renationalised, presumably without compensation.  If you think about it you will do it.  If only.

    He then had the cheek to suggest that the commentary around this particular issue was building up.  He neglected to mention that he was the one busily constructing the theme as fast as he could do so.

    The suggestion that the support for Shearer is essentially coming from the old guard yesterday became even more credible.

    • What Cunliffe said:

      I don’t stand for a paler shade of blue, and I want to look down the barrel and say this: if the Government is going to sell off precious state assets then we would not rule out re-nationalising some of them. And people need to be aware of that regulatory risk.”

      So he started talking tough, then softened substantially. It’s difficult trying to talk to multiple audiences at the same time. And is now he seems to be fizzling out on it.

      http://yourdunedin.org/2011/12/06/labour-leadership-maneuvering/

    • Colonial Viper 1.2

      Pagani’s claim that Cunliffe said he will forcibly renationalise sold assets has the unfortunate feature that Cunliffe actually did not say this.

      🙁

  2. kriswgtn 2

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6089778/Superannuation-debate-part-of-election-deal

    “Mr Key had previously promised to resign as prime minister rather than support a change in the age of eligibility for superannuation. Yesterday he said a change of the kind proposed by UnitedFuture would not violate that pledge.””

    Guess its all in the wording aye

    • rosy 2.1

      Yeah – I can only see 3 possibles for this:
      1. The debate is a non-debate
      2. Key is going to resign
      3. A promise will be broken – probably due to a dynamic environment

    • The United Future flexible super proposal wouldn’t violate Key’s pledge, it still provides the option of the status quo plus offers choice of earlier or later uptake.

      • chris73 2.2.1

        I think Dunnes idea of superannuation is the best I’ve heard so far (if the numbers do stack up)

        • Afewknowthetruth 2.2.1.1

          chris.

          I know you ar not keen on informed analysis but for the sake of getting the truth out:

          In the past it was possible for governments of western nations to provide most people with a high standard of living because large amounts of resources (trees, oil, rubber, gold, diamonds etc.) were being stolen from poor countries (especially those in Africa, South America and Asia) while the populations of those nations lived [by western standards] in extreme poverty, coal was being dug out the ground very cheaply, and oil was coming out the ground at very low cost.

          Those arrangements gradually came to an end in the latter part of the twentieth century and the first few years of the twenty-first century, and ceased around 2008. Add to the mix the fact that global population tripled in the last half of the twentieth century, so there are now three times as many people as in 1950 chasing less resources. The numbers do not stack up and never will.

          What we have at the moment is a system of financial fraud, whereby the reality of collapse of the system is being concealed from the general public via massive amounts of borrowing which devalues all the money already in the system -hence the cost of all the basics are rising rapidly.

          Since the entire Ponzi scheme is dependent on perpetual economic growth [on a finite planet], which is a mathematical impossibility and is gringing to a halt (as it must ) , and since the entire Ponzi scheme is dependent on creating money out of thin air via the international bond market, expect all super schemes to ‘go up in smoke’ over the next few years, just as has been happening in the US recently.

          Also expect to be utterly ‘shafted’ by Dunne over the next few years.

          .

      • rosy 2.2.2

        That’s the least obvious option that I can see – for a start the administrative costs will either make super more expensive, or they’ll be clawed back. But, we’ll see I guess.

        • chris73 2.2.2.1

          Well on theory it sounds good, retire early get less or retire later get more as some people don’t want to retire at 65 so its good to let people have choice in these matters

          I’d be curious to see the numbers if everyone retired early or later as that could get interesting

          • locus 2.2.2.1.1

            i think there’s a heck of a lot more people who want to retire as early as possible.

            “Most workers in most OECD countries leave the labour market before the standard pension eligibility age.”
            http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/fulltext/8111011ec006.pdf?expires=1323116591&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=5E9193C181FFAB6BBB6DCD4E6F93843C

            Mind you, kiwis may not conform to the average 🙂

            • chris73 2.2.2.1.1.1

              I know I would

              • Afewknowthetruth

                chris

                Don’t forget that back in the 1980s the retrement age was 60 and many supernnuanants took two or three overseas holidays a year to prevent their bank balances getting too high.

                How times have changed as more and more resources have been consumed and converted into waste.

                If you were born in 1973 you will never receive a retirement benefit at 60, 65, 67, 70 or any other number. The present economic system will not endure beyond 2020, and many parts of it will collapse before then.

            • Puddleglum 2.2.2.1.1.2

              I think Dunne’s policy would build in further inequality into our society.

              Those able to retire early on reduced superannuation would be those who either have substantial assets or private super schemes to supplement a reduced entitlement for the rest of their lives.

              As I read it (hopefully I’m wrong), any low income worker who retired earlier would be consigned, for the rest of their lives, to a lower superannuation than someone who retired at 65 or later. Such low income workers would likely be those who, for (mental and/or physical) health reasons needed to retire sooner. Given that the present entitlement is very restrictive for those who have no other means of support, expect old age poverty to reappear in significant numbers in New Zealand.

              Typically, those low income workers still able to work would ‘choose’ to work beyond 65 in order to gain the higher rate. Yet, those same workers are less likely to live as long – and working longer at the jobs they work at may well further reduce their life expectancy.

              Overall, many bad ‘unintended’ consequences for poorer people is what I foresee. 

              • rosy

                Yes, a typical example of why UF is more at home with National than Labour. Nothing about this policy supports equitable distribution of resources. A bit like their income-splitting, it sounds oh so reasonable but the costs of the policy are superficially hidden in the end wil be borne by the less well-off.

    • It’s all dinamic environment, ain’t it!

  3. tc 3

    Can anybody enlighten me about changes to legislation being passed under WTO mandates that govern such issues as food sharing and what seed you can base your crops on.

    Keep hearing from concerned rural folk who want a simple life and not be told what to grow and what they can do with it.

    • Afewknowthetruth 3.1

      tc.

      People around here who are awake are very concerned that legislation is well on the way to being passed by [NZ] parliament. The fascists who make up the majority of MPs will facilitate the next phase of the corporate takeover of society soon.

      People will soon be getting what they voted for -more frankenfood (of low nutritional value) distributed at high cost via frankenoutlets (which transfer wealth to those who already have far too much).

      Those who don’t wish to be part of this dytopian future are keeping their heads down and getting on with what needs to be done to live healthy lives and survive the impending crash of the system.

      • AAMC 3.1.1

        Dig up your lawn, plant only orgainc seeds, save seeds from each crop and distribute both crop and seed amongst friends, plant seedlings around your neigbourhood as living urban sculptures, leave trays of seedlings where there is foot traffic with take me home and plant me signs. Lead by example, prepare for this law, defy false authority.

        Watch this clip… #occupyfood

        [lprent: Another bug to fix. ]

  4. Chris Oden 4

    Just because I could I googled Laurel and Hardy and found a clip of them from “Way out West” doing an extremely funny dance.Now I know where Key was cloned from.I forget who is who but Key is the absolute dead spit for the little one. Even the dancing is exactly like Key.Right down to the fatuous grin and the mincing walk.A must see.

    • mac1 4.1

      Oy, Chris Oden, that sequence is one of my favourite funny memories from childhood reconfirmed by the magic of Youtube- and now ruined by the thought of Stan Laurel as Key.

      Heh. Perhaps Stephen Joyce is Oliver Hardy?

  5. In Vino Veritas 5

    Thought for today:

    “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy.” – Winston Churchill

    • Uturn 5.1

      Freedom in capitalist society always remains about the same as it was in ancient Greek republics: Freedom for slave owners. – Vladimir Lenin

    • millsy 5.2

      I dont recall Winston Churchill selling off the coal mines that the Atlee government nationalised.

    • joe90 5.3

      Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.

      Abraham Lincoln: State of the Union Address 1861

    • locus 5.4

      Reply to thought for the day:

      IVV – you missed the beginning of the Churchill quote which was “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; ……”

      And it’s instructive that in 1945, Churchill’s anti soicialist rhetoric contributed to a landslide victory for the British Labour Party

    • Bored 5.5

      The counterpoint of envy is charity, something in pitifully short supply in the Randian psychopathy we describe as neo liberal political economy.

      That system is driven by greed, so to St Thomas Aquinas on greed…”a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things.”

    • Afewknowthetruth 5.6

      IVV

      ‘Churchill’s wry comment on the business was that he’d supposed the miners to be the most unreasonable people he had ever met, until he met the mine owners’. -British General Strike 1926.

      Life and Times of Winston Churchill

    • AAMC 5.7

      “Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class.”
      Al Capone

    • Draco T Bastard 5.8

      Oh, look at that, a Pisshead agreeing with a Pisshead.

      Capitalism is the failure and the cause of poverty. If you still “believe” in it after it just fell over again then it is you that is ignorant and wilfully so.

    • Well he would say that would he not.? After all in 1912 he wanted to shoot the striking miners.

    • Treetop 5.10

      “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

      What would Einstein make of asset sales?

  6. Afewknowthetruth 6

    Another elephant in the room:

    ‘New Zealand homes are overvalued by 25 per cent and the country is one of nine under threat of a housing bubble burst, says the Economist.’

    http://msn.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10771182&ref=rss

    NZ does seem to have divided into two nations over recent years: Auckland, which has been turned into a gigantic speculative casiono, and the rest of the country.

    ‘New Zealand’s QV agency has found house prices nationally have dropped only 4.4 per cent below the peak in 2007, and yesterday Barfoot & Thompson released data showing the November average selling price rose by 2.5 per cent on October to $567,489, its second-highest average monthly price ever.’

    • In Vino Veritas 6.1

      25%? You won’t be too worried then Afew, your bunker in the wops won’t be under threat, though your internet connection might be. Surely you should be using carrier pigeons?

    • vto 6.2

      I struggle with that. House values today are generally below cost already. Unless the underlying land values go through the floor into subterranean territory…

      • Afewknowthetruth 6.2.1

        vto

        The last time I was in Orewa (about 6 years ago) specualtors were asking (and getting) $350,000 for fairly standard a piece of dirt to build on.

        Yes, the cost of building materials, labour and compliance costs have pushed the cost of new housing beyond what can be regarded as sane.

        However, Auckland is in a fairly unique position of attracting economic and environmental refugees from overseas and is not a sane place. The huge pressure for accommodation is totally skewing everything.

        In Taranaki things are failry stable. In the Manawatu things are looking pretty dire from what I have heard. In Canterbury there is huge demand within commuting distance of Christchurch, but beyond that things are fairly dire (falling prices) from what I have heard

        Because Auckland and Christchurch together make up such a huge portion of national statistics and because the A + C markest are so skewed at the moment weird things are happening.

  7. uke 7

    Isn’t it interesting how, after months of refusing to appear on RNZ, PM Key seems to be popping up every morning for a chat?

    • Afewknowthetruth 7.1

      uke

      I wouldn’t know. I gave up listening to the propaganda NR churns out years ago. It’s very bad for one’s mental health.

      Bill English used have entertainment value because what he said was so ludicrous, but now that he is in power and digging NZ into an ever deeper hole he’s not funny anymore.

      • uke 7.1.1

        AFKTT: I agree. In the past I have stopped listening to RNZ for long spells  but tend to drift back. It’s not nearly so mentally harmful as TV, which we gave away completely in our household about three years ago. That helped a lot. Recently we viewed a DVD which had some of the latest advertisements on it. That was a shock. Until you stop watching those things every day, you don’t realise how overbearing and aggressive they are. I think it was Frank Zappa who termed TV ads “the dreamtime of a capitalist society”.
         
        BTW, in your setup that you have designed to withstand looming socio-economic collapse, how are you going to contend with the inevitable gate-crashers who turn up wanting the fruits of your garden?

        • Afewknowthetruth 7.1.1.1

          uke.

          That is a commonly discussed topic here:

          http://guymcpherson.com/

          I have a theory that society is now so dumbed-down that when ‘the shit hits the fan’ a large portion of society (especially those living in big cities) will sit in front of their television sets and wait for the government or the council to save them. They are literally addicted to nonsense.

        • Tiger Mountain 7.1.1.2

          Well there could be a lot of gate crashers if you factor in the paltry number of days foodstocks held by major ‘just in time’ retailers in cities and towns. Civil defence know this stuff. Idiot consumers don’t.

          I actually feel lucky to live in the Far North with 10,000 litres of rain water in tanks, vege garden, gas or wood for cooking if power goes out and I am not even an eco warrior. In a serious breakdown hungry city folks or even non farming rural folks seeking kai will get the hunting guns turned on them and the farmers will keep the meat.

          AFKTT makes some good points, just the posts are a little long sometimes.

  8. s y d 8

    what is going on here….more chump change maybe, or maybe just gifting assets now?

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/93038/whirinaki-sold-to-contact

    http://tvnz.co.nz/content/428631/2556418.xhtml

  9. joe90 9

    Why this country continues to support the incumbent regime is beyond me.

    Afghanistan’s women languishing in prisons 10 years after fall of Taliban

    Figures disclosed to The Daily Telegraph show that half of the country’s jailed women — about 350 — have been sentenced for “moral crimes”. For girls aged 12 to 18 in prison, the figure rises to four-fifths.

    The latest United Nations figures estimate that the women’s prison population has risen to 600, up from 380 two years ago.

    A further 114 girls aged 12 to 18 are locked up, of which 80 per cent are serving sentences for either running away from home or extramarital sex, an Afghan justice official said

  10. David 10

    Ok, so let’s have a debate about Labour’s economic policy, who fronts it from here, and the relationship with the leader and (looks like) his office.

    There is a real opportunity here and NOW for us to present a coherent alternative economic policy to the friendly, ‘inclusive’ neoliberalism that has run things here for the last 15 or so years. The GFC, the housing bubbles and private debt blowout, questions of whether ownership of revenue and profit producing assets and companies really matters or not, economic geography and how a small place like ours copes with increasing scale returns that would see all regional head offices in Melbourne or Sydney, monetary policy and how to actually enable exports, building something new on the back of primary production, dealing with inequalities and the labour market, how to deal with fundmanagers who via Kiwisaver will run much of the nations savings, deal with the housing market which has probably done more than anything else to contribute to rising child poverty (rising real rents) and suck money out of productive investments, deal with the utilities ‘market’ which ditto has added vast amounts of household outgoings, deal with duopoly in supermarkets, deal with the sugar lobby who have stymieed public health reform, deal with strategic national investment coming out from from the Cullen and other sovereign wealth funds, deal with regulating Aussie banks and building KiwiBank and Kiwisafe and govt Kiwisaver into …. and plenty more.

    We had the large bits of this going into the last election: but for whatever reason (I have my suspicions) we didnt stitch it together into a coherent narrative people could get. We didnt sell it as a story, because I think ultimately leadership and campaign strategy didnt really see or believe it was a compelling alternative economic narrative. Was this because they were lite blue? Not sure that is the whole story. But i couldnt honestly rule it out. Was it because they lacked an overall political economic analytic framework within which the real dimensions of a real alternative would become clear? Yes. Was it because they were driven by fragmented polling questions not framed against an overall analytic framing? yes. was it because this left them in reactionary and negative mode, mainly opposing things, rather than looking forward to and projecting a vision what the economy etc might be ? yes.

    Now, what next for labour economic policy wise: you could sit and wait for Treasury to offer some strategic social democratically oriented advice in one or two of these areas. Ok sorry back the question. You could formulate policy at arms length from leadership, but risk they dont get the overall narrative and analysis and cant plausibly and personally sell it effectively as an alternative (but will bust off and poll against bits of it like ‘no GST on food’ and throw that out there like a fizzing firecracker). You could trust this to smart people like Parker and Jones who have some great ideas and some balls, but from what I have seen, forgive me guys not the bigger overall vision and expertise/ confidence in dealing with things like Telecom, etc. Or you could have the best closest relationship possible (after some lumps are sorted) between a brilliant overall economic strategist and an emerging political maestro: a kind of Clark Cullen for the 6th Labour government.

    I know what i would like to see. But I am on the outside, and maybe there is something here no-one is telling me.

    meantime I wonder: can David Shearer really lead the nation on this stuff? David Parker? even Grant? not so sure…. Should we let them have a go and see how we get on?? Hmm.

    And without getting this economic vision etc right, there just arent going to be $$ for dealing with the fruits of 6 years of Nats: funding public schools and hospitals to the point where they can compete with / offer comparable standards to the charter schools and private hospitals the Nats will have subsidised and moved into ‘mainstream’ education. The money to do serious social housing, which is what the kids freezing in one room of an uninsulated state house mum cant afford to heat need. and I could go on.

    For god’s sake let’s make the most of the team we have, and make sure it’s lead by someone who really can lead when it comes to policy, presenting it, defending it, and getting the better of the nats and Key on it. .

    • Afewknowthetruth 10.1

      David

      It would make a lot of sense to start from scratch. However, that will not happen because of the psychology of previous investment. And ego. There are far too many people in Labour who would have to admit they’ve been barking up the wrong tree for decades. They just will not do that.

      The most important lesson of history is that the lessons of history are not learned.

      Political parties rarely reform themselves. They normally keep banging away with whatever they’ve always done until they can’t.

      Humanity is on the cusp of the greatest discontininuity in all of history and most Labour MPs:

      1. don’t know

      2. don’t want to know.

      3. are in denial

      4. are too cowardly to speak the truth.

      • David 10.1.1

        Thanks afkt: I have heard your wise voice before, I think. I do think though think there are some people who will listen to this kind of analysis, and I intend to make sure they hear it. Value any further guidance, as ever. would like to hear/ see your version of this.

        Glad, though, we are all having some of this debate!! It’s a breath of fresh air.

      • Draco T Bastard 10.1.2

        There are far too many people in Labour who would have to admit they’ve been barking up the wrong tree for decades. They just will not do that.

        Agreed. I see passion and willingness to help eradicate some of the imbalances caused by capitalism but they won’t accept that capitalism and the profit driven free-market is the problem. Because of this they’re stuck in the mindset of helping business grow.

  11. Jackal 11

    New Zealand ripped off

    Being that National has managed to more than double our total government debt, could somebody please explain why they’re borrowing so heavily?

    • Draco T Bastard 11.1

      The article I linked to in comment 12 tells you.

      • Jackal 11.1.1

        Thanks DTB. I particularly like this bit though:

        The failure to take the wishes of voters into consideration leaves the resulting national debts on shaky ground politically and even legally. Debts imposed by fiat, by governments or foreign financial agencies in the face of strong popular opposition may be as tenuous as those of the Habsburgs and other despots in past epochs. Lacking popular validation, they may die with the regime that contracted them. New governments may act democratically to subordinate the banking and financial sector to serve the economy, not the other way around.

        One can only hope. Interesting read but not specific to National’s borrowing regime. Even accounting for the global recession, downturn and Christchurch earthquakes, I don’t see how National is managing to borrow so much?

  12. Draco T Bastard 12

    Democracy and Debt

    This is turning international finance into a new mode of warfare. Its objective is the same as military conquest in times past: to appropriate land and mineral resources, communal infrastructure and extract tribute.

    Among Rome’s leading historians, Livy, Plutarch and Diodorus blamed the fall of the Republic on creditor intransigence in waging the century-long Social War marked by political murder from 133 to 29 BC. Populist leaders sought to gain a following by advocating debt cancellations (e.g., the Catiline conspiracy in 63-62 BC). They were killed. By the second century AD about a quarter of the population was reduced to bondage. By the fifth century Rome’s economy collapsed, stripped of money. Subsistence life reverted to the countryside as a Dark Age descended.

    Seems that debt being used to accumulate communal land and rent has been around for some time and it brought about the same problems then as it does now – poverty, war and the collapse of the economy.

    • Afewknowthetruth 12.1

      DTB

      Yes, the money system and debt was one of many factors that led to the collapse of the Roman Empire.

      Other factors were the ‘drying up’ of readily obtainable loot (the army was at its best when the treasure stolen from newly colonised lands could be used to pay for conquest), environmental destruction, poor farming practices.

      It’s always easier to build an empire than keep it.

      Every empire that ever emerged collapsed.

      The present global industrial-financial empire will be one of the most short-lived of all empires.

      • McFlock 12.1.1

        DTB was talking the roman republic, not empire. Republic fell, triumvirate/triumvirate/Augustus.

        • Draco T Bastard 12.1.1.1

          Actually, I was talking general history. Capitalism has been a failure for the last 5000 years and the reason is because a few people charge rent/interest in such a way as to accumulate all the wealth in a few hands which eventually trashes the economy. Combined with the mismanagement of resources due to the resultant dictatorship brings about the collapse of the civilisation/empire. The same thing is happening to the present globalised economy.

          • McFlock 12.1.1.1.1

            whoops, missed the second half of the paragraph. My bad.
            I think the credit issue is especially relevant at the moment, because the immediate aftermath in rome was civil war and dictatorship. The resource-related collapse might or might not happen on the same timescale, but uk, greece etc tend to suggest anarchy then dictatorship is a possibility.

    • Bored 12.2

      Athens had a similar problem: Solon cancelled debt leading to the golden age. They are still doing it, expect default any time soon.

  13. In Vino Veritas 13

    I note that Maersk have pulled out from Ports of Auckland, costing nearly $20m in revenue. When the final washup is done, and jobs have been lost, there’ll be some port workers who will be wondering why they went on strike, since it’s unlikely they’ll be able to get another $91K job. Well done the Maritime Union, thats looking after your constituents.

    • Bored 13.1

      Yeah right VV, great press, means fuck all. Its posturing, the buggers will always go where they can to get the best deals. Wager they will be back next week.

    • Draco T Bastard 13.2

      I see you’re missing facts again. Maersk shifted ports because they’d been wooed to another port.

      • Ianupnorth 13.2.1

        IVV did you ever managed to get a wage slip from one of those wharfies? Remember, they are claiming they get $13 per hour, which as I pointed out to you, means they’d need to work about 20 hours per day. Unlike the CEO who reportedly gets $3000 per day.

        • McFlock 13.2.1.1

          yup – the tyranny of averages. The “Average Wage” for a “wharfie” depends entirely on who you count as a “wharfie” – supervisor? Manager? CEO?

          • Tiger Mountain 13.2.1.1.1

            eff off IVV, it is such a classic corporate bait and switch move, if the Tauranga and Auckland port companies were amalgamated, competition removed, game over. Cargo would go to the best location.

            Workers are never right in a market scenario. But, workers who organise at least get a chance of dignity, better wages and kicking against the pricks.

          • In Vino Veritas 13.2.1.1.2

            McFlock, the Herald reported that the average wage for a full time stevedore at POA is $91480. I’m sure you’ll concede that the CEO wouldnt be counted as a stevedore.

            Further to that, 53% of full time stevedores (123 indviduals) earn over $80,000, with 28% (23 individuals) earning over $100,000. Plus they receive other benefits, including 5 weeks holiday and health insurance for themselves AND their families, amongst other things.

            Guess what McFlock? These guys are the rich pricks you and your ilk constantly rail against! Ironic, isnt it?

            Then there’s the crane drivers and deck foremen who work on average 5.33 hours for every 8 hours paid and straddle drivers who work an average 6 hours for every 8 paid . So, using Upnorths $13 per hour (if it were so), they are actually getting $19.52 for cranies and deck foremen, and $17.34 for straddle drivers.

            Then there’s the most probable reason for the lock out. Union thinking it was being clever, strikes Friday and Monday, with workers available Saturday and Sunday. Of course, all the shipping due diverts to other ports, meaning our erstwhile port workers get two days of sitting round on their arse getting paid.

            • McFlock 13.2.1.1.2.1

              How many hours do they work? Does that include overtime for working stat holidays or night shifts? Does that include the wages for supervisory staff? Are there two tiers of staff, casual staff waiting for a cellphone call to see if they’re needed vs fulltime?
                
              Lastly, get over yourself – it’s not wealth that I find repugnant, it’s wealth accrued without work. Hereditary wealth, proceeds of gambling with other people’s money, monopoly exploitation, rent farming – that sort of thing.
                
               

        • Jackal 13.2.1.2

          Cathy Odgers lost credibility when she claimed the wharfies are “rich pricks“. Mind you she never had any credibility to begin with… so I guess it doesn’t really matter.

  14. Jackal 14

    Propaganda to discredit strike

    The ports of Auckland strike has certainly brought out the worst in some people, particularly the usual right wing bloggers that wouldn’t know the truth if it bit them on the arse. What they’re ignoring is that the proposal for shipping giant Maersk to move its operations to Port Tauranga has been around since August 2006…

  15. Afewknowthetruth 15

    David.

    ‘Value any further guidance, as ever. would like to hear/ see your version of this.’

    I can only suggest you read this.

    http://www.publishme.co.nz/shop/theeasyway-p-684.html

    Practically everything you need to know is there.

    Available by inter-library loan if you genuinely cannot afford $20.

  16. Bored 16

    Mentioned Randian psychopathy earlier. Just listened to some idiot over lunch (names not given) who honestly thought that we could cure any issue through the market…by rational selfishness aka greed, self interest. Rather than just crucify the bastard in an honest bit of charity to my fellow citizens I thought about what was said.

    Then I got really angry because I could envisage the antisocial construct that is “rational positivism” excluding any hint of charity except for selfish reasons. Or the doing of good for the reason that it was good regardless of any negative impact oneself. Or of pure altruism…in effect the selfish rationalism that underpins our current commercial and political construct is rotten to the core and can not be reformed. Which is why we should not trust “Blue Greens”……or banksters.

    • joe90 16.1

      Uber-randian Ron Paul defends the 99%: In many ways, it’s a very healthy movement.

    • Afewknowthetruth 16.2

      Bored.

      Randian psychopathy very much embraces the cult of technofundamentalism I mentioned earluer. To such people everything has an engineering solution and there are no limits.

      Earth overheating? -we’ll just put mirrors into orbit to reflect sunlight.

      Overpopulation a problem? -we’ll just build underwater cities.

      Earth runniing out of resources? -we’ll just mine Mars and Venus and bring back what we need.

      I must go. I need to replace the trilithium crystals in my warp drive.

      .

  17. logie97 18

    So Pete Dunne retains the Family whatsit. Who will it be as it is now down to one? Given that Christine Rankin was seconded without a job description, will she be the chosen one for this undefined role or is she now history?

  18. joe90 19

    Twelve heartbreaking facts I reckon.

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/12-extremely-disappointing-facts-about-popular-mus

    9. Barbra Streisand has sold more records (140 million) than Pearl Jam, Johnny Cash, and Tom Petty combined

  19. logie97 20

    John Armstrong in the Herald today

    Quote… John Banks is nobody’s poodle. No poodle could have won the gains Banks has secured in return for Act guaranteeing National its support. …unquote

    Nah Armstrong, you just didn’t do your job leading up to the election. Banks is just articulating the National Party’s hidden agenda. And if it turns to custard, Key can blame ACT.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10771213

  20. Georgecom 21

    Today I have come to the conclusion that we have a celebrity PM. That is, a PM famous for being famous rather than for what he has done. He is the political expression of the 21st century consumerist popular culture. The Kim Kardashian of NZ politics.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T17:29:24+00:00