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6:00 am, April 16th, 2021 - 77 comments
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The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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Amazon in NZ
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300278243/amazon-may-be-on-the-way-to-new-zealand-as-government-signs-subsidy-deal
Well I'm not excited. Lots of downside for NZ businesses who have surely been put through enough, and let's keep in mind the horrendous track record Amazon have with shitty employee treatment.
Why the fuck are we subsidising Amazon of all creatures? Outraged we can afford this, but not proper maternity care.
And THEN we have this rarely discussed nugget, hard to find on Google which is probably Amazon's doing https://investmentresearchdynamics.com/?s=amazon
Essentially some years back (2014) Kranzler alleged that Amazon had been using an accounting trick similar to what Enron used hide massive losses. Yes, according to what I've read from Kranzler in the past Amazon made a loss with every sale – the mind boggles at how that could possibly happen. I am aware of how this sounds especially given the size of Amazon, but note that Amazon has yet to lob a C&D order at Kranzler, suggesting there is substance behind his comments.
While I'm certain most readers will find the statements made by Kranzler laughable since he predicted a crash of AMZN stock, and he also trashes Tesla (fair enough…dog with fleas) , in the end I think a desperate US government or an equally desperate State will find reason to heavily audit the Amazon beast, and the game will finally end.
What would be really impressive is if NZ conducted it’s own investigation of Amazon before plunging ahead with a dump of taxpayer money into this company.
Absolutely 100%. What are they thinking? If indeed they are thinking at all.
Makes the money they throw at the Americas cup pocket change…
Disappointed but not surprised. Labour in name only given all amazon's transgressions.
But Stuart says that Jeff is always welcome.
Well Jeff is rich enough to buy NZ……welcome Jeff.
And for the future drivers of the amazon trucks, don't forget your empty plastic bottle to piss in cause we don't do public loos anywhere.
Surely our Unions and Mr. Little will be on the ball to make sure that the subsidies will be spend wisely, right?
A train wreck of an interview.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018791810/nash-didn-t-see-treasury-advice-on-amazon-deal
Well we now know when Government is there to help. Call yourself Jeff Bezos and Stuart boy is getting it all on.
Amazon, cause in these trying times what NZ needs is a behemoth that will kill every last little business in town. What next, Walmart.
laugh, cause if you don't you start crying.
Nash looking to his future?
they all do.
that is the only excuse that i can find for this government.
All?….surely theres at least some altruism in those corridors?
nope. i don't think so.
I commented about Nash once before, to be told "you are negative"
Well yes I am, because he runs with the hares and hunts with the hounds.
Ive always been told never to trust anyone that needs to tell you they're being honest. And I lost count how many times I was told this by the minister.
Is the mass tourism he forecasts truly sustainable.
I have observed a similar phenomena that covers the gamut…those that draw attention to some aspect are frequently doing the exact opposite.
Im sure theres a term for it but I dont know what it is.
At this stage, it is an MOU.
I hope the spoon is exceedingly long….though why they accepted the invitation to dine is beyond belief given known history.
they liked the pictures they got send from Bezos?
One ring to rule them all.
That ring needs to be placed where the sun dont shine
hahahahahahahah…….
Now this should be a wake up call if there ever was one. Labor will not be my choice, full stop. Predatory companies like Amazon should not be allowed to operate here. We have already enough poverty, we certainly do not need more. Any to pay taxpayer money for this is the highest of insult. How about repairing the pipes that carry the sh…, or build affordable houses, maybe more funding for maternity care? I think I am in a parallel universe.
sadly no. This is our reality, where a so called progressive party can't wait to wine and dine some super rich company that causes very little other then hardship to anyone working there (government subsidies for the workers to make ends meet cause pay is to little) and the businesses that it kills.
Never mind we don't need houses, we don't need upgraded maternity wards, we don't need ICU beds in Startship hospital either.
We crowd fund for Starship hospital ICU beds. ….Cause poverty for all and riches for a few is NZ. It so is.
I wonder how many will move to Australia once the border opens.
nurses and builders….more work, better pay and cheaper houses.
I hope yr sitting down…
I heard this a couple of days ago and as far as I am aware it hasn't garnered any response round these parts.
rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018791406/three-new-buildings-in-multimillion-dollar-parliament-upgrade
My take homes were: because maybe earthquake, because some people don't like the idea of foreign landlords… we can spend $200 million in two years time.
Nevermind children actually living with black mould, or in motels or garages.
As I have said before, it aint a lack of money it is a lack of will
…or even “Labour” FWaka….off you go to Oz if that is what you want….who wouldn’t want a PM like Scomo? (sarc).
Or this from Australia. Horrific.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2018791413/mouse-plague-in-nsw
…“A few years ago I had that experience where they are through your bedroom, through your bed and that is just so awful, and I’ve got this awful job now of following the story.
“I was filming in a supermarket which has so far lost $30,000 in produce from throwing that out and I was meeting to film them,…
“What they are worried about is if they keep breeding, by the time you come to spring, which is when you really see them start multiplying their numbers, we’re worried about next year when we’re going to have an even bigger base to start from in terms of mouse population.”
In the preceding drought many predators such as owls and birds of prey died, she says, and people are now taking matters into their own hands out of desperation.
“People are at their wits end spending thousands of dollars on baits, poisons and traps whatever they can do to try and kill these mice, like I mentioned people are catching 1000 every single night.”
But it’s having no impact and the mice are getting bigger and stronger, she says.
“Mice are eating chicken feet, mice are eating each other we’ve now got rats coming as well.”
There is no support for people in regional Australia being hit hard by this plague, Thackery says.
“This is costing people so much money, they are coming back from the drought, they had grain in silos and hay stored and people are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of hay and in a lot of cases grain as well.”
BG – Well, I know a couple of people actually considering this. There was a business article about this very issue a week or so ago. We should be concerned if skilled people leave NZ. I don't think the country can afford to loose staff in those professions where we have a dire need.
Your reaction is actually exactly that close mindedness that is very unhelpfull and political correctness prevents issues to be voiced.
BTW. I will vote next time for David Seymour, as shocking as it is as I have always been red/green. This uncoordinated waffling on that is happening right now is at best amateur and no matter where you look only self serving blah blah can be heard.
You might not like this, but though. I am not the only one saying this. Behind closed doors of cause because one is not allowed to say anything, it could offend someone, anyone. 🙄
I would take a close look at the ACT manifesto before voting for Seymour if I were you. For instance their pro-gun stance, among many other things.
Under ACT we would have had 6000 deaths from Covid, because all that matters is business and development.
I attended a meeting where Seymour spoke at the last election where he basically advocated no controls on development at all, thus throwing out District Plan rules agreed to by the community and experts over many years.
When I asked him a question, saying that the effect of his policy would be to allow carte blanch development all over the precious Queenstown Lakes District landscapes with commensurate adverse effects, he called me a busybody and rudely dismissed the question, showing his blinkered attitude and non-tv face.
As far as I can tell this is not Amazon setting up low paying, union busting distribution lines in NZ.
This is about the New Zealand screen industry which is respected around the world. We have significant competitive advantages:
But we are also up against it:
The argument for international productions and screen partnerships is a no brainer as far as I'm concerned. The economic benefits far outweigh the costs which are set globally, not locally. As the PM says, "you either have a screen industry, or you don't".
If Amazon Prime want to come here following our Covid response and because of our safe place reputation, and look to add to screen infrastructure and formalise screen partnerships then this can only be a good thing for New Zealand.
It all adds to our premier destination status. Also, and significantly, film production is a very environmentally friendly export industry. Locally anyway.
The wider issue which most of us here are concerned about is Amazon's retail business model which is rightly viewed as exploitative of workers. I hate it too but the right thing to do is keep the pressure on where it is required.
Who knows, they might learn something once they get here…
Nice to read some apparent facts Muttonbird instead of hot diatribe. I have yet to read them but your comment looks more promising than those earlier ones who seem to have eaten hot chilis.
Putting aside Labours free-market neo liberal agenda for the moment…its probably time we start looking into lobbyists in NZ a heck of alot more..
The article below makes an interesting read…though I note alot of the factual information is via Australian public records…..
Interesting that neither lobbyists "neither would object to a law requiring disclosure in New Zealand"..yet it never made it past the select committee…hilarious…you have to wonder who exactly is protecting whos interests…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/selling-influence-meet-the-lobbyists-shaping-new-zealand-politics-for-a-fee/PSIA6Q2OKYTQ5ZCTPCDQVBCA2U/
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2021/04/nz-government-giving-amazon-over-100m-boost-for-lord-of-the-rings-filming.html
So what are the consequences of banning live cattle exports? Free mince for all? Paddocks of neglected cows being shot live on the 6pm news by bitter cockies blaming Jacinda whilst pumping round after round into a horrific mass of bellowing Friesans?
It's two years away. Plenty of time to downsize herd numbers over 2 breeding seasons. Maybe there'll be a corresponding decrease in the devastation mass dairying is wreaking on our land use. Oh – and maybe we can stop importing the evil palm kernel shit right away.
Free mince would never happen, but the cow shooting has potential as a game show. It just needs to be thought through – call it "Pretty Communist" and have Mike Hosking as compere – there's money to be made somewhere in there.
Trigger happy American dentists like the cut of your jib.
Ah yes – those gun-toting dentists on the steps of that elegant but somewhat faded 19th century mansion in the Central West End of St Louis, MO. Not far it looked like, from the bust of TS Eliot on the corner of Euclid and McPherson Avenues – an incongruity so total, it can be put down only to "the distress of nations and perplexity."
Not good about this gang violence escalating.
'Shooter!': Witness recalls terror after gunshots fired at Auckland Sofitel hotel – NZ Herald
Violence is everywhere now. To many people not housed properly, not eating properly, not having anything to do, kids growing up in this shit and nary a social worker, police man/women/other in sight and hey, its all good. We just don't have the money to care for people, we only have money for nice to have projects taht serve no one really, Americas cup, Spas for the Rotorua Lakefront for the future tourism wave, subsidies for the richest company on the planet (or else they won't hire min wage slaves) and so on and so forth.
Get used to it.
Sad but true.
Is Bishop still gunning for Mallard?
On Newtalk ZB this morning Hosking was actually praising Mallard (no that's not a typo!) for allowing Bishop 4 extra questions. He was however bagging Dr Liz Craig for the way she ran the meeting.
Good on Mike Hosking; it was shambolic!
Perhaps Mr Hosking will be praising Peter Hughes soon too on another shambles.
It was an absolute disgrace. I have no idea what Liz Craig was hoping to achieve with the way she ran that committee.
Well done to Mallard
Liz Craig said what she was hoping to achieve. To provide information from health officials about our Covid-9 response measure to a wide range of MPs and therefore who they represent.
It is typical that the National Party and their slavish followers believe select committees are all about them.
Perhaps if the National Party, and its spokesperson for storms-in-a-teacup, Chris Bishop, wanted more time for questions they and he should have done better at the last election.
Just saying.
You need to take off your red tinted glasses and your "I love Labour no matter what they fuck up" T-shirt and cap every now and then, and see what is really happening. Yes, Chris Bishop is like a small annoying yappy dog that barks at everything, but I think even many left leaning people on this site would think that the time wasting by Liz Craig in that meeting was over the top and deserves to be called out. Obviously Mallard thought so.
does it matter ?
Well, I'm going to buck the trend – film is a good industry for NZ – producing value from our environment and local talent without the downsides of dairy.
Amazon is indeed something to be cautious of, however, and local film interests like PJ present threats not only their labour force, but also to the reputation and long term health of the industry.
Nash's outcome won't be immediately measurable, and the crude GDP that will be all that Treasury looks at won't even get close to the real story. Let's just hope we don't see a repeat of the Hobbit debacle – explored at length here: The Hobbit: A Long-Expected Autopsy (Part 1/2) – YouTube at 39 minutes only if you're interested, and the sequels The Hobbit: Battle of Five Studios (Part 2/2) – YouTube and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Warners (Part 3/2) – YouTube each of similar length.
Much truth in that Stuart…and there is talk of a massive studio complex being set up near Wanaka which this Amazon Prime outcome can only help….only quibble is "Nash's outcome". As he said on RNZ today, this deal was negotiated before he became the minister.
I really hope they get this right – NZ would really benefit from a strong creative sector.
But the culture of Weta 'World's most beautiful toxic waste dump' – Weta Digital employees claim sexism, bullying and harassment | 1 NEWS | TVNZ And PJs last few outings – the Hobbit & Mortal Engines – are not encouraging.
Loads of good material in the stories though – Glaurung makes Smaug look like a warm puppy.
This is a company of dirtbag tax dodgers of the first order. They'll fuck over NZ businesses in their thousands and the general public will have to pay. The rich get richer dontchaknow, and all your fantasy PR will not make them humane.
But film, cos celebrities are so, you know, wholesome.
'Premier destination status' – for suckups? For smokescreen greens? For a bolthole for pedo rich pricks?
Real artists turn in their graves watching this fucking circus of monkeys pumping out tedious mediocre content to a public who, more and more, know no better.
Have to respect that rant.
Bit like modern Rugby, really, especially the final paragraph……
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/121827591/all-blacks-aim-to-raise-300-million-in-jersey-rights-deal-with-private-investor
righteous and well said!
An interesting read. Add welfare and ACC to his list. Ardern's refusal to do little to nothing in these areas – in the face of compelling evidence of the dire need to – is staggering:
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2021/04/why-havent-they-how-to-explain-this.html
i would change his last phrase to
because they realised they don't have too.
Job done?. America the Great (grate) says they've, won their war of payback for the twin towers demolition and are pulling out of Afghanistan telling Pakistan, Turkey, China and Russia it's their problem now to contain the Taliban.
Leaving Afghanistan a ruined land, a land that once produced Academics in every field, both men and woman when it was a socialist state (PDPA), that was undermined by the CIA's covert actions with suitcases of money for Bin Laden and the Mujahideen to destroy the Government, of course after the Soviets pulled out, the Yanks done the dirty on Bin Laden and paid the price blaming him for the demolition of the Twin Towers and other buildings.
So, what will the Grate America do now with all their weapons of shit and personal? Yes that's right set up new and existing bases in our part of the world to counter their paranoia of China. They've fucked up most parts of the world, so now it's our turn to reap their shit.
For all you right-wing- lefties out there screaming for links, go research yourself, though your bias wont allow you to do a proper job. Cheers.
If the US commit anywhere in the near future, the Ukraine is a good bet.
Opinion: Putin is massing troops at the Ukraine border and testing Biden's mettle – CNN
But not nearly as many as NATO
How many troops are NATO massing in the Ukraine?
More than Russian troops massing in Yankeeland
Russian troops mass excersize on own border
Ukraine isn't "russkieland", so even if NATO did have troops massed there, by your rationale that would be cool.
But they don't. Russia does. And yes, in the Ukraine, ever since 2014.
Read the 'Minsk Agreement
Are you suggesting that Minsk 1 or Minsk 2 involves the Ukraine agreeing that Donbass is not part of Ukrainian territory?
The borders Russia currently shares with NATO member states are marked in yellow. But do carry on with your useful idiot schtick parroting Russia's NATO encirclement fantasy.
/
Seems your head is well burried in that yellow sand
"your bias wont allow you to do a proper job"
And first up is CNN
Hilarious
It is reported right across the reputable media.
There is a chart here that plots their relative reliability.
This is CNN calling out both Australia and New Zealand for squandering their Covid advantage with really weak vaccine rollouts.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/15/asia/new-zealand-australia-covid-vaccine-intl-dst-hnk/index.html
Not even Ardern and Hipkins will be able to rotate their way out of this kind of coverage.
Even Fauci recognises it's the rest of the world which has to catch up to NZ and AUS, not the other way around.
Still are.
I notice they quote the opposition spokesperson for blind panic, Chris Bishop.
meh.
We only need the vaccine if we let folk in from the plague-lands.
The folks who want us to do that as soon as possible likely largely overlap with the folks who wanted us to do that when vaccines didn't exist.
We are letting in people from plague lands and then we hope to the gods that it don't creep out from the plague hotels into the larger community.
no, not plague lands, really. Just one plague-ish land, and if it doesn't work out then the bubble will shrink again.