Yeah, ummmm. Sorry, how would they have changed the paradigm? Seriously, I’m keen to hear solutions, cause with the feed back I’m getting from the Bots around here, seems my plans where deluded.
Please correct me, but I thought orthodox-economic-norms where set in stone from several decades of entrenched financial regulations, both internal and external.
Must add that Winnie always has a pair of rose smelling underpants up the sleeve, he’ll some how come out of this smelling ok.
Which way forward, Mr Ed?
(Eco-Maori, the invite is open. Bright ideas? Could we innovate with a little Babylonian Banking Number?)
Let’s all come together to rally for our communities that have been at the forefront on the fight to end poverty. Now, more than ever, we need to continue the conversation that Metiria started. We know that an Aotearoa where no one lives in poverty is possible. Where Government serves the interests of people, not big business. Where everyone has access to a warm, dry, healthy home and beneficiaries aren’t treated as second class citizens.
Metiria will be joining me, because we must continue to speak the truth about poverty.
More than ever, New Zealanders living below the breadline need a voice. For too long they have been ignored and sidelined in our communities. For too long, privilege and money have determined who can have a say and it’s time to say enough.
Thursday 31st August 2017, 7pm, Cardboard Cathedral, Latimer Square
Meeting organised by the Christchurch Progressive Network.
NOTE: The Christchurch Progressive Network is not a party-political organisation but we have taken the step of inviting a Green MP and local election candidate for Te Tai Tonga electorate to speak at this public meeting because the issues at the heart of her personal experiences on a benefit are of critical national importance – and no better time for them to be discussed that in the heart of an election campaign.
The media may have hounded her out of her co-leadership of the Greens but we refuse to allow the issues she raised to be swept aside. This will be a meeting not to be missed. A poster to circulate will be sent out later today.
This is where positive change will come from for those suffering most from poverty and inequality: from the flax roots.
Join the rally, or remain door-knocking locally, good options.
Hey the Green policy you link is adequate to stabilise short term. And yes, it’s the only politically speakable alternative. But the Greens would also do govt funded research into the TOP strategies around tax and UBI for medium term solutions. Plus research into Financial Innovation for sustainable funding during the transition/national-rehabilition. Agreed, Greens will get the job do.
“but I thought orthodox-economic-norms where set in stone from several decades of entrenched financial regulations”
This is entirely voluntary. Sovereign nations have lost none of their ability to regulate big (multinational) businesses. All that has changed is the norms by which they typically do so.
The biggest change under the neo liberal era has been the deregulation (see above) and the abandonment of full employment as a policy goal (presently unemployment is a policy tool). Both changes were voluntary, drive inequality and should be reversed to a great extent.
In turn the neo liberal era has been a slow growth era which is why house and asset prices have been so out of whack.
“This is entirely voluntary. Sovereign nations have lost none of their ability to regulate big (multinational) businesses. All that has changed is the norms by which they typically do so.”
thats true, however consider the constituent response should the likes of Apple, or big oil et al remove or price themselves out of the local market…..the ability to regulate such entities is effectively determined by the size of the market….and NZ is a very small market.
Your saying these industries would leave a safe stable profitable market like NZ on the table? I think thats highly unlikely and I can’t think of any examples of it happening either.
Im saying depending on the level of enforcement /cost that some would determine the trouble was not worth it and note i also said price themselves into a position where they may still remain but accessibility (to the wider populace) would be greatly reduced….no time to look now but internet access costs are one that spring to mind, in many countries internet access is only available to the wealthy due to that very reason.
You have examples of countries where internet access is only available to the wealthy due to regulative overheads? I would think the lack of infrastructure would be relevant but hardly the amount of regulation.
“In other places, like South Africa and Namibia, prices are high simply because of a monopoly or duopoly. Further examination reveals at least two other reasons for these high prices: the largest fiber owners in-country, have until recently, not been allowed to sell or provide services and most importantly, African service providers are still beset with archaic business models and anti-customer mindset! Let’s examine these two factors in some detail.”
Industry regulation can and does, as does tax law and corruption…..yes there needs to be regulation and TAXATION but it is a balancing act….and the smaller the market the lesser the leverage
I don’t find that very convincing as a story about burdensom regulation. Regulation was preventing some capacity from being used for internet access and for ISPs to effectively not have access to that infrastructure. Otherwise nothing seems to be preventing ISPs from selling to a broad market but their business model isnt there yet.
If you don’t push regulation onto the likes of Apple or big oil you will never know if there is a boundary there and will effectively just leave them deregulated.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1506/S00005/z-energy-buys-caltex-service-station-chain-for-785-million.htm
“Chevron New Zealand Holdings reported a net profit of $43.3 million in calendar 2014 on revenue of $2.23 billion, down from a profit of $86.5 million on sale of $2.34 billion in 2013. Chevron’s total assets were valued at $573.9 million with liabilities totalling $374.4 million as at Dec. 31, compared to assets worth $784.9 million and liabilities of $536 million a year earlier.”
Problem is that the current fix-it solutions will all cost money, so where do you want to borrow that money from. It will take Financial Innovation and Money Sovereignty, otherwise it’s just the old debt spiral again. Can’t truly solve it with tax changes alone, though the full tax reforms from TOP would buy us time.
The NZ government is already fully sovereign in the NZ dollers via the RBNZ. Taxation is about things like, not allowing an aristocracy to develop, making the burden of taxation more equitable, or discouraging certain businesses or activities without making them illegal or removing inflationary spending pressures from an overheated economy. Its never about revenue gathering.
If the old debt spiral is referring to an eventual currency crisis then the point is NZ fully floated the NZ $ in about 1985. It can’t have currency crisis any more as a result.
NZD is in relation to international currencies, especially USD. And RBNZ don’t create NZDs, this would be sovereign. RBNZ buy other currencies, at cost.
We have a crisis if the Rating Agencies give us a crisis. Current official cash rate in NZ is 1.75%, vs Europe at 0.25%, or 0.0% When they buy our houses against their foreign capital, they have a 1.5% advantage over Kiwi buyers.
Interest repayment requires new money, growth. New money comes from debt, thus “debt spiral”. Though interest-rates are very low, but new problem is the effects of Quantitative Easing, lowering the value of our money.
Planet size is limited, and new efficencies from new technology are less significant than the losses from wars and storms. Debt system requires growth. Planet requires a steady state economy. Even the Greens don’t have this in their economic policy. Compromising with orthodox system, though steady state economic system would be investigated once Greens are in Govt.
This is not to say that commercial banks don’t create money when they lend, they do, however the money created is commercial bank deposits and not of the form of the currency which is created by the reserve bank and spent and collected in tax by the government.
Obviously most of your comment is derivative on the RBNZ not being able to issue NZ dollers.
“where will the money come from?”
money (in all its forms) is simply a means of resource rationing, the real question is how do we use that rationing system?…we can create all the money we like but we are still restricted by resource availability and the desire for those resources….we currently allow ‘the market’ to determine how those resources are rationed…and we see where that has led and is leading, however that is not to say any other form will be any better or worse as ultimately any system will still be driven by human beings wants and needs…changing the amount of ‘money’ doesn’t change human nature
Come on Pat, obviously it’s better to do finance with public banks. Why do you think private banks should be able to profit from money creation? Surely the benefits of this should go back to the people rather than a small group of shareholders.
Deals with state owned banks could be done very different. Creating though debt is driving that growth. If all banking was though the state, then steady state economics would be possible, and the need from more resources to pay back debt, and new debt to pay off the old debt… all could be mathematically solved.
This argument simply invalidates itself where it says ‘however that is not to say any other form will be any better’ and goes on to assume the alternatives will further be the same or worse.
Ultimately it appears to be based on some form of Ricardian equivalence where supposidely (but actually not) when the government changes the quantity of spending the non government sector inversely compensates and reduces spending. In reality both quantity and quality of spending effect the outcome and Ricardian equivalence mechanisms don’t happen in the real world.
‘This argument simply invalidates itself…..”
Indeed?..you assume too much, I clearly state…..”that is not to say any alternative will be better or worse” based on the premise they are operated by and for human wants and needs….the onus is on you(or anyone else for that matter) to make the case for an alternative that IS indeed better.
If you take the time to read what I wrote you may grasp that what I am saying is the polar opposite of Ricardian Equivalence…i.e human beings are not forward looking nor rational in their habits….nor are they (in the main ) socially orientated….rather they are self serving and short sighted.
so back to government spending and debt monetisation….what does human nature tell you about the likely outcome of an increase in the willingness of governments to increase the money supply?
Isn’t money supply increased every time someone takes a loan and buys a house? Guess the private lending mechanism would have to change, in balance. Better accounting at RBNZ. Your thinkin is still orthodox economics, I’m trying to talk alternatives.
yes I’m analysing orthodox economics (that is not to say I’m promoting any particular school) for that is what we operate under and to know where you are going you need to know where you are starting from….indeed I seek and zero/negative growth model that appears to have a chance of working in the real world….im still waiting and time is agin us….so kindly talk alternatives but don’t expect me to accept them simply because they are alternative.
“what does human nature tell you about the likely outcome of an increase in the willingness of governments to increase the money supply?”
This is a weird way of putting it but I assume you are referring to something like the government buying up all the unemployed labour and putting the work towards public goods. Whats the outcome? First of all the labour will be for sale because the unemployment is not due to a voluntary choice but due to an actual lack of jobs. Second the unemployment rate will go down because many people who were unemployed will be in work (this will be an improvement in the outcome). Third growth of GDP will increase in real and nominal terms with the additional public goods the government purchased being produced being the real increase. Fourth there will be no inflationary outcome because the idle labour never had a bid in the jobs market so the additional spending does not compete with the private sector in setting wages.
You don’t get a similar outcome just focusing on quality because the economy is facing a quantity of spending problem. The mainstream of economic thought and your dogma believes that the economy is inherently self rebalancing in real terms
but there is no evidence for this in the real world.
I would say the market mechanism is the only future, but if we’re feeding the markets wholesome organic money from a central bank and not GE sugar from private banks, then govt can regulate lightly. Current system requires very heavy regulation.
Labour think they can fix the country and contiune with orthodox TPPA etc. Is this a pre-election bluff to win votes, avoid media attack?. Or are they really planning to fail?
Pivoting international economic relations is very bold, but we are well poised. The last 30sec of this video shows what’s required. If global finance isn’t going to play cricket, then we’ll have to change the game to rugby.
you’re a strange fellow….I am constantly amazed how you attribute positions to me that are frequently diametrically opposed to those i state…this comprehension problem may resolve itself if you spend less time learning text by rote and practise applying the theory to the real world.
Its pretty clear we can identify the nexus of the problem here.
“Yes I’m analysing orthodox economics (that is not to say I’m promoting any particular school) for that is what we operate under and to know where you are going you need to know where you are starting from”
Your misunderstanding is that orthodox economics is not something that we ‘operate under’ at all. It is instead a consistent failure to explain how the actual economy functions. The related problem being you don’t appear to know or understand the assumptions being made by the orthordox economics when you say for example ‘expand the money supply’. Do you not know the assumptions there do imply Ricardian equivalence is a genuine phenomenon there?
Thanks Pat, working on it. Moving from farming support, to small business, but seasonal work requirements and family issues also to hurdle.
Hey, pointing out paradox is part of my job here. Failure to spot paradox seems no less common among the politically educated.
You may be an exception Pat, I’m still undecided. Qualitative reflection upon degree content is generally very low especially in economics. How many people at the end of their first year still don’t know where money comes from? Don Brash still claims money isn’t created by private banks! It’s guys like him who give the Free Masons a bad name.
Analysis of orthodox views can reinforce them. So seeking to express alternative economic paradigms is very important, though yes, confusing.
Range of organic veges grown and marketed this year. Developments for next year: sell vege boxes at a set price, along with vouchers, thus creating a tradable regional currency alternative. The central bank need not fear me at this stage, but the future is open. And yes, I can still find some normal money to pay my taxes on transactions. Ethics are valuable, but costly.
Yeah Nic, you could be on to it, but does sound more like a side-step that a try or a conversion. I think their biggest assumption is, that after 3 years of orthodox economics, graduates will be whip-lashed and hypnotized from the magic of supply-n-demand curves.
Yes. We should have some pity on the poor graduates of economics who have paid for the privelege of being brainwashed. Unfortunately some of the more successful ones (like Don Brash and Bill English) will be rewarded for further basing policy on and popularizing their delusions so this is self perpetuating.
Tracy Watkins sayys Dunne knew in advance. He is Revenue Minister and has not called for an investigation of his office. Or has Tolley taken over since he resigned?
Why arent the press hounding the revenue minister and PM til they say they will investigate?
Sad thing is that often the participants in that ‘deep state’ don’t actually realise they are.
Whether its a WINZ case manager at the coal face (probably on a short term contract); or an Ummagration officer, or many others “only following orders”. Worse still, when shit hits fan, they’re the obvious targets when blame is apppoetioned.
Watch what happens over the Winnie affair…..or perhaps after the election when we look back on the dawn raids (modern day equiv) that come to light
Shout out to those from Nelson, Bill English will be addressing Grey Power at a public meeting TODAY at 2pm in Stoke at the Annesbrook Church on Saxton Rd.
If you are not working or busy go and check it out, they are taking questions from the floor, if it’s the same moderators from grey power that run the motueka meet the candidates, and if you are a young woman with a question, I strongly suggest you stand up and make it known you have a question, the old boys don’t like young women with questions, and will do their best to ignore you.
Would be really nice if people asked questions that concern many peoples needs instead of just their own
I’ve a huge workload today, but if time allows I will go check it out.
Remember Bill English’s shifty/shifting stories on the taping saga? Maybe a repeat at Stoke today over the superannuation leak. But he is better prepared now at just saying “I know nothing”.
Sadly i was unable to make due to work commitments.
Lmao Smith still trying to get elected from pushing the same agenda he has been doing for around 20 years. The southern link lmfao, if any politician wants to win the nelson seat, I’d suggest they look at bringing back rail.
Southern link is massively polarising in Nelson, and with Matt Lawrey against it, and he has been for years, it will be an important topical issue. Looks like the government tried to withhold info on the southern link from the council until after the election.
My condolences go out to the people in Texas.But as a fellow blogger on this site points out there are much more people died in India Bangladesh because of global warming and these events don’t make our headline news.WTF Now I don’t like to capitalise my views on someone else’s disaster.We have had the reality of what’s going on around our WORLD sencered by National Muppets .
So I will endorse the Greens please if you want to leave a habitable World for our grandchildren vote Green Party
Considering the bumpLabour got I’d suggest Labour had something to do with Turei, I can just see how the conversation went: “Hi Labour as per the MOU we’re thinking of having MT announce she ripped off the taxpayer, do you think its a good idea”
Labours response, after doing a dance of celebration, “oh yes Greens its absolutely a good idea, we foresee no issues with this at all”
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
I’m going to make a plea.
On this Winston ‘affair’
Can we all stop pontificating for a moment?
Bit by bit, more is emerging-the latest being the ladder puller upper was involved.
I’m by no means a Winnie fan.
He’s smart enough to know however not to show his cards.
You show me yours and I’ll show you mine.
There are bubbles and bloody big egos at play here.
There is no reason WP should release details to a gotcha-inspired media UNTIL the source ( peraps sauce) of the leak is identified.
Phat chance tho eh?
If we STFU, my suspicions are there’ll be one or two resignations.
If not, opportunity lost
Tracy Watkins suggests Seymour Dunne (Revenue Minister) and Tax Payers union new in advance about Peters. Can you find someone from the press corps wjo suggests labour did for MT?
Silly me. There I was thinking that the bump came from superior policies, fatigue with a tired and failing government, a bright and connecting leader, and small matters of ongoing corruption, mismanagement and ignorance.
New Zealanders are world leaders let’s lead the WORLD in the right direction.
And promote a carbon free industries that create local jobs and a healthy environment!!!!! .WE CAN DO IT
This sure puts the Greens’ proposed 20cent tax on single use plastic bags into perspective:
Kenyans producing, selling or even using plastic bags will risk imprisonment of up to four years or fines of $40,000 (£31,000) from Monday, as the world’s toughest law aimed at reducing plastic pollution came into effect.
The east African nation joins more than 40 other countries that have banned, partly banned or taxed single use plastic bags, including China, France, Rwanda, and Italy.
Bill English doubts anyone wakes up worried about Climate change.
I doubt he woke up worrying about nuclear war and his predecessor didnt give a shit about apartheid… enough did and change happened. We have done big stuff without National. It is time to do it again.
Yep and I DON’T think he likes what we have to say on this site looks like the Muppets have spun to get someone high in the national party to think I’m a threat to national with letting everyone no national and John Key sign OUR PRIVACY RIGHTS AWAY SO SOME COUNTRY CAN USE US TO SNOP ON THE REST OF the World
After three years, Labour MP Sue Moroney’s bill to extend paid leave to 26 weeks will be voted down by National and ACT in Parliament tonight.
An amendment to that bill would have seen it also extended to people in special circumstances.
ACT Party leader David Seymour had the deciding vote – National is down one vote because of Mike Sabin’s resignation.
What was Hooton on last night and why was he not dressed down by the host. Is this what is to be expected in the lead up to the election ?
I ask those more aware. Is there an issue regarding Broadcasting standards here ?
His rant commenced at 12 minutes. Bt be warned you may feel a little nauseous http://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/ZB/auckland/2017.08.28-16.45.00-S.mp3
Why do commentators on the left continue with this Jacinda syndrome. This makes it IMO all about her. Should it not be that Labours vision is now being given a vehicle in which it is being heard and accepted by the nation ?
“Okay, so there are two sausages in a frying pan and one sausage turns to the other sausage and says, ‘Oh my god it is so hot in here,’ and the other sausage says, ‘Oh my god a talking sausage.'”
Man the police must have heaps of money to follow me around all day and any were I go O hang no it’s national money or is it our tax dollars being wasted I no I pay taxes WTF
Respect, Eco Maori. I have never known conversation to be killed for nearly 3 hours. I am sure it is not your fault, old boy.. (Often wish I could do the same on some threads.)
I don’t mean to be mean, but …. to get things going again?
All this new language learning The Nats are proposing for primary schools it now turns out comes to one hour per week per student. Huh?
One hour per week will NOT produce anything other than the ability to say hello and parrot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 in some other language and they will soon forget it.
None of the policy-setters can ever have tried to master a second language, let alone teach it. What a bunch of buck-tooth idiots.
Financial Innovation can be solely limited to gentle price stability tools. The beauty is that Rating Agencies will up interest-rates for NZ, and the NZD will fall. NZ thus gains income on exports and tourism, to cover fiscally. At the same time all first-home-lenders with floating-rates could be covered from a govt top-up to prevent melt-down in housing market. Only a small international money transaction tool will be require to prevent further foreign investment in real-estate and markets, plus minor restrictions on govt bonds. All these factors will essential freeze the market for a year or two until Royal Commissions come back with clear and democratic solutions on further Financial Innovation, to gently land prices. Meanwhile UBI and rent controls can stabilise poverty, while general reforms in Corrections, Tax, Education, Health and All are implemented.
Declare a State of National Disaster over Real Estate prices within the first three months of the next term. This will spook the markets early, hopefully before the crash/irreversible-dysfunction. The Govt then doesn’t use their new financial powers, they just focus on Corrections, Tax, etc. So claim can slowly return to the international observers.
Then, apply non-orthodox Financial Innovation before the 2020 election. Passing on a hot-but-functional-potato, to hopefully a second Green/NZF/TOP govt. If Nats or Labour got back in in 2020, they would fail big to turn back to old orthodox ways.
Apologies to my fellow bloggers for the eco maori effect. I have notice this effect has been influencing others in our beautiful country.
Now we need a Paradigm shift with all our policys as one can not run a country like a business like National has they are to totally different Beast and do not responed the same.
My opinion about our education get the basic right first English Math teach our children about civic teach our children to respect everyone surviving in our system get the class sizes down to 25 pupils per class .
Our best teachers no how to come down to our children level and engage them. the good teachers have a lot of art in there class room and there pupils ardor them
NOW TEACHING CHILDREN IS NOT THAT COMPLICATED GIVE THE TEACHERS THE RIGHT TRAINING AND THE RIGHT RESOURCES TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN .
I no that using the KICKS systems works so Keep the system that run our school simple.
Come on this works give all our children at least the Basic make sure our children are well fed well housed one wont listen if you are hungry .These children are our future.
lets invest in our Future . Its not rocket science!!!!
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Hi,Today’s Webworm features a new short film from documentary maker Giorgio Angelini. It’s about Luigi Mangione — but it’s also, really, about everything in America right now.Bear with me.Shortly after I sent out my last missive from the fires on Wednesday, one broke out a little too close to home ...
So soon just after you've goneMy senses sharpenBut it always takes so damn longBefore I feel how much my eyes have darkenedFear hangs in a plane of gun smokeDrifting in our roomSo easy to disturb, with a thought, with a whisperWith a careless memorySongwriters: Andy Taylor / John Taylor / ...
Can we trust the Trump cabinet to act in the public interest?Nine of Trump’s closest advisers are billionaires. Their total net worth is in excess of $US375b (providing there is not a share-market crash). In contrast, the total net worth of Trump’s first Cabinet was about $6b. (Joe Biden’s Cabinet ...
Welcome back to our weekly roundup. We hope you had a good break (if you had one). Here’s a few of the stories that caught our attention over the last few weeks. This holiday period on Greater Auckland Since our last roundup we’ve: Taken a look back at ...
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partnerSometimes I feel like my only friendIs the city I live in, The City of AngelsLonely as I am together we crySong: Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, Flea, John Frusciante.A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area. ...
Open access notablesLarge emissions of CO2 and CH4 due to active-layer warming in Arctic tundra, Torn et al., Nature Communications:Climate warming may accelerate decomposition of Arctic soil carbon, but few controlled experiments have manipulated the entire active layer. To determine surface-atmosphere fluxes of carbon dioxide and ...
It's election year for Wellington City Council and for the Regional Council. What have the progressive councillors achieved over the last couple of years. What were the blocks and failures? What's with the targeting of the mayor and city council by the Post and by central government? Why does the ...
Over the holidays, there was a rising tide of calls for people to submit on National's repulsive, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, along with a wave of advice and examples of what to say. And it looks like people rose to the occasion, with over 300,000 ...
The lie is my expenseThe scope of my desireThe Party blessed me with its futureAnd I protect it with fireI am the Nina The Pinta The Santa MariaThe noose and the rapistAnd the fields overseerThe agents of orangeThe priests of HiroshimaThe cost of my desire…Sleep now in the fireSongwriters: Brad ...
This is a re-post from the Climate BrinkGlobal surface temperatures have risen around 1.3C since the preindustrial (1850-1900) period as a result of human activity.1 However, this aggregate number masks a lot of underlying factors that contribute to global surface temperature changes over time.These include CO2, which is the primary ...
There are times when movement around us seems to slow down. And the faster things get, the slower it all appears.And so it is with the whirlwind of early year political activity.They are harbingers for what is to come:Video: Wayne Wright Jnr, funder of Sean Plunket, talk growing power and ...
Hi,Right now the power is out, so I’m just relying on the laptop battery and tethering to my phone’s 5G which is dropping in and out. We’ll see how we go.First up — I’m fine. I can’t see any flames out the window. I live in the greater Hollywood area ...
2024 was a tough year for working Kiwis. But together we’ve been able to fight back for a just and fair New Zealand and in 2025 we need to keep standing up for what’s right and having our voices heard. That starts with our Mood of the Workforce Survey. It’s your ...
Time is never time at allYou can never ever leaveWithout leaving a piece of youthAnd our lives are forever changedWe will never be the sameThe more you change, the less you feelSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan.Babinden - Baba’s DayToday, January 8th, 2025, is Babinden, “The Day of the baba” or “The ...
..I/We wish to make the following comments:I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill."5. Act binds the CrownThis Act binds the Crown."How does this Act "bind the Crown" when Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Act refers to, has been violated by the Crown on numerous occassions, resulting in massive loss of ...
Everything is good and brownI'm here againWith a sunshine smile upon my faceMy friends are close at handAnd all my inhibitions have disappeared without a traceI'm glad, oh, that I found oohSomebody who I can rely onSongwriter: Jay KayGood morning, all you lovely people. Today, I’ve got nothing except a ...
Welcome to 2025. After wrapping up 2024, here’s a look at some of the things we can expect to see this year along with a few predictions. Council and Elections Elections One of the biggest things this year will be local body elections in October. Will Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Canadians can take a while to get angry – but when they finally do, watch out. Canada has been falling out of love with Justin Trudeau for years, and his exit has to be the least surprising news event of the New Year. On recent polling, Trudeau’s Liberal party has ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Much like 2023, many climate and energy records were broken in 2024. It was Earth’s hottest year on record by a wide margin, breaking the previous record that was set just last year by an even larger margin. Human-caused climate-warming pollution and ...
Submissions on National's racist, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill are due tomorrow! So today, after a good long holiday from all that bullshit, I finally got my shit together to submit on it. As I noted here, people should write their own submissions in their own ...
Ooh, baby (ooh, baby)It's making me crazy (it's making me crazy)Every time I look around (look around)Every time I look around (every time I look around)Every time I look aroundIt's in my faceSongwriters: Alan Leo Jansson / Paul Lawrence L. Fuemana.Today, I’ll be talking about rich, middle-aged men who’ve made ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 29, 2024 thru Sat, January 4, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Hi,The thing that stood out at me while shopping for Christmas presents in New Zealand was how hard it was to avoid Zuru products. Toy manufacturer Zuru is a bit like Netflix, in that it has so much data on what people want they can flood the market with so ...
And when a child is born into this worldIt has no conceptOf the tone of skin it's living inAnd there's a million voicesAnd there's a million voicesTo tell you what you should be thinkingSong by Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour.The moment you see that face, you can hear her voice; ...
While we may not always have quality political leadership, a couple of recently published autobiographies indicate sometimes we strike it lucky. When ranking our prime ministers, retired professor of history Erik Olssen commented that ‘neither Holland nor Nash was especially effective as prime minister – even his private secretary thought ...
Baby, be the class clownI'll be the beauty queen in tearsIt's a new art form, showin' people how little we care (yeah)We're so happy, even when we're smilin' out of fearLet's go down to the tennis court and talk it up like, yeah (yeah)Songwriters: Joel Little / Ella Yelich O ...
Open access notables Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored, Ecker et al., American Psychologist:Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting ...
What I’ve Been Doing: I buried a close family member.What I’ve Been Watching: Andor, Jack Reacher, Xmas movies.What I’ve Been Reflecting On: The Usefulness of Writing and the Worthiness of Doing So — especially as things become more transparent on their own.I also hate competing on any day, and if ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by John Wihbey. A version of this article first appeared on Yale Climate Connections on Nov. 11, 2008. (Image credits: The White House, Jonathan Cutrer / CC BY 2.0; President Jimmy Carter, Trikosko/Library of Congress; Solar dedication, Bill Fitz-Patrick / Jimmy Carter Library; Solar ...
Morena folks,We’re having a good break, recharging the batteries. Hope you’re enjoying the holiday period. I’m not feeling terribly inspired by much at the moment, I’m afraid—not from a writing point of view, anyway.So, today, we’re travelling back in time. You’ll have to imagine the wavy lines and sci-fi sound ...
Completed reads for 2024: Oration on the Dignity of Man, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola A Platonic Discourse Upon Love, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Of Being and Unity, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola The Life of Pico della Mirandola, by Giovanni Francesco Pico Three Letters Written by Pico ...
Welcome to 2025, Aotearoa. Well… what can one really say? 2024 was a story of a bad beginning, an infernal middle and an indescribably farcical end. But to chart a course for a real future, it does pay to know where we’ve been… so we know where we need ...
Welcome to the official half-way point of the 2020s. Anyway, as per my New Years tradition, here’s where A Phuulish Fellow’s blog traffic came from in 2024: United States United Kingdom New Zealand Canada Sweden Australia Germany Spain Brazil Finland The top four are the same as 2023, ...
Completed reads for December: Be A Wolf!, by Brian Strickland The Magic Flute [libretto], by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder The Invisible Eye, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Owl’s Ear, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Waters of Death, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Spider, by Hanns Heinz Ewers Who Knows?, by Guy de Maupassant ...
Well, it’s the last day of the year, so it’s time for a quick wrap-up of the most important things that happened in 2024 for urbanism and transport in our city. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog and supported us in our mission to make ...
Leave your office, run past your funeralLeave your home, car, leave your pulpitJoin us in the streets where weJoin us in the streets where weDon't belong, don't belongHere under the starsThrowing light…Song: Jeffery BuckleyToday, I’ll discuss the standout politicians of the last 12 months. Each party will receive three awards, ...
Hi,A lot’s happened this year in the world of Webworm, and as 2024 comes to an end I thought I’d look back at a few of the things that popped. Maybe you missed them, or you might want to revisit some of these essay and podcast episodes over your break ...
Hi,I wanted to share this piece by film editor Dan Kircher about what cinema has been up to in 2024.Dan edited my documentary Mister Organ, as well as this year’s excellent crowd-pleasing Bookworm.Dan adores movies. He gets the language of cinema, he knows what he loves, and writes accordingly. And ...
Without delving into personal details but in order to give readers a sense of the year that was, I thought I would offer the study in contrasts that are Xmas 2023 and Xmas 2024: Xmas 2023 in Starship Children’s Hospital (after third of four surgeries). Even opening presents was an ...
Heavy disclaimer: Alpha/beta/omega dynamics is a popular trope that’s used in a wide range of stories and my thoughts on it do not apply to all cases. I’m most familiar with it through the lens of male-focused fanfic, typically m/m but sometimes also featuring m/f and that’s the situation I’m ...
Hi,Webworm has been pretty heavy this year — mainly because the world is pretty heavy. But as we sprint (or limp, you choose) through the final days of 2024, I wanted to keep Webworm a little lighter.So today I wanted to look at one of the biggest and weirdest elements ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 22, 2024 thru Sat, December 28, 2024. This week's roundup is the second one published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, ...
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...
Uia te pō, rangahaua te pō, whakamāramatia mai he aha tō tango, he aha tō kāwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rātā whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pō, ngū te pō, ue hā! E te kahurangi māreikura, ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. “It sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the government,” says Mr Seymour. “When this government assumed ...
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora e mua - Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead. Māori recipients in the New Year 2025 Honours list show comprehensive dedication to improving communities across the motu that ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is wishing all New Zealanders a great holiday season as Kiwis prepare for gatherings with friends and families to see in the New Year. It is a great time of year to remind everyone to stay fire safe over the summer. “I know ...
Asia Pacific Report Four researchers and authors from the Asia-Pacific region have provided diverse perspectives on the media in a new global book on intercultural communication. The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Communication published this week offers a global, interdisciplinary, and contextual approach to understanding the complexities of intercultural communication in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin T. Jones, Senior Lecturer in History, CQUniversity Australia In his farewell address, outgoing US President Joe Biden warned “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy”. The comment suggests ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hrvoje Tkalčić, Professor, Head of Geophysics, Director of Warramunga Array, Australian National University A map showing the ‘Martian dichotomy’: the southern highlands are in yellows and oranges, the northern lowlands in blues and greens.NASA / JPL / USGS Mars is home ...
A new poem by Niamh Hollis-Locke.Field-notes: Midsummer, 9pm, walking barefoot in the reserve after a storm, the sky still light, the city strung out across backs of the hills Dunes of last week’s cut grass washed downslope against the bracken, drifts of pale wet stems rotting into one ...
The poll, conducted between 9-13 January, shows National down 4.6 points to 29.6%, while Labour have risen 4.0 points from last month, overtaking them with30.9%. ...
As the world farewells visionary director David Lynch, we return to this 2017 piece by Angela Cuming about escaping into the haunting world of Twin Peaks. I was only 10 years old when Twin Peaks – and the real world – found me.Once a week, in the dark, I ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marc C-Scott, Associate Professor of Screen Media | Deputy Associate Dean of Learning & Teaching, Victoria University Screenshot/YouTube The 2025 Australian Open (AO) broadcast may seem similar to previous years if you’re watching on the television. However, if you’re watching online ...
By Anish Chand in Suva A Fiji community human rights coalition has called on Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to halt his “reckless expansion” of government and refocus on addressing Fiji’s pressing challenges. The NGO Coalition on Human Rights (NGOCHR) said it was outraged by the abrupt and arbitrary reshuffling of ...
A selection of the best shows, movies, podcasts and playlists that kept us entertained over the holidays. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here.Leo (Netflix) My partner and I watched exactly one thing on the TV in our Japan accommodation while ...
Toby Manhire tells you everything you need to know ahead of season two of Severance.After an agonising wait – nearly three years between waffles, thanks to US actor and writer strikes and, some say, creative squabbles – Severance returns today, Friday January 17. For my money the first season ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 32-year-old mother of a one-year-old shares her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female. Age: 32. Ethnicity: East Asian – NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talia Fell, PhD Candidate, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland The Los Angeles wildfires are causing the devastating loss of people’s homes. From A-list celebrities such as Paris Hilton to an Australian family living in LA, thousands ...
The outgoing and incoming presidents have both claimed credit for the historic deal, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Finally, some good fucking news. The Friday Poem is back! Last year, The Spinoff leveled with its audience about the financial reality it faced and called for support from its audience. Some tough decisions were made at the time including cuts to our commissioning budget and the discontinuation of The ...
The soon-to-be deputy PM has already had a crucial win behind the scenes. First published in Henry Cooke’s politics newsletter, Museum Street. Margaret Thatcher used to love prime minister’s questions. If you’re not familiar, the UK parliamentary system has a weekly procedure where the prime minister is subject to at least ...
Summer reissue: The current coalition not lasting beyond this parliamentary term is an idea that’s been seized on by its opponents. History suggests it’s unlikely – but not impossible. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Port Vila More than 180,000 registered voters are expected to cast their votes today with polls now open in Vanuatu. It is remarkable the snap election is even able to happen with Friday marking one month since the 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the ...
New Zealand needs to boost its productivity growth and become more attractive and accessible as a workplace in order to fix its labour market woes, a recruitment agency says.Commenting on new salary survey results from Robert Walters, Shay Peters, the company’s Australia and New Zealand chief executive, says the Government ...
Comment: When Newsroom’s editor Jonathan Milne invited me to write one of two special pieces for the summer break, I faced quite the conundrum. My options were to either review a work of non-fiction or write a column about hope and optimism for 2025.I initially misread Jonathan’s request to review ...
By Daniel Perese of Te Ao Māori News Māori politicians across the political spectrum in Aotearoa New Zealand have called for immediate aid to enter Gaza following a temporary ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. The ceasefire, agreed yesterday, comes into effect on Sunday, January 19. Foreign Minister Winston Peters ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Sherlock, Lecturer, School of Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University Australian-owned brand UGG Since 1974 has announced it will change its name to “Since 74” for sales outside Australia and New Zealand. There has been a long-running battle over the rights ...
The committee has agreed to split into two sub-committees to increase the number of people it can hear from in the time available. Each sub-committee will meet for 30 hours total, together making up 60 of the 80 planned hours of hearings. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research scholar, Middle East studies, Australian National University The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, to come into effect on Sunday, has understandably been welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Israelis and Palestinians. Israelis are relieved that a process for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Carson, Senior Research Fellow, School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia Over the past several days, the world has watched on in shock as wildfires have devastated large parts of Los Angeles. Beyond the obvious destruction – to landscapes, homes, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rose Cairns, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, University of Sydney AtlasStudio/Shutterstock TikTok and Instagram influencers have been peddling the “Barbie drug” to help you tan. But melanotan-II, as it’s called officially, is a solution that’s too good to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paula Jarzabkowski, Professor in Strategic Management, The University of Queensland A series of wildfires in Los Angeles County have caused widespread devastation in California, including at least 24 deaths and the destruction of more than 12,000 homes and structures. Thousands of residents ...
COMMENTARY:By Monika Singh The lack of women representation in parliaments across the world remains a vexed and contentious issue. In Fiji, this problem has again surfaced for debate in response to Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica’s call for a quota system to increase women’s representation in Parliament. Kamikamica was ...
What compels someone of significant status in society to break the law, repeatedly, might be the same reason I did as a poor teenager. Former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, who left parliament a year ago today following revelations of shoplifting, is now at the centre of another shoplifting complaint. As ...
This election demonstrated what the deep state will do to ensure the continuity of neoliberal rule in New Zealand.
Little
Turei
Peters
What do they all have in common?
They would have challenged the neoliberal paradigm.
+100 ed
Yeah, ummmm. Sorry, how would they have changed the paradigm? Seriously, I’m keen to hear solutions, cause with the feed back I’m getting from the Bots around here, seems my plans where deluded.
Please correct me, but I thought orthodox-economic-norms where set in stone from several decades of entrenched financial regulations, both internal and external.
Must add that Winnie always has a pair of rose smelling underpants up the sleeve, he’ll some how come out of this smelling ok.
Which way forward, Mr Ed?
(Eco-Maori, the invite is open. Bright ideas? Could we innovate with a little Babylonian Banking Number?)
If you’re in Auckland, maybe you could join Marama Davidson and Metiria Turei at a rally against poverty on September 16 at 2.30pm at Otara Town Centre;
And Turei will also be speaking about poverty at the Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch on 31 August.
This is where positive change will come from for those suffering most from poverty and inequality: from the flax roots.
Thanks.
Join the rally, or remain door-knocking locally, good options.
Hey the Green policy you link is adequate to stabilise short term. And yes, it’s the only politically speakable alternative. But the Greens would also do govt funded research into the TOP strategies around tax and UBI for medium term solutions. Plus research into Financial Innovation for sustainable funding during the transition/national-rehabilition. Agreed, Greens will get the job do.
See link here for the full detail that would really solve things: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-29082017/#comment-1375826
“but I thought orthodox-economic-norms where set in stone from several decades of entrenched financial regulations”
This is entirely voluntary. Sovereign nations have lost none of their ability to regulate big (multinational) businesses. All that has changed is the norms by which they typically do so.
The biggest change under the neo liberal era has been the deregulation (see above) and the abandonment of full employment as a policy goal (presently unemployment is a policy tool). Both changes were voluntary, drive inequality and should be reversed to a great extent.
In turn the neo liberal era has been a slow growth era which is why house and asset prices have been so out of whack.
“This is entirely voluntary. Sovereign nations have lost none of their ability to regulate big (multinational) businesses. All that has changed is the norms by which they typically do so.”
thats true, however consider the constituent response should the likes of Apple, or big oil et al remove or price themselves out of the local market…..the ability to regulate such entities is effectively determined by the size of the market….and NZ is a very small market.
Your saying these industries would leave a safe stable profitable market like NZ on the table? I think thats highly unlikely and I can’t think of any examples of it happening either.
Im saying depending on the level of enforcement /cost that some would determine the trouble was not worth it and note i also said price themselves into a position where they may still remain but accessibility (to the wider populace) would be greatly reduced….no time to look now but internet access costs are one that spring to mind, in many countries internet access is only available to the wealthy due to that very reason.
You have examples of countries where internet access is only available to the wealthy due to regulative overheads? I would think the lack of infrastructure would be relevant but hardly the amount of regulation.
“In other places, like South Africa and Namibia, prices are high simply because of a monopoly or duopoly. Further examination reveals at least two other reasons for these high prices: the largest fiber owners in-country, have until recently, not been allowed to sell or provide services and most importantly, African service providers are still beset with archaic business models and anti-customer mindset! Let’s examine these two factors in some detail.”
http://www.ictworks.org/2010/05/05/why-african-internet-bandwidth-prices-are-still-high/
Industry regulation can and does, as does tax law and corruption…..yes there needs to be regulation and TAXATION but it is a balancing act….and the smaller the market the lesser the leverage
I don’t find that very convincing as a story about burdensom regulation. Regulation was preventing some capacity from being used for internet access and for ISPs to effectively not have access to that infrastructure. Otherwise nothing seems to be preventing ISPs from selling to a broad market but their business model isnt there yet.
If you don’t push regulation onto the likes of Apple or big oil you will never know if there is a boundary there and will effectively just leave them deregulated.
never said don’t push, simply said there is a tipping point which you appear to deny…and there we differ
https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/shell-poised-announcement-nz-assets-182791
“In the year to December it reported revenue of $1.37 billion and net profit of $252.6 million.”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1506/S00005/z-energy-buys-caltex-service-station-chain-for-785-million.htm
“Chevron New Zealand Holdings reported a net profit of $43.3 million in calendar 2014 on revenue of $2.23 billion, down from a profit of $86.5 million on sale of $2.34 billion in 2013. Chevron’s total assets were valued at $573.9 million with liabilities totalling $374.4 million as at Dec. 31, compared to assets worth $784.9 million and liabilities of $536 million a year earlier.”
a quick couple close to home…
Problem is that the current fix-it solutions will all cost money, so where do you want to borrow that money from. It will take Financial Innovation and Money Sovereignty, otherwise it’s just the old debt spiral again. Can’t truly solve it with tax changes alone, though the full tax reforms from TOP would buy us time.
The NZ government is already fully sovereign in the NZ dollers via the RBNZ. Taxation is about things like, not allowing an aristocracy to develop, making the burden of taxation more equitable, or discouraging certain businesses or activities without making them illegal or removing inflationary spending pressures from an overheated economy. Its never about revenue gathering.
If the old debt spiral is referring to an eventual currency crisis then the point is NZ fully floated the NZ $ in about 1985. It can’t have currency crisis any more as a result.
NZD is in relation to international currencies, especially USD. And RBNZ don’t create NZDs, this would be sovereign. RBNZ buy other currencies, at cost.
We have a crisis if the Rating Agencies give us a crisis. Current official cash rate in NZ is 1.75%, vs Europe at 0.25%, or 0.0% When they buy our houses against their foreign capital, they have a 1.5% advantage over Kiwi buyers.
Interest repayment requires new money, growth. New money comes from debt, thus “debt spiral”. Though interest-rates are very low, but new problem is the effects of Quantitative Easing, lowering the value of our money.
Planet size is limited, and new efficencies from new technology are less significant than the losses from wars and storms. Debt system requires growth. Planet requires a steady state economy. Even the Greens don’t have this in their economic policy. Compromising with orthodox system, though steady state economic system would be investigated once Greens are in Govt.
Taken from here,
https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/about-us/what-we-do
“Currency Issue”
“The Reserve Bank is the only organisation authorised to issue currency for New Zealand. ”
This is not to say that commercial banks don’t create money when they lend, they do, however the money created is commercial bank deposits and not of the form of the currency which is created by the reserve bank and spent and collected in tax by the government.
Obviously most of your comment is derivative on the RBNZ not being able to issue NZ dollers.
“where will the money come from?”
money (in all its forms) is simply a means of resource rationing, the real question is how do we use that rationing system?…we can create all the money we like but we are still restricted by resource availability and the desire for those resources….we currently allow ‘the market’ to determine how those resources are rationed…and we see where that has led and is leading, however that is not to say any other form will be any better or worse as ultimately any system will still be driven by human beings wants and needs…changing the amount of ‘money’ doesn’t change human nature
Come on Pat, obviously it’s better to do finance with public banks. Why do you think private banks should be able to profit from money creation? Surely the benefits of this should go back to the people rather than a small group of shareholders.
Deals with state owned banks could be done very different. Creating though debt is driving that growth. If all banking was though the state, then steady state economics would be possible, and the need from more resources to pay back debt, and new debt to pay off the old debt… all could be mathematically solved.
Oh, it matters Pat.
“….the real question is how do we use that rationing system?…”
quality not quantity
This argument simply invalidates itself where it says ‘however that is not to say any other form will be any better’ and goes on to assume the alternatives will further be the same or worse.
Ultimately it appears to be based on some form of Ricardian equivalence where supposidely (but actually not) when the government changes the quantity of spending the non government sector inversely compensates and reduces spending. In reality both quantity and quality of spending effect the outcome and Ricardian equivalence mechanisms don’t happen in the real world.
‘This argument simply invalidates itself…..”
Indeed?..you assume too much, I clearly state…..”that is not to say any alternative will be better or worse” based on the premise they are operated by and for human wants and needs….the onus is on you(or anyone else for that matter) to make the case for an alternative that IS indeed better.
If you take the time to read what I wrote you may grasp that what I am saying is the polar opposite of Ricardian Equivalence…i.e human beings are not forward looking nor rational in their habits….nor are they (in the main ) socially orientated….rather they are self serving and short sighted.
so back to government spending and debt monetisation….what does human nature tell you about the likely outcome of an increase in the willingness of governments to increase the money supply?
I say again….quality over quantity
Isn’t money supply increased every time someone takes a loan and buys a house? Guess the private lending mechanism would have to change, in balance. Better accounting at RBNZ. Your thinkin is still orthodox economics, I’m trying to talk alternatives.
“Your thinkin is still orthodox economics, ”
yes I’m analysing orthodox economics (that is not to say I’m promoting any particular school) for that is what we operate under and to know where you are going you need to know where you are starting from….indeed I seek and zero/negative growth model that appears to have a chance of working in the real world….im still waiting and time is agin us….so kindly talk alternatives but don’t expect me to accept them simply because they are alternative.
Its dead simple in that regard.
“what does human nature tell you about the likely outcome of an increase in the willingness of governments to increase the money supply?”
This is a weird way of putting it but I assume you are referring to something like the government buying up all the unemployed labour and putting the work towards public goods. Whats the outcome? First of all the labour will be for sale because the unemployment is not due to a voluntary choice but due to an actual lack of jobs. Second the unemployment rate will go down because many people who were unemployed will be in work (this will be an improvement in the outcome). Third growth of GDP will increase in real and nominal terms with the additional public goods the government purchased being produced being the real increase. Fourth there will be no inflationary outcome because the idle labour never had a bid in the jobs market so the additional spending does not compete with the private sector in setting wages.
You don’t get a similar outcome just focusing on quality because the economy is facing a quantity of spending problem. The mainstream of economic thought and your dogma believes that the economy is inherently self rebalancing in real terms
but there is no evidence for this in the real world.
I would say the market mechanism is the only future, but if we’re feeding the markets wholesome organic money from a central bank and not GE sugar from private banks, then govt can regulate lightly. Current system requires very heavy regulation.
Labour think they can fix the country and contiune with orthodox TPPA etc. Is this a pre-election bluff to win votes, avoid media attack?. Or are they really planning to fail?
Pivoting international economic relations is very bold, but we are well poised. The last 30sec of this video shows what’s required. If global finance isn’t going to play cricket, then we’ll have to change the game to rugby.
you’re a strange fellow….I am constantly amazed how you attribute positions to me that are frequently diametrically opposed to those i state…this comprehension problem may resolve itself if you spend less time learning text by rote and practise applying the theory to the real world.
Its pretty clear we can identify the nexus of the problem here.
“Yes I’m analysing orthodox economics (that is not to say I’m promoting any particular school) for that is what we operate under and to know where you are going you need to know where you are starting from”
Your misunderstanding is that orthodox economics is not something that we ‘operate under’ at all. It is instead a consistent failure to explain how the actual economy functions. The related problem being you don’t appear to know or understand the assumptions being made by the orthordox economics when you say for example ‘expand the money supply’. Do you not know the assumptions there do imply Ricardian equivalence is a genuine phenomenon there?
Thanks Pat, working on it. Moving from farming support, to small business, but seasonal work requirements and family issues also to hurdle.
Hey, pointing out paradox is part of my job here. Failure to spot paradox seems no less common among the politically educated.
You may be an exception Pat, I’m still undecided. Qualitative reflection upon degree content is generally very low especially in economics. How many people at the end of their first year still don’t know where money comes from? Don Brash still claims money isn’t created by private banks! It’s guys like him who give the Free Masons a bad name.
Analysis of orthodox views can reinforce them. So seeking to express alternative economic paradigms is very important, though yes, confusing.
Range of organic veges grown and marketed this year. Developments for next year: sell vege boxes at a set price, along with vouchers, thus creating a tradable regional currency alternative. The central bank need not fear me at this stage, but the future is open. And yes, I can still find some normal money to pay my taxes on transactions. Ethics are valuable, but costly.
Yeah Nic, you could be on to it, but does sound more like a side-step that a try or a conversion. I think their biggest assumption is, that after 3 years of orthodox economics, graduates will be whip-lashed and hypnotized from the magic of supply-n-demand curves.
Yes. We should have some pity on the poor graduates of economics who have paid for the privelege of being brainwashed. Unfortunately some of the more successful ones (like Don Brash and Bill English) will be rewarded for further basing policy on and popularizing their delusions so this is self perpetuating.
CoroDale gemmon
Here it is. A serious Strategy of the next Govt to end poverty:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-29082017/#comment-1375826
Apparently Tolley knew about Peters, I’m guessing the leak came from her office.
They are well on their way to being the least trustworthy govt dept.
Tracy Watkins sayys Dunne knew in advance. He is Revenue Minister and has not called for an investigation of his office. Or has Tolley taken over since he resigned?
Why arent the press hounding the revenue minister and PM til they say they will investigate?
Dunne is not Revenue Minister now. He’s Internal Affairs, and has a couple of associate minister roles: health and conservation.
Sad thing is that often the participants in that ‘deep state’ don’t actually realise they are.
Whether its a WINZ case manager at the coal face (probably on a short term contract); or an Ummagration officer, or many others “only following orders”. Worse still, when shit hits fan, they’re the obvious targets when blame is apppoetioned.
Watch what happens over the Winnie affair…..or perhaps after the election when we look back on the dawn raids (modern day equiv) that come to light
Shout out to those from Nelson, Bill English will be addressing Grey Power at a public meeting TODAY at 2pm in Stoke at the Annesbrook Church on Saxton Rd.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96241989/pm-to-face-questions-at-nelson-grey-power-election-meetings
If you are not working or busy go and check it out, they are taking questions from the floor, if it’s the same moderators from grey power that run the motueka meet the candidates, and if you are a young woman with a question, I strongly suggest you stand up and make it known you have a question, the old boys don’t like young women with questions, and will do their best to ignore you.
Would be really nice if people asked questions that concern many peoples needs instead of just their own
I’ve a huge workload today, but if time allows I will go check it out.
Remember Bill English’s shifty/shifting stories on the taping saga? Maybe a repeat at Stoke today over the superannuation leak. But he is better prepared now at just saying “I know nothing”.
Paula’s there with him
Ask about Winnie and the overpayment. Its been admitted that she was personally briefed before it all broke
Sadly i was unable to make due to work commitments.
Lmao Smith still trying to get elected from pushing the same agenda he has been doing for around 20 years. The southern link lmfao, if any politician wants to win the nelson seat, I’d suggest they look at bringing back rail.
Southern link is massively polarising in Nelson, and with Matt Lawrey against it, and he has been for years, it will be an important topical issue. Looks like the government tried to withhold info on the southern link from the council until after the election.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96235755/national-pledges-green-light-for-southern-link-route-at-nelson-if-reelected
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96267494/southern-link-announcement-draws-mixed-reactions
My condolences go out to the people in Texas.But as a fellow blogger on this site points out there are much more people died in India Bangladesh because of global warming and these events don’t make our headline news.WTF Now I don’t like to capitalise my views on someone else’s disaster.We have had the reality of what’s going on around our WORLD sencered by National Muppets .
So I will endorse the Greens please if you want to leave a habitable World for our grandchildren vote Green Party
Considering the bumpLabour got I’d suggest Labour had something to do with Turei, I can just see how the conversation went: “Hi Labour as per the MOU we’re thinking of having MT announce she ripped off the taxpayer, do you think its a good idea”
Labours response, after doing a dance of celebration, “oh yes Greens its absolutely a good idea, we foresee no issues with this at all”
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
I doubt that happened.
Absolutely not ! chris 73. You’re just trying it on ….. we all know you’re a Nat – so just quit the stupid trolling.
I’m going to make a plea.
On this Winston ‘affair’
Can we all stop pontificating for a moment?
Bit by bit, more is emerging-the latest being the ladder puller upper was involved.
I’m by no means a Winnie fan.
He’s smart enough to know however not to show his cards.
You show me yours and I’ll show you mine.
There are bubbles and bloody big egos at play here.
There is no reason WP should release details to a gotcha-inspired media UNTIL the source ( peraps sauce) of the leak is identified.
Phat chance tho eh?
If we STFU, my suspicions are there’ll be one or two resignations.
If not, opportunity lost
Tracy Watkins suggests Seymour Dunne (Revenue Minister) and Tax Payers union new in advance about Peters. Can you find someone from the press corps wjo suggests labour did for MT?
Seymour is a nasty chap who is fully capable of trashing Peters at every turn. Why would he have known in advance? Leaky leaky!
Silly me. There I was thinking that the bump came from superior policies, fatigue with a tired and failing government, a bright and connecting leader, and small matters of ongoing corruption, mismanagement and ignorance.
But why not prefer a conspiracy to sense?
New Zealanders are world leaders let’s lead the WORLD in the right direction.
And promote a carbon free industries that create local jobs and a healthy environment!!!!! .WE CAN DO IT
This sure puts the Greens’ proposed 20cent tax on single use plastic bags into perspective:
Bill English doubts anyone wakes up worried about Climate change.
I doubt he woke up worrying about nuclear war and his predecessor didnt give a shit about apartheid… enough did and change happened. We have done big stuff without National. It is time to do it again.
Yes!
Yep and I DON’T think he likes what we have to say on this site looks like the Muppets have spun to get someone high in the national party to think I’m a threat to national with letting everyone no national and John Key sign OUR PRIVACY RIGHTS AWAY SO SOME COUNTRY CAN USE US TO SNOP ON THE REST OF the World
Farmers Bill hayseed English
Labour makes tertiary education first year of degree free from next year:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11913047
Plus the student allowance goes up.
If she implented this, it would be getting back to like it was back in my day.
We need hundreds of thousands more bright minds pushing our national productivity along. Without debt.
Hope those young people get out and vote, if they want this.
I think Ardern will take the news cycle for at least today with this:
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news
Worth a look
Thanks.
It all sounds alarmingly familiar.
Nationals latest attempt
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11913181
But didn’t National use a financial veto against parliament to prevent the same thing they are offering now?
Ok so its fake but still a good image
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DIWtC8bUQAA0BHu.jpg
This isn’t.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/8847784-3×4-700×933.jpg
Yes it is, the electricity is on they must be all dead.
Bonded neutral.
Houston,we have a problem.
Well over the 500-year-average-return event risk now, and still going.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/8/28/16211392/100-500-year-flood-meaning
This is a good start at shifting the climate change discourse in the USA – even with this kind of President.
Francis Maxwell aces it.
Oh yeah, that Hitler humor never gets old. Funny as that Two and a Half Men, Christmas special.
What was Hooton on last night and why was he not dressed down by the host. Is this what is to be expected in the lead up to the election ?
I ask those more aware. Is there an issue regarding Broadcasting standards here ?
His rant commenced at 12 minutes. Bt be warned you may feel a little nauseous
http://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/ZB/auckland/2017.08.28-16.45.00-S.mp3
Why do commentators on the left continue with this Jacinda syndrome. This makes it IMO all about her. Should it not be that Labours vision is now being given a vehicle in which it is being heard and accepted by the nation ?
Jacinda Ardern’s favourite joke is actually pretty funny!
“Okay, so there are two sausages in a frying pan and one sausage turns to the other sausage and says, ‘Oh my god it is so hot in here,’ and the other sausage says, ‘Oh my god a talking sausage.'”
Man the police must have heaps of money to follow me around all day and any were I go O hang no it’s national money or is it our tax dollars being wasted I no I pay taxes WTF
Respect, Eco Maori. I have never known conversation to be killed for nearly 3 hours. I am sure it is not your fault, old boy.. (Often wish I could do the same on some threads.)
I don’t mean to be mean, but …. to get things going again?
All this new language learning The Nats are proposing for primary schools it now turns out comes to one hour per week per student. Huh?
One hour per week will NOT produce anything other than the ability to say hello and parrot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 in some other language and they will soon forget it.
None of the policy-setters can ever have tried to master a second language, let alone teach it. What a bunch of buck-tooth idiots.
Financial Innovation can be solely limited to gentle price stability tools. The beauty is that Rating Agencies will up interest-rates for NZ, and the NZD will fall. NZ thus gains income on exports and tourism, to cover fiscally. At the same time all first-home-lenders with floating-rates could be covered from a govt top-up to prevent melt-down in housing market. Only a small international money transaction tool will be require to prevent further foreign investment in real-estate and markets, plus minor restrictions on govt bonds. All these factors will essential freeze the market for a year or two until Royal Commissions come back with clear and democratic solutions on further Financial Innovation, to gently land prices. Meanwhile UBI and rent controls can stabilise poverty, while general reforms in Corrections, Tax, Education, Health and All are implemented.
Declare a State of National Disaster over Real Estate prices within the first three months of the next term. This will spook the markets early, hopefully before the crash/irreversible-dysfunction. The Govt then doesn’t use their new financial powers, they just focus on Corrections, Tax, etc. So claim can slowly return to the international observers.
Then, apply non-orthodox Financial Innovation before the 2020 election. Passing on a hot-but-functional-potato, to hopefully a second Green/NZF/TOP govt. If Nats or Labour got back in in 2020, they would fail big to turn back to old orthodox ways.
Check-mate!
Apologies to my fellow bloggers for the eco maori effect. I have notice this effect has been influencing others in our beautiful country.
Now we need a Paradigm shift with all our policys as one can not run a country like a business like National has they are to totally different Beast and do not responed the same.
My opinion about our education get the basic right first English Math teach our children about civic teach our children to respect everyone surviving in our system get the class sizes down to 25 pupils per class .
Our best teachers no how to come down to our children level and engage them. the good teachers have a lot of art in there class room and there pupils ardor them
NOW TEACHING CHILDREN IS NOT THAT COMPLICATED GIVE THE TEACHERS THE RIGHT TRAINING AND THE RIGHT RESOURCES TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN .
I no that using the KICKS systems works so Keep the system that run our school simple.
Come on this works give all our children at least the Basic make sure our children are well fed well housed one wont listen if you are hungry .These children are our future.
lets invest in our Future . Its not rocket science!!!!
Hey, thinking I’ve solved the riddle. It’s not “Eco maori”, its short for Emo. It’s not a bot, its an Emo Kid.
Cheer Up Emo Kid. Here, a FB page specially for you.
https://www.facebook.com/cheerupemokid