capitalism

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discrimination (83)

1/3 of Kiwis in energy poverty

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 8:59 pm, May 24th, 2013 - 89 comments

A recent survey of two thousand Kiwis show that a third cannot afford to heat their homes properly.

That’s a third of the population who are vulnerable to illness, whose children are at risk, and who are being left behind as the electricity companies continue their price gouging.

This is why we need NZ Power.

The myth of ‘mum and dad’ investors

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 9:15 am, May 24th, 2013 - 121 comments

The myth that National sold Mighty River Power to ‘mum and dads’ is dead. New analysis shows that half the retail shares went to just 12,844 people. A tiny group of 394 people bought 10% of the retail shares. Only 13.4% of the company is owned by what you might call ‘ordinary Kiwis’ – less than the amount owned by foreign investors. But the truth is, ordinary Kiwis are the 98% who bought nothing.

Cynical

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:37 am, May 23rd, 2013 - 82 comments

It looks like Nick Smith will today grant access to West Coast conservation land for mining. This looks like a cynical attempt to enforce the government’s anti-conservation agenda by avoiding the legal and democratic requirement for public consultation. When will the NZ Herald headline: “Democracy Under Attack!”? [updated]

Digital democracy: Fair Deal goes global

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:20 am, May 21st, 2013 - 2 comments

NZ’s Fair Deal Coalition launched a new website, ourfairdeal.org, networking globally with others concerned about intellectual property & the TTPA. The FDC includes those supporting global “neoliberal” commerce, & others supporting community & public sector activities, democratic freedoms and privacy rights.

$2.49

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 7:23 pm, May 20th, 2013 - 99 comments

That’s what Mighty River stocks closed at today. Down on their issue price within ten days.

Budget: corporate “charity” not the solution to Feeding the Kids

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:21 am, May 15th, 2013 - 24 comments

Thursday’s budget is likely to make businesses central to blunting the edge of child poverty. Campbell Live is concerned about the marginalisation of skilled community organisations. Harawira has delayed the reading of his Feed the Kids Bill & argues for the state to play a stronger role.

This is what corporate dictatorship looks like

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:45 pm, May 14th, 2013 - 32 comments

The compensation part of Joyce’s and Key’s dirty, undemocratic SkyCity deal, could legally be over-turned by a future government, as proposed by the Greens. However, the TPPA could weaken NZ’s parliamentary sovereignty and open the government to claims by secret private offshore tribunals. Opposition needs to step up!

Prwoperty rwights!

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 7:36 pm, May 13th, 2013 - 130 comments

Over at Kiwiblog David Farrar’s having a big cry about the Greens indicating they’d legislate against the dodgy contract this government has struck with Sky city. To David, the property rights conveyed by contract law are paramount above all other rights. Including the rights of the people of a sovereign nation to direct a government to exercise their will.

Key’s no-shows – protecting Brand Key

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 10:45 am, May 13th, 2013 - 15 comments

Who was missing from the Mighty River and SkyCity launches? Being seen at the front of positive government stories is a big part of the PM’s job, unless concerns over protecting Brand Key override that. The fact Key has been a no-show at these two announcements of central planks of National’s agenda tells you a lot about what the Nats’ polling says about them.

What’s done can be undone

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:52 am, May 13th, 2013 - 220 comments

SkyCity will get more pokies and cashless gambling in return for building the convention centre that it always wanted to build. (…excuse me, I’m just trying not to puke watching Len Brown on Breakfast as he shrugs off the problem gambling increase from this deal…) The convention centre will be a white elephant. SkyCity should know that what’s done can be undone.

Update: Anyone buying in to the Nats’ “Labour did it too” line should read Russell Brown’s demolition of that lie.

Sky City, pokies and corruption

Written By: karol - Date published: 7:56 am, May 13th, 2013 - 51 comments

Key and Joyce made sure Gilmore was out of the way before they announced their dubious Sky City for (more) pokies deal. The pokies system in NZ is rife with dubious goings on. It’s bad for low income families, communities and their children. [update: responses]

John Key’s disaster capitalism

Written By: karol - Date published: 1:07 pm, May 9th, 2013 - 31 comments

The latest Household Labour Force Employment statistics are out, and on the surface, look good for John and Bill. But this is driven by improved employment in Canterbury over the last quarter. Grant Robertson says, “Disaster recovery is not a plan for jobs”.

The cost of our clothes

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:35 am, May 9th, 2013 - 23 comments

Big Western retailers provide us with relatively cheap clothing, through paying low wages in countries where industrial health and safety is poorly regulated. Last month a big garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed, killing over ~~700~~ 800 people. Ultimately we are all damaged by the profiteering of the elites.

GCSB Bill: & Dotcom versus FBI, “NZ Intelligence Community” et al

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:21 am, May 8th, 2013 - 47 comments

John Key is using “urgency” to push through his anti-democratic Big brother GCSB surveillance Bill. Dotcom’s lawyers have released a 39 page white paper making a range of allegations against the FBI, Obama & NZ authorities. Peters is keeping his cards close to his chest. Update: Peters’ calls government “bully boy” & will vote against the Bill.

Congratulations EPMU

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 8:19 am, May 8th, 2013 - 7 comments

The EPMU has won back millions of dollars of back-pay for workers at Tiwai point after taking a case at the employment authority.

We’re leaving & we’re taking the dams

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:57 am, May 7th, 2013 - 18 comments

Following the Labour and Greens’ rejection of their demand that the parties drop their NZ Power policy to lower power prices, the business elite has announced capital flight. ‘If Origin Energy loses its rentier profits, who’s next? said Phil O’Reilly, close to tears, ‘The banks? The Telecoms duopoly? The petrol companies?* The construction materials oligopoly? The ports and airports?

Why Phil O’Reilly wants you to keep paying too much for power

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:12 am, May 3rd, 2013 - 80 comments

Yesterday, Phil O’Reilly’s Business New Zealand basically declared war on Labour and the Greens. Their ‘open letter’ demanded opposition parties to withdraw the NZ Power policy or risk a capital strike. Unprecedented in modern NZ history. It was a boots and all attempt by the capitalist elite to try to monster the Left. It proves that they think NZ Power is both practical and popular.

Networks of influence: Key & Anadarko Petroleum

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:25 pm, May 2nd, 2013 - 18 comments

John Key’s networks of influence include the bosses and directors of Anadarko Petroleum, which is doing some oil exploration in NZ. Gordon Campbell’s excellent piece of investigative journalism shows Anadarko and it’s bosses are not to be trusted.

Why Brian Gaynor wants you to keep paying too much for power

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:45 am, May 2nd, 2013 - 34 comments

To say Brian Gaynor is excited about the Mighty River sale is an understatement. Of his last five Herald columns, two have been about how great it will be, and two have been about how awful NZ Power is. His other media appearances have been in a similar vein: Mighty River = good, NZ Power = bad. It’s in his financial interests that investors aren’t scared off Mighty River.

Why First NZ Capital wants you to keep paying too much for power

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:48 am, May 1st, 2013 - 35 comments

A couple of people have questioned this series of posts outing the financial interests of supposedly ‘independent’ commentators who are coming out against the Green/Labour plan to lower power prices. ‘Everyone has links to everyone in New Zealand’. Maybe so, but not everyone is paid by the people whose interests they’re protecting while pretending to be independent in the msm.

Why Allan Miller wants you to keep paying too much for power

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:03 am, April 30th, 2013 - 46 comments

Hot on the heels of electricity industry funded Lewis Evans publishing an op-ed about how terrible NZ Power is, another academic has popped up to claim the policy is the end of the world.

Networks of influence: (dis)Advantage NZ

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:33 am, April 30th, 2013 - 21 comments

An Advantage New Zealand conference at SkyCity is the centre of major PR for John Key-backed, big oil exploration in NZ. While promoting and backing each others’ destructive profiteering, and endangering NZ’s environment, they are nurturing their networks of influence over expensive dinners and on the golf course.

Why Lewis Evans wants you to keep paying too much for power

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:22 am, April 30th, 2013 - 43 comments

Lewis Evans had an op-ed in the Dompost yesterday. It attacked NZ Power in confused terms. Evans claimed, for instance, that all the savings from lower costs would come from lower dividends to the Government, when a moment’s thought shows you that’s not true and will be even less true after the asset sales. The disclosure statement at the end of Evans’ op-ed doesn’t mention Contact and Meridian pay him.

It’s not us: it’s the big banks

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:01 am, April 29th, 2013 - 31 comments

MSM articles show the big Aussie banks are making record profits, Kiwis can save, and Adam Smith worshiping think tanks are not to be trusted. Cunliffe & Norman said it a while back – NAct policies and government spending cuts are not the answer.

We would love to see wages drop

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:32 am, April 27th, 2013 - 5 comments

Key said “we would love to see wages drop”. Sure enough National’s anti-worker employment Bill is designed to have that effect, as stated in a Cabinet briefing paper.

Strikes: One Law for All

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:09 pm, April 26th, 2013 - 28 comments

National’s Labour laws announced today have new sanctions on workers’ strikes: parties will have to provide notice of a strike, and employers will have a new right to fine workers for “partial strikes.” Also today the Herald’s Insider reports business reaction to Labour’s NZPower and invokes the threat of capital strike, posed as a threat to an elected government’s right to govern. If Simon Bridges wants to see fairness, then capital strikes by business should surely face the same constraints as worker strikes.

Meanwhile: US, intellectual property, GCSB

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:29 am, April 26th, 2013 - 18 comments

In his meetings with Ian Fletcher, Key’s main aims and activities are hidden in plain sight. They connect with US-led initiatives around digital copyright, intellectual property and commerce. Recently there have been some worrying developments in the bigger picture: GCSB, ACTA, TPPA, SOPA, CISPA.

‘That politician got amnesia again’

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:30 am, April 26th, 2013 - 21 comments

Today’s anonymous Dominion Post editorial points to the beginning of John Key’s fall from grace. It centres on Key’s personal qualities, continues to support the MSM’s support of personality politics, glosses over the serious issues masked by Key’s (alleged) amnesia, and uses a false equivalence with Helen Clark.