JUST HOW OUT OF TOUCH the corporate sector is with the lives of the rest of us is in the claim that New Zealand will have a rockstar economy in 2014.
The original claim was made last month by the international bank HSBC’s chief economist for Australia and New Zealand Paul Bloxham but has since been taken up by the corporate sector across the board.
The Christchurch rebuild, which despite the hype never quite seems to be getting underway, and high prices for our dairy exports are the main drivers for this corporate optimism which predicts New Zealand’s economic growth will outpace most of our “developed market peers”.
We are all supposed to be happy about this – yes a rockstar economy – aren’t we lucky?
Fairfax Media introduced a bit of reality today with a story suggesting most of us are underpaid roadies rather than rockstars. We are slogging it out backstage while the corporate greedies swagger and ponce in the spotlight.
The simple reality is that the benefits of the global economic recovery are going to the very wealthy. In the US for example 95% of income gains from 2009 to 2012 went to the wealthiest 1%.
We can be certain the same applies here in New Zealand.
It will take a lot more than pious comments from Finance Minister Bill English that workers can ask for pay rises to make any difference.
The corporate greedies respond only to pressure – there is no goodness in their hearts towards workers – and unless workers can organise and campaign more effectively they will just get a few more crumbs from the top table.
As Mike Treen pointed out real wages have declined by 25% since the mid1980s with that money transferred directly to corporate profits.
To get real change workers and struggling families will probably have to hold their own rock concert outside parliament – and bring their own rocks.
There is an easier solution here. Just set up your own worker owned cooperatives and ensure any productivity gains are directed to the workers. I can never understand why leftists don’t take over the economy that way instead of using mass action.
Gosman! I’m shocked!
Asks suspiciously – ‘Have you been reading an old copy of Semler’s ‘Maverick’? Or peeking on line at Mondragon?
Co-ops and partnerships could be very useful – particularly for including those currently outside John’s “workers” subset. You know, for those who struggle to find work at all – seniors, juniors, disabled folk, and those needing decent part time work.
Thanks for raising the possibility.
Excellent. I expect to see left wingers actually doing something to effect practical change rather than moaning about how unfair the system is and how we need to change the system, man. Defeat the dreaded capitalists at their own game but in a way which benefits the working men and women of the world.
Nope. I don’t think left wingers will do that. They will just resort to the same tired old blame the system meme that they have been churning out since the time of Karl Marx. It is just too easy to do that than actually put the hard work in proving the superiority of ideas by putting them in to action.
“It is just too easy to do that than actually put the hard work in proving the superiority of ideas by putting them in to action.”
ummm… zimbabwe?
unless your ideas are so superior they dont need debating
but you never address any issue – you always side step, distract and resort to cliches, so why should anyone start listening to you on a subject that you only join to mock?
Zimbabwe what?
Gosman – does that include a $30 million subsidy for a start-up? (Rio Tinto)
What about $60 million worth tax breaks? (Warners)
Maybe a cushy deal with pokies? (Skycity)
I’ll take any of the subsidies the Nats have thrown at Big Business thankyou.
Do you think government should support business then?
Why do you answer with a question?
And shouldn’t you be directing that at John Key rather than Priss? Who the hell signed the cheques, do you think??
…and then there’s the proposed loans for solar…that will simply make solar panel suppliers and installers wealthy and rise the price of the equipment (as did the insulation subsidy).
So you’re saying we should never buy any products because it might push up prices?
Yeah that’ll work.
*facepalm*
Oh no, I’m just showing Priss that his accusation of corporate welfare fits with the left as well as the right.
Actually, no it doesn’t. It subsidises PEOPLE who live in HOUSES to make LIVING MORE AFFORDABLE.
That solar companies will also benefit from increased business is a happy side-effect – but they are not the direct beneficiaries of corporate tax breaks and donations under this model.
Saying “they all suck and it’s all corporate welfare” is destructive. Any other counter-productive negative whines you’d like to add to that?
“There is an easier solution here. Just set up your own worker owned cooperatives and ensure any productivity gains are directed to the workers ”
Funny, I could’ve sworn there were a few electricity SOEs that we used to own? Where did they go? Oh yeah, Key and his cronies sold them to the 1%.
Perhaps if they had been full worker co-ops, Gosman, your buddy couldn’t have flogged them off.
You know what I call that? Thieving. It’s what you greedy little neo lib pricks do.
Set up your own worker owned energy businesses. There is nothing stopping you from doing it. Of course you will bleat that you need OPM to do it.
Can we recieve a $30 million handout as well? Plus tax breaks?
You know, the “level playing field” your precious government has set up.
Maybe. If you set up a business employing 3,200 and adding 1.6b$ to the economy in a remote town where there is virtually no other employment.
As IV has stated start your business and build it up so you can lobby for 30 million dollars. I personally dislike any direct support for business so you won’t have my support but this current government might look favourably on the request.
NACT slogan “A Brighter Future for the Top 5%”!!!
Maybe we could persuade Josh Homme, from Queens of the Stone Age, to come along and help us stone “Them Crooked Vultures”.
Bill English doesn’t like to admit that the rockstar is Gary Glitter.
Remember V For Vendetta, never forget the 5th of November!*
GOSMAN says: FEBRUARY 16, 2014 AT 12:27 PM
quote
There is an easier solution here. Just set up your own worker owned cooperatives and ensure any productivity gains are directed to the workers. I can never understand why leftists don’t take over the economy that way instead of using mass action.
”
Cool bro Gosman, lets see the action part, worker owned
co-operatives. That great Gosman it didn’t work last time though
Hahaha ! John Minto . You’re a bloody gem . Who made you ? Some fabulous and inspired God ? Not the bastard that skulks in the Presbyterian church across the road that’s for sure ,
John…the problem with your thesis is that it is tainted by an almost psychopathic hatred of business. Yes there are ratbag employers in NZ, just as there are ratbag employees, but both are in the minority. The vast majority of employers in NZ treat their staff well, if for no other reason than informed self interest. It is very, very difficult to run a successful business in the modern economy without a high level of employee buy-in and satisfaction.
In my opinion the reason for your frequent rants against this straw man employer that only exits in your mind is that unions have generally been rejected by workers as being irrelevant, which they are rapidly becoming.
“John…the problem with your thesis is that it is tainted by an almost psychopathic hatred of business.”
No Intrinsicvalue, the problem is that you interpret these critiques without being able to think laterally. One of the reasons for this is that you quite clearly suffer from status quo bias.
You are far too quick to justify our current system with textbook quotes from the Austrian School Of Economics. I haven’t seen John display a psychopathic hatred of business, but he often points out their behaviour is problematic.
Successful business people are not the problem, nor is their behaviour, the real problem is our system which produces the conditions which then encourages greedy behaviour. This is very different.
Your ‘bad apples’ meme is little more than a floater left in Roger Douglas’ toilet. The smell might be comforting to you, but it’s not something that turns us on.
If successful business people are not the problem, why do the supporters of this site seek to add compliance obligations, extra costs and unfair restrictions on them in the name of a ‘fair deal’? Doesn’t sound very fair to me.
then stop resisting measures that seek to punish the bad employers
i mean if your against bad employers as much as everyone else you wont have a problem speaking out against them and supporting measures to stop them
perhaps if the good employers (and theres heaps of them) stood up and got counted the job of stopping bad employers would be easier and cheaper?
but nah – easier to blame people talking about it i guess
remember – NZ is one the free-est and easiest places to do business
Mike, most people on this site want Leftish policies so that the system is changed. Personally, I’d like to see a complete change of our system away from capitalism so that our system encourages cooperation, empathy, giving, caring etc.
‘Successful business people’ are an outcome of our system, just like poor people. Our system demands that both exist – its nothing to do with personal achievement, nor personal deficiencies. We are no different, the poor people deserve housing, food, education, and the things necessary for a fulfilling life. Likewise, the ‘successful business people’ deserve to live in a system that doesn’t encourage greed, selfishness, or make them force others into poverty.
Fatty
“Personally, I’d like to see a complete change of our system away from capitalism so that our system encourages cooperation, empathy, giving, caring etc.”
Can you provide examples of such a system operating anywhere in the world so that we can assess it’s success?
“Our system demands that both exist – its nothing to do with personal achievement, nor personal deficiencies.”
No, that it unadulterated nonsense. First of all you define successful as being rich. That is your first mistake. Your second mistake is assuming that personal achievement has nothing to do with success. People who are not successful, in your category people who are ‘poor’, are in that category for a number of reasons, but rest assured in many, many cases, it is their own decisions that have got them there.
“Can you provide examples of such a system operating anywhere in the world so that we can assess it’s success?”
Sure can.
Can you give me an example of a town, city or nation which has found neoliberalism provide the same high levels of wellbeing for everyone as Marinaleda have achieved? …I’d love to see it.
“First of all you define successful as being rich.”
In the context of this discussion yes, because I was replying to Mike’s comment. Also, I don’t believe the amount of money a person has is a result of ‘decisions’. Economic wealth is pretty much down to one’s social capital and cultural capital.
Marinaleda is a town of under 3,000 people. Try again.
“Also, I don’t believe the amount of money a person has is a result of ‘decisions’. Economic wealth is pretty much down to one’s social capital and cultural capital. ”
Economic wealth is pretty much down to ones choices. Like getting an education. Like being prepared to wrk anywhere, anytime at anything just to get started. Like going without until you’re established. Like not using HP. You get the idea.
Education is cultural capital. And educational achievement is largely influenced by social capital.
If you don’t understand those concepts, then ask google. Otherwise you end up looking like a dumbass
I find it interesting that you picked up on the John Minto “hatred of business” comment and left the “unions generally rejected by workers as being irrelevant” topic alone…..very telling!
Fatty I’m not sure what that diatribe was meant to communicate, but perhaps I’ll pick up on the one coherent piece of commentary…
“the real problem is our system which produces the conditions which then encourages greedy behaviour. ”
No Fatty, our system encourages people to take risks, to employ people at times before there is a complete business case to do so, to work with employees to achieve better things for the business, and ultimately for them as well. The system is the people, Fatty.
The only system that is unwell is the fat cat unions, who don’t file their accounts on time and charge their members for services they no longer need.
No Intrincsic, the real problem is greedy bastards like you who kiss the arses of the rich and powerful. The Right wing destroyed unions through scab labour, fascist laws, and putting the fear of sackings into every worker’s head.
So don’t try to peddle your shitty lies here you loathsome excuse for a human being. It wasn’t by choice that workers deserted unions, it was fear.
That’s why you hide behind your stupid username, because you know what you’re guilty of.
And one day, sooner than you think, the day of reckoning is coming. Karma is a bitch to deal with, you slug, and she prefers her dinners served cold.
I was going to wish you have a fucking nice day but I can’t be arsed.
Oh Theo, where to start.
1. You don’t know me from a bar of soap.
2. Unions destroyed themselves by becoming irrelevant to the average worker, by becoming corrupt, and by bleeding cash of workers to build nest eggs to engage in politics.
3. What kind of a username is ‘Theodore’?
4. There is no day of reckoning coming Theodore. Except for the remainder of the pathetic and sad union movement.
OK IV
I know where to start:
1. We know EXACTLY who, and what, you are by reading your crap
2. Right wing Governments (try to) destroy unions by making sure the rich get richer and passing anti-union laws while keeping wages low so the Govt (i.e. us) ending up topping up peoples wages (in-work tax credit etc etc). THAT is corporate welfare
3. Theodore as in Roosevelt as in Pres – promised a fair deal to the average citizen while breaking up monopolistic corporations. He had Intrinsic Value, unlike your moronic sycophantic blather.
4. There WILL be a day of reckoning when the ordinary people realise how much they are being screwed over by this Government and the 1%ers.
1. You can tell from that I’m greedy? And a bastard? Gee whiz you must be psychic.
2. Maybe. But we don’t have a right wing Gvt, probably never have. Centre right, yes. And what such Govt’s do is righty limit to power of unions so that we never again go back to the chaos of the ’70’s, and unions striking at drop of a hat. Remember this http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/parades-and-protest-marches/page-6
3. It’s still a user name.
4. The 1% is a myth in NZ. There is no system that distributes wealth evenly, look at soviet Russia, communist China…
Regurgitating the tired line parroted in the right wing press that this govt is “center right” and “It’s the unions fault” doesn’t make it any more true.
Denying the 1% and blathering about “there is no system” (another way of saying TINA) doesn’t make that more true either.
Bare fact reported regularly in the same media: the gap between rich and poor continues to grow and grow and grow. It’s the government’s responsibility (and by extension the responsibility of all of us) to correct this.
Intrinsicvalue:
You replied to this: “You are far too quick to justify our current system with textbook quotes from the Austrian School Of Economics.”
With this: “No Fatty, our system encourages people to take risks”
I’ll just leave this link here for you again…status quo bias
All bosses are bastards until they prove otherwise and not too many have proved otherwise in my lifetime. Even the ones that don’t want to be bastards have to be or get undercut.
Employers have had a free run in NZ with the preponderance of small businesses, contract work, and the disappearance of manufacturing. And the settler/tory colonial hangover combined with 30 years of neo liberalism. The larger corporate enterprises and finance capital sectors are mostly overseas owned or majority overseas owned, which sees a large current account deficit due to outflow of capital (profits).
Buy in, teamworking, stakeholding, synergy, going forward, rockstar, are all euphemisms for “suck it up and do what you are told” because structural unemployment puts downward pressure on wages and workers ability to organise. John Minto is correct, and he would have made a rather better Mayor of Auckland than Len Brown.
“All bosses are bastards until they prove otherwise.”
With an attitude like that, you have just sentenced yourself to a life of jobs with a duration of 89 days. Bosses pick up on an attitude like that very fast!
Surely that whole rant by Tiger was tongue in cheek? No? Sigh.
Bosses pushed for the 90 day law because they believe all workers are bastards until they prove otherwise.
Certain smug right wing theorists who post here obviously don’t get out into the big wide world much.
Grumpy Mark,
Actually Mike is right, my government friends tell me that employers have sussed the system – employees must be sacked on the 89 day for the 90 “trail” period to come into effect. Makes you wonder how he knew that!
In “the big wide world” many employers are dumping people after 89 days.
My experience in the big wide world…
1/ I have been an owner/manager of a small business employing staff since 1990.
2/ I have been told that as an employer I am fair, empathetic, a great leader and team member and an exceptionally good teacher of the skills required in my industry.
3/ I have had staff stay with us for up to 12 years, when he left after being discovered having a ‘relationship’ with his neighbour, and a guy stay with us for 6 months and rort and ream us for all we were worth every day he was here. And everything in between.
4/ above all, I value work/life balance and long service from my staff…10 years ago, filling in for staff who were voluntarily absent and going the extra distance to always put my staff first nearly cost me my marriage as I was progressively and thoroughly taken advantage of, to the point of it costing me my sanity and six weeks of Prozac.
5/ I have NEVER used the 90 day trial period. I will use it for the first time at the start of March, however, as we employ a new staff member who follows an intimidating, vicious bully who cost me for his incompetence every day he was here and who made me realise that I need to protect myself from critters like him.
6/ I always pay well. It helps secure the long service that I was talking about. Nobody here is on less than $20/hr at present. I get inquiries a lot from people with little or no experience (vicious cycle, need a job to get experience, need experience to get a job) who want to be given a chance (I lost 4 hours of Sunday 2 weeks ago waiting for a guy who didn’t turn up to a job interview, he got to the interview process and didn’t turn up…can you believe it!!!). The problem with collective bargaining and minimum wage rules is that it forces me to pay someone more than I can justify them being worth.
7/ I believe government are too heavily involved in labour laws. On one side there are dishonest, incompetent and unsympathetic employees rorting the system and living off a wage subsidy, granted through minimum wage and other labour laws paid for by their hard working and tax paying workmates. Then on the other side are dishonest, incompetent and unsympathetic employers rorting the system and living off the exploitation of their staff. I would like to think that those employees never get a good job again, and the employers go broke through lack of staff willing to put up with their crap, but that cannot happen while these reptiles are protected by laws put in place by incompetent public servants who mean well, but who have an inflated sense of self importance, a lack of understanding of a private sector workplace and a sack of other people’s money to attempt to buy votes.
good one Mike…
“I have been told that as an employer I am fair, empathetic, a great leader and team member and an exceptionally good teacher of the skills required in my industry.”
Were you told that by the people who need you to pay them so they can eat?
I tell my bosses they’re fucken awesome too, then when their back is turned I do the least amount of work possible…and they’ve always thought I was a great worker, haha.
I’ve never had a boss who has had the respect of their workers, but the workers always respected them to their face, then called them all sorts of things behind their back
Fatty, your attitude and behaviour stuns, amazes and surprises me. An attitude like yours cannot possibly come naturally. As my grandfather used to say, “your attitude determines your altitude”. You remind me of the guy who just left my employ, he was, and no doubt still is, a sad, angry, envious, negative myopic bully. He would happily listen to my instruction, backed by reason, experience and science based trial work, and as soon as my back was turned, he would sound out every member of staff, one by one, telling them that what I did was wrong and that “we should just do it (his) way anyway, who’s with me”.
Eventually it got to the point that I couldn’t get anyone else to work with him and he wouldn’t follow my instructions any more. He knew what needed to be done, but would go away and do some non-essential job on his own. I wanted to get rid of him, but didn’t challenge him on his attitude beyond the odd stern criticism. Why? Because I wanted him to leave on his terms. I was determined that he would nothing on me re. Personal grievance.
You can be rest assured of two things though.
1/ he will never work in this line of work within a 100km radius of this business, and
2/ I found out about his attitude through the other staff very early. People generally don’t like working with people with your attitude, and bosses will pick up that you cannot be trusted and will deny you chances of promotion, trust, perks and everything else that you envy about the people around you. Fatty, grow up, grow a pair and don’t be such an idiot
Great story and you really do sound like a good boss to have. However…
“I believe government are too heavily involved in labour laws.”
seems to conflict with both employees and employers ability to rort the system, no?
BTW I think this whole “John Minto’s rant is about he hates bosses” is completely wrong and a red herring. It’s not about bosses it’s about fairness to all.
In the end we tell the govt what to do, the govt sets the agenda for how people conduct business. That’s how it’s supposed to be, but under the Nats that how it isn’t.
Yes, you read right. I say again, I believe government are too heavily involved in labour laws. The gist of my post is not whether employer or employee rort the system, per se, but the fact that get the chance to rort the system. Put another way, bad employers are being protected by bad law, just as bad employees are being protected by bad law. Take away most of those laws and I would expect that we would see a ‘wild west to each his own’ type of scenario, sort of like the Lange/Douglas years, followed by a new order where bad employers can only get bad employees working for them as their reputation precedes them.
It is happening around us already, as there are certain employers, usually overcommitted and under financial pressure, who gain a reputation of having high staff turnover. They get around that by offering exceptionally good money to good people and burning them out. I hope (and predict) that that won’t last. But dare I say it, the fatal flaw of my ‘grand plan’ is that there is a seemingly endless supply of ordinary people desperate for a job. Curse these people offering to work for $15 an hour, and how do you explain to a guy who has just scored a job that he can do better and is being taken advantage of?
Mike,
2.) see “Fatty” comment on this; I suspect you’re extremely naïve if your employees all believe you are Mr. Wonderful all the time.
3.)”when he left after being discovered having a ‘relationship’ with his neighbour, and a guy stay with us for 6 months and rort and ream us for all we were worth every day he was here”.
It’s difficult to comment with such vague details. i.e. “left”= resigned or sacked, what relationship, what neighbour. “rort and ream” or demand his workers’ rights,
“for all we were worth every day he was here”, I have to assume you’re not talking literally or surely you would no longer be in business.
4.)”voluntarily absent” could have many meanings.
“costing me my sanity and six weeks of Prozac” is this the same Mr. Wonderful mentioned in 2.)
5.) You say you have never used the 90 day rule and then say you’re going to use it – guess that’s how you now you have to get him outta there in 89 days.
6.)”Nobody here is on less than $20/hr” yet you then state “The problem with collective bargaining and minimum wage rules is that it forces me to pay someone more than I can justify them being worth”.
I’m confused. $20/Min. Wage?????
“he got to the interview process and didn’t turn up…can you believe it!!” of course I can believe it as there’s a myriad of reasons he may not have shown- better job offer, sickness, family emergency etc. He should have had the courtesy to tell you he wasn’t showing but did you enquire for his reasons for missing the interview?
7.) Government are only involved in labour laws because of union pressure, without unions many employers would run riot over employees rights. (The Labour Party seems to have forgotten it was formed by unions)
In closing, Mike, I should state that I have personnel or personal grudge against you. Judging from the comments you have posted I sense you are a basically a good person who has a slightly different outlook to me.
Oh so cynical, so critical!!
I started to answer every one of your questions, then deleted it all after deciding that I don’t need to be answerable to you to cynically criticise. Just understand that work stress can cross over to the boss, and it frequently does.
By the way, he had a hard night and decided that 10am Sunday was too early and the wrong day for a job interview!
Mike says…”Oh so cynical, so critical!!” No, calling you on the vague and confusing comments you make.
Your latest example being… “By the way, he had a hard night and decided that 10am Sunday was too early and the wrong day for a job interview!”
I suspect you mean he had a night on the booze and couldn’t be bothered to turn up, which is inexcusable.
On the other hand, a “hard” night could mean a unplanned trip to the ER room, a family emergency, a screaming baby etc. etc.
Perhaps he had already expressed his reluctance to be interviewed on a Sunday and was showing cowardly defiance by not turning up.
You get the picture – there’s a hundred ways to spin a story.
You’re not answerable to me but if you wish to enter into a debate you have to make your points clearly. I’m also guilty, e.g. I missed the “No” in “I have (NO) personnel or personal grudge against you”- hope it wasn’t a Freudian slip!
Having been a boss myself I do understand “that work stress can cross over to the boss” and I sympathize.
My main argument is that, because of technological advances, less people now have to be employed which gives the bosses the upper hand in the labour supply and demand market.
You tell us… “1/ I have been an owner/manager of a small business employing staff since 1990.” I’m willing to bet that during all that time you have seen huge technological advantages to your business, I wonder how many will have been shared with your employees.
Thanks for having slightly more faith in me by toning down your cynicism and suspicion, if only slightly. I will take that as a compliment!
How many “technological advances” have I passed on to my staff……as many as I can possibly afford I can assure you. We were caught here in a major way by the Lange/Douglas administration, deregulation of my key markets, etc. they were the hardest days of our lives both physically and psychologically. In the last 10 years, as a result of that, the push has been on making the job physically easier to cope with “burnt out” bodies. That has had the interesting effect of not only making our job easier through better plant and machinery etc, but has also raised our productivity by gaining efficiencies with this new plant. Win/win.
No Groucho. The 90 day law is a huge success because it lets employers take a risk employing someone they might otherwise not employ. That’s been my experience in the big wide world.
Bro, you should try to talk up capitalism by using the word ‘risk’ more often…It doesn’t make you look like a econ 101 text-book schmuck at all (sarc/).
Intrinsic – the only psychopathic hatred is yours. The only reason workers have shied away from unions is the fear-threat of losing their jobs.
If your head wasn’t so far up your climate-change denying backside, you’d see what was going on around you. Your hatred of workers and beneficiaries is well known. So puh-leese, don’t play that “oh so concerned card” with us, your hypocrisy is reeking.
More left wing mythology. I run a group of small businesses; I think my staff are fantastic, and as a result we pay above market rates, and they can join any union they want. None, not a single one, has. Unions are redundant.
Well said, Priss. And well sussed…
Oh piss of Intrinsicmoron. Go peddle your right wing puerile bullshit back at Whaleoil from where you slithered from.
How’s that for MY psychopathic anger toward you thieving right wing pricks. When the revolution comes and the streets are burning with the wrecks of corporate limos and the ‘suits’ are screaming for mercy and clutching their charred share-portfolios to their chests, you better run, and run long and hard boyo.
If you think John is disgusted with the likes of you, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Have a fucking nice day.
“When the revolution comes and the streets are burning with the wrecks of corporate limos and the ‘suits’ are screaming for mercy and clutching their charred share-portfolios to their chests, you better run, and run long and hard boyo.”
I’m going to save that one. It’s a classic.
Sweating a bit, IV?
Theodore seems to have sussed you nicely. 🙂
Why do many leftists require a revolution to get their ideas implemented? Why don’t you just set up your alternative system and allow it’s inate superiority to show up the failings of capitalism and allow it to wither away?
You know why Gosman. Capitalism is based on elite small group private ownership enforced globally by US imperialism (even in its weakened position) and nation states internal armed forces, police, media, surveillance and certain democratic veneers.
Rupert Murdoch and his dirty billionaire mates are not going to hand over their dosh voluntarily.
“the benefits of the global economic recovery are going to the very wealthy. In the US for example 95% of income gains from 2009 to 2012 went to the wealthiest 1%.
We can be certain the same applies here in New Zealand.”
John Key worked for the same outfits that caused the GFC ….. but he’d scammed his money and got out before the shit hit the fan.
Now he’s prime minister and he’s divvying up NZ’s assets for his wolf friends ……..and making it easier for the rich to take a bigger slice.
…… BTW you are the strawman Intrinsicvalue … :0 🙂
– See more at: https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/02/16/our-rockstar-economy-bring-your-own-rocks/#sthash.z4pdbrL1.dpuf
“The simple reality is that the benefits of the global economic recovery are going to the very wealthy. In the US for example 95% of income gains from 2009 to 2012 went to the wealthiest 1%. We can be certain the same applies here in New Zealand.”
Yes, thanks for pointing this out, John. This is proof of the “trickle up” theory, rather than the “trickle (pissing) down” theory we still get told by the ones like Key, English and Joyce.
Since the Nats took office I have noticed with my own eyes, how the economy and society have “developed”.
Living near the Epsom electorate, and having been through some of the Eastern Suburbs here in Auckland, I have witnessed how the better off have been spending their tax cuts on new cars and dooing up their already nice, large homes. They have time and money to go on overseas holidays and to invest in property. On the other side is Onehunga and the gateway to South Auckland, where things look very, very differently.
But also just catching a bus down from Tamaki Drive through Meadowbank and then down to Glen Innes is a trip I recommend to take. It shows the very visible divide between the better off suburbs and the poorer areas “down the hill” in G.I.. Suddenly you feel almost in a “3rd world country”, when riding or driving through many streets in G.I.. Poverty is visible, and so is the wealth of those who the Nats have “looked after”.
Houses are beyond the reach of most now in much of Auckland, and only some better off new migrants or wealthy local investors have the cash to buy.
And yes, the “Rock Star Economy” is only riding on a rebuild costing billions (much paid for by insurance payouts that take extremely long in too many cases), and otherwise on some dairy exports (mostly to China) with low value or no value added to the commodities.
But the interest rate rises that are coming shortly, they will see to it that even this “growth” will slow down.
As the MSM is mostly staffed by well to do upper middle class moderators, reporters and “media personalities”, they will colour the picture with their own bias, as they are doing OK under Key and his gang. Anyone raising justified questions is instantly portrayed as a spoiler and dooms talker, and discredited. Opposition politicians get their comments and speeches dissected and ridiculed, while John Key is respected as a great “teflon” person and talker.
So the truth does not come out to those that do not have first hand experiences. The hope is that the ones that are taken for a ride and not gaining from the present direction, will turn out to vote later this year, and send Key and his lot off onto the opposition benches.
The trick for fixing economies isn’t following financiers’ advice. Saemaul Undong worked for Korea, and could in NZ. Of course the Gnats wouldn’t recognise it if it bit them.
What is needed is to put New Zealand First. More business development in NZ, owned and financed in NZ. So many of our institutions and banks now are owned by overseas interests that suck their profit out of this country. Finance for new business development is sourced offshore.
We need to support our NZ owned businesses and banks. We need to have a method of internally financing our own business, like the Cullen Fund which has been left to deprecate, or Kiwi saver. We need to support regional development by using funds raised in the area to develop that area.
We need to use our NZ owned banks, and our NZ owned co-operative foodstuffs shops.
Government needs to have a procurement policy of favouring NZ suppliers, thereby keeping money jobs and skills in NZ. It seems to me that the wider implications of not sourcing in NZ like loss of jobs and provision of Social welfare benefits is not taken into account.
In everything we do we must put New Zealand First.
That’s a good point @ Fatty . The Digitals or Money Fetishists only seem able to think along a binary code stream ( Is that what an algorithm is/does ? ) while the Analogues can think laterally . In 3 D . Analogues can develop a 360 sphere of perspective and with a little help , like an education , can see all things from all angles .
A brilliant point @ Fatty .
I’ve been thinking along those lines for sometime , about how there are two kinds of people on Earth . Analogues and Digitals . Analogues dream stuff up but are usually useless at developing their dreams into that which puts food on the table . Digitals can take those dreams , impossible for them to have themselves , and turn them into profit . That’s why we need each other . Analogues to dream and Digitals to build . ( There are exceptions of course . I’m speaking broadly for the sake of argument . )
That’s why I have great faith in democratically elected governance . To act as a balance post between the creative chaos that can come from artist Analogues and dreamers and the frightful normalcy and soulless compliance that characterizes the grey car driving Digitals . Together we work , individually we do not . When balanced equally and without bias we flourish as a species .
I believe there is a third element at work here . There is a third … lets call it a ‘thing’ that is fucking it up for both the Digitals and the Analogues . It’s infected the Digital / money world and is thrashing the amazing machine that is capitalism to death . ‘ It’s burning down the planet for no other reason than to placate it’s psychopathy .
Any ideas re what the fuck it is ?
C’mon . Get fruity and see what bubbles up from all your good minds .
The psychopaths are perfectly shown in the movie Avatar. The lust for oil over the true wealth which is our planet’s biodiversity. It must be the same type of drug to these lunatics as the mined “Unobtainier” in the movie, they have to prove they can get it out at any cost, they don’t see the beauty of what they are destroying to get at it, only beauty in obtaining the unobtainable. Power tripper earth bullies who get off on the destruction of purity, so they can keep driving inflated machines.
Wow, weird man. What are you on?
Watch Avatar the movie, actually the mined stuff in Avatar is called Unobtainium. I found it bizarre watching John the dick Key and James Cameron on t.v talking about his next series of Avatar being made in N.Z. Did John watch the movie with his eyes open, because it makes him look stupid ‘liking’ it while being exactly like the wankers destroying Pandora in the movie. Also the ‘is John a lizard’ theory seems about right as he loves fossil fuels, that’s who they are Countryboy ‘Lizards’ controlling the world and enslaving the human race.
I think it’s…. the most brilliant analogy I have yet to read. The spanner in the works, not so easy to answer. Still thinking…but I think it’s maybe something to do with the quality of the TV pogrammes…all that digital violence and bad manners must be altering the equation…. still thinking
I’m unclear about this ‘rockstar economy’ slogan.
I’m thinking that means that many are heading toward ‘rock bottom’ while a few are living life way up high, like stars.
If so, why is National propagating and so proud of such a description?
[sarcasm alert]
[…] Our rockstar economy – bring your own rocks By John Minto – See more at: https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/02/16/our-rockstar-economy-bring-your-own-rocks/#sthash.HXfevixT.dpuf […]
Rockstar behaviour- consume massive amounts of coke, rark up hundreds of thousands of humanoids, hog all the best equipment (but not set it up or carry it), claim amnesia about who wrote the stuff, wear hats which need their own plane ticket, make a massive carbon footprint by going from one award ceremony to the next, consume more coke, be a weird paedo, have a massive gaggle of children, consume more coke, meet the Queen, consume more coke, spew on the lawn, consume more coke, hang out and make awful jokes and plan charity events but mislay the funds because too fucked up to remember who sold the tickets, check out interviewer’s arse, make more jokes, pass out.
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