Open Mike Friday 1st November

1. New Zealand Post loosing half their workers.

   Isn’t it great what competition in the mail delivery area has brought us? Instead of having a single, government-owned public service for this essential area, we have NZ Post being undercut by competition (thanks to the 1990s government) while they themselves have statutory obligations to provide the services which the private sector would not want to undertake (eg rural deliveries, which remain at 6 days a week btw). Worse still, they’re required to make a profit!

   As a result we have a huge scale-back of services (and contracting out, aka privatisation in disguise) while the privately-owned competition undercuts them on the easy delivery services (urban corporate ones).

   I say it’s time we made the post office a public service (aka government department) rather than an SOE. It should also be a legislated monopoly again, because duplication of services is completely unnecessary, especially for a country of 4 million people.

   The opposition parties (Labour, Greens, etc) should campaign on reversing this ridiculous change. Doing so would certainly increase their vote share, at the very least. The changes don’t take place until 2015, so we still have time if the government is changed at the next election.

2. The sickly sweet smell of corruption.

   “Deep-sea drilling does not add up…..”
   Stuff.co.nz October 30, 2013 at 6:49 am

   “…..This is a very important debate. And it is not a proper debate unless we bring in economics. But if you want prosperity, jobs and an economic boost provided by the energy sector, the oil industry simply is not the place to go.

   Almost 30,000 jobs could be created in areas such as the geothermal and bioenergy industries right here in our country.

   The geothermal industry alone could have export opportunities worth more than NZ$4 billion to the economy every year. And an effective transport policy package could see New Zealand becoming increasingly less reliant on foreign oil imports, saving the country more than $7b each year by 2035….”

   Simon Boxeer Head of Greenpeace Energy Campaign

   Let’s get this straight, as well as being terribly destructive to the climate and at incredible risk to the environment, the fossil fuel industry does not create jobs in anywhere near the numbers of the renewable sector.

   If it is not about jobs, and it is not about the environment, then what is it about?

   Deep down, we all know the answer.

   It is so obvious, that if is ridiculous to have to state it…

   But despite what the oil and coal company propagandists and their supporters in government have the outrageous gall to claim…

   Those who support deep sea oil drilling and coal mining, are not motivated by any humanitarian or altruistic concerns about jobs or the economy.

   The real reason of course is moral corruption, fueled by the greed, of the tiny few who stand to benefit.

   Greed and Corruption. Nothing else.

   And for the rest of us, it will be forced down our throats by our legislators, with increased state repression and use of the armed forces.

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