Waatea 5th Estate – Precarious workers, capitalism in crisis & the Future of Work

1. David Parker might want to research his answer a bit better when asked if a UBI could be used to pay debt. If a significant portion of a UBI isn’t allocated to paying any existing debt the recipient may have, you will be penalising savers who will have to compete with a new class of potential home buyers who haven’t saved.

2. Congratulations, great show once again.

   A couple of niggles however, Labour still seem to think that technological change is driving the current inequality whereas neoliberalism and migration of cheaper labour seems to be more relevant in NZ.

   Technology if anything, is not being utilised enough in NZ, there is not enough innovation and instead companies are locked into a ‘price’ driven approach, make more, cheaper. To do this they are importing in migrants and making existing workers work longer, harder and with less conditions and security, while at the same time using loopholes to legally avoid paying local taxes at the same rates as other companies.

   I also have a niggle with the slight dismissal of Auckland by Parker (otherwise he came across really well). If Labour wants to win, they must try to engage more constructively with Auckland voters. Auckland is a massive amount of votes to alienate and will cost Labour and Greens the next election if they fail to understand how to get their votes.

   I think Martyn had a valid point when he said why would Auckland homeowners invest in production when their house is earning 3x more than their wages. This brings back to the low state of wage increases in NZ which was not discussed last election and how immigration of 67,000 per year which 60% live in Auckland does not impact house prices. These housing issues were something that Labour and Greens just avoided last election. Clearly blaming existing Aucklanders for the property boom rather than government policy in particular immigration policy is going to alienate Auckland property owners.

   Austerity with taxes is not a vision that will turn Auckland and other voters back to Labour or Greens.

   However I do think Labour has turned a corner with their new approach and their co operation with the Greens and NZ First. They are now looking like they will be the next government. The future of work conference is a great idea and the level of debate about the future is very productive.

   New media like Waatea 5th Estate can help let less biased views be available as well as clear up what the opposition’s visions are.

   People in NZ are mobilising against neoliberalism and MSM and to populate a new vision of the future.

   • It costs ten times more to develop in Auckland. There are very good reasons why the spaghetti junction is incomplete. In contrast state highway 1 from Auckland to Hamilton progressed 20 years behind schedule. It’s a bit of a political hot potatoe Auckland is. MPs really do need a strong game to deal with it though, weather that’s a truthful game is another matter

3. This is evolutionary, as well as revolutionary.
   So good to hear the quality of discussion, and the direction of it.

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