This morning on that great bastion of National Party propaganda, Kiwiblog, David Farrar wrote a very unbalanced and quite frankly sloppy article titled “Willie wrong on almost every stat”.
We can’t stand by and allow this nonsense to go by without a response and it needs to be called out for what it is, which is downright lazy racial stereotyping. If you look at the comments section all you will see the thread is all about racial stereotyping and not about the issue – which is providing every New Zealander with the opportunity to work.
We are compelled to respond, if only to get balance on this and get everyone focussed on the important area, which is generating jobs.
The figures I used on The Nation are correct and I stand by them. I used the recent HLFS survey and compared them to the same point in time as last year, and I used the seasonally adjusted figure, which removes the quarter to quarter volatility that occurs with the figures that David has used.
Farrar has compared the unemployment rate for December 2017 which was 4.5% to the September 2017 figure which was 4.6% and then states as fact there was no drop. Actually had he compared it to the same point as 12 months ago when it was 5.3% as I have done he would see there has been a significant difference. This is the danger when you cherry pick the figures you use.
I am the Employment Minister for all New Zealanders and I stated that as fact, and we are doing tremendous work, but you cannot escape the fact, that Māori, Pacific Islanders and Women are all considerably higher than the general population so of course this Government should be focused on reducing that deficit.
In relation to Māori unemployment, we had senior National MP’s Paul Goldsmith say “its too hard” and then Chris Bishop say that the aim of reducing Māori unemployment to the same level of the general population is “like chasing the mythical unicorn”, you can see why our people aren’t doing as well. They should be ashamed of that thinking, but in the meantime I remain steadfastly committed to making that difference.
Willie Jackson is the Minister for Employment
A meaningful job with decent conditions and a decent wage is a human right for everyone. If we only let halve the people presently excluded from this human right get a job we are failing
Nothing can be a “right”ïf it relies on someone else supplying it. You are talking about slave masters and slaves when you go down that road. No-one has a right to a job. Feel free to start your own business and employ as many people as you can afford, but dont demand that some unspecified person has to supply anyone with a job.
You have obviously and deliberately misinterpreted what Willie Jackson has said.
He means that people have the right to be employed, and that doesn’t just mean a “job” as you would define it, it has a wider meaning which also includes doing something that makes you feel useful and where you can improve the life of yourself and others.
You talk about a “job” as the National Party defines it – being a drone marking out time doing something low paid, dull and unfulfilling and being told you should be grateful because you have it.
Your thinking is from the Victorian era, Paul, just like your mates in the National Party.
“No-one has a right to a job” is just what con artist say when they’ve run out of ideas. I’m not saying getting real unemployment down from about 20% for youth and doubling the number of hours worked and raising compensation by about a third will be easy to do, especially when it’s the system that created this mess in the first place.
Organise the society so every last person has something useful to do. Everyone respected and valued. Watch societies ills heal.
“No-one has a right to a job. Feel free to start your own business and employ as many people as you can afford,”
Spoken like a true acolyte of neo-liberalism.
“Start your own business” you suggest??
Why didn’t you say the same to those capitalist investors who bought our SOEs?? Why didn’t you tell them to start their own telcos, powercos, airlines, infrastructure companies, etc, instead of letting them buy our state owned Telecom, Genesis power, Meridian, Mighty River Power, Air NZ, Ministry of Works, etc??
If no one “has a right to a job” then what the hell is our economy for? To make a few businesspeople rich? Or is the economy for everyone??
Your rhetoric falls apart when it is deconstructed and analysed. That is why people are rallying against free market ideology. Your assertions are simplistic and offer no solutions.
Maybe someone should get David Farrar a job…
Yes.
Get him a job that actually has some worth for the country.
However I suspect any employer would only offer the minimum wage because of his lack of ability.
I don’t think being a stirrer carries much weight these days.
“The Devil Makes Work for Idle Hands”
We need to get all able citizens into active work otherwise the brain rots ?
That interview was notable for it’s belligerent badgering tone. She was going for your balls with a scythe. Someone could be getting nervous that you might run for pm. A feat for which you would seem well placed to achieve from here
Yeah, I watched it as well. Lisa Owen was angling for a “gotcha” moment. No wonder so many people do not trust the media, when they continually look for micro-transgressions or blame-worthiness where none exists.
Well done, Williw. You held your own and answered her accusatory questions with calm rationality.
Remember The PEP schemes, you remember how we actually got the tracks and huts though out the natural environment, you know one of the biggest and most utilized assets of tourism in NZ.
Thats right all built by the unemployed of the time, hey i was one of them lol, best time in employment of my life, why not utilize an army of us to clean up the plastic around the country, make new tracks, control the pests in the bush, give us unused fishing boats we will sail round the coast flying the black flag and singing yo ho ho as we clean up the rubbish and containers floating around the coastline.
Its a great use of manpower(woman power, transpower) whatever, you get fit, get away from gang recruiters, preform a useful function and see the country.
Theres far to much talk in nz politics and nowhere enough action, pull finger you yapping dogs and get something, ANYTHING done for once in your overpaid bullshit spreading lives.
Farrar is nothing but a dog-whistling troll, Willie. Don’t bother giving him the oxygen. Much as I understand that reading the racist drivel he actively solicits from his commenters at Kiwibog is hurtful, you need to look at it from their point of view. They’re all still extremely angry and butt-hurt that they lost the election. They need the opportunity to scream and yell and throw their toys around like the big sooks they are, even though it’s completely pointless. And seeing them twist themselves into paroxysms of impotent rage warms the cockles of my cynical heart :o)
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