Example after example after example of how Big Business interests use their influence and uncompetitive market advantages to continually push small businesses out of contention.
Here’s Big Fishing watering down any regulation to stop their plunder…
Nothing transformational about Fishing Industry Plan
Greenpeace is slamming the government’s Fisheries Industry Transformation Plan released today, calling it anything but transformational, as it allows destructive bottom trawling to continue.
“Bottom trawling is the worst of the worst methods of fishing. It destroys seafloor habitats and indiscriminately kills ocean life, and this new plan does nothing meaningful to stop the destruction”, says Greenpeace oceans campaigner Ellie Hooper.
“Despite its name there is very little that is transformative about this plan with no timeline to phase out destructive bottom trawling and an over reliance on mythical ‘techno fixes’ to address the impact commercial fishing has on ocean life.
“We see this plan as a missed opportunity to protect the ocean from the ravages of bottom trawling and truly transform commercial fishing in Aotearoa.
“The science is clear – bottom trawling destroys marine habitats and life. The public knows this and are fully onside with a ban. Almost 80% of people surveyed want a ban on bottom trawling and that same sentiment shined through in submissions.”
The vast majority of submitters on the Plan – almost all of the 2,790 email submitters – called for a time-bound transition away from bottom trawling – yet the final plan has ignored these voices.
“It’s very clear who has been listened to in this process, and who hasn’t. The government has ensured the commercial fishing industry can continue kicking the can down the road, avoiding meaningful changes and continuing ocean destruction. Everyone else who wants to see the ocean protected and full of life – has been ignored.”
… here’s Big Tobacco watering down any regulation of tobacco while stoking Dairy crime fear while ignoring that it’s their addictive product fuelling that Dairy crime…
The ‘corner dairy campaign’ quietly backed by big tobacco
A campaign to “save our stores” from a smokefree initiative looks like a grassroots effort. The truth is more complicated.
Since 1 August, ads have started showing up on Facebook urging people to support a petition to “save our stores”.
The ads, which lead to a website called Save Our Stores, ask users to sign a petition to repeal the Smokefree 2025 Act. The act includes a measure to reduce the number of stores selling full strength tobacco from 6000 nationwide to 600 by July 2024.
At first glance, the campaign appears to be an initiative from dairy owners. Under a headline of “who we are” on the website’s “about us” page, a dairy owner said to be from Lower Hutt is featured: “My name is Bhavesh. I’m a dairy owner in Lower Hutt. I’ve been serving customers for 17 years.”
However, smaller type at the bottom of the page says the website is “proudly supported” by tobacco companies BAT (British American Tobacco) New Zealand and Imperial Brands. The website’s privacy policy says the website is “provided” by the tobacco companies.
The website encourages dairy owners to get involved by printing out posters to display in their stores. These include messages in bold type warning: “This dairy is under threat of closure” with a QR code which leads to the website.
…and here’s Big Dairy dragging down the entire economy because their interests have been relentlessly championed…
National are the Political Party of Corporate Dairy Farmers and the Corporate Dairy Farmers who followed John Key’s ‘All our Cows in one Beijing paddock’ strategy’ have ended up becoming indebted to our Chinese Economic Overlords.
While our Chinese Economic Overlords build their own mega Dairy Farms that will utterly undermine our dependent industry.
…22 000 Bosses are given the power to import migrant workers under new visa rules, yet of that number only 2 have had exploitation scams ended and that’s because there is no State policing the current regulations we have!
We see this time and time and time again, State regulators who are supposedly policing the under regulated markets with barely enough staff to look into anything at all!
Max Rashbrooke highlighted the horror of NZs under regulated market…
The bad news is that, to investigate 200,000-300,000 terrible rentals, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has employed a frontline inspectorate numbering … 37. Each inspector will have to check somewhere between 5000 and 8000 rentals.
…there is only 37 inspectors of rental properties for 300 000 terrible rentals?
Similar poorly funded regulation is apparent in the 82 labour inspectorates who are supposed to police hundreds of thousands of migrant worker exploitations!
ACTs call to dismantle Capitalism’s police tells you all you need to know about the deregulated hellscape a National/ACT monstrosity would birth into this world!
We see these unfair uncompetitive structures form constantly in NZ, from the Supermarket Duopoly to the Drainage Duopoly to the Banking Oligopoly, the Left are too frightened to regulate Capitalism while the Right are promising to rip down every regulation.
Our small and medium sized businesses need a capitalism that rules by making the market fair to compete in, the Commerce Commission needs to get off its chuff and start demanding regulation so that the life-force of our entrepreneurialism, small and medium business, can effectively compete against the old boy networks.
I’m not looking for Socialism, I’m looking for basic regulated capitalism.
Meanwhile, instead of demanding real debate this election, our country is currently debating phones in schools.
This is how dumb our political debate has become.
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Stuff have gone into overdrive today publishing a PR story sanitising BlackRock and denouncing opponents as “conspiracy theorists” (https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/132707511/what-is-blackrock-the-investment-giant-supercharging-new-zealands-green-energy-sector), as well as launching a smear campaign against NZ First for good measure (https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300945108/chemtrails-911-and-vaccine-nanobots-the-digital-trail-of-nz-firsts-couldbe-mps).
Our Corporate owners obviously feel this is necessary.
The corporate press have obviously spotted some Trump supporters (and maybe even some R.F.K. Jr. fans) inside N.Z.F.
The corporate donors will be trying to destroy any new candidates calling for no more money/weapons to Ukraine, no war with China, no cheap foreign labour, tariffs to bring back manufacturing, energy independence, etc.
To be fair, you should also mention Big Real Estate and Big Professional Managerial Class as other examples of dragging down the economy.
Spot on Ada
Yes Ada. How could Martyn forget about Big PMC?
Martyn – Labour is 100% fine with Big Dairy, Big Tobacco, and Big Fishing…they, Labour, have not laid a finger on them.
Do not expect help from big business maori to push control of fishing or farming profit comes before the so called love of the environment
” Big Tobacco, Big Fishing and Big Dairy rule NZ while we bicker about phones in school – this is how dumb our debate is..”
Yeeeaaaahhh…? Nah. It gets dumber. Sorry.
Dairy cows and those who move then about isn’t farming. Yep/Nope. It ain’t. But that’s not what’s worrying. What’s worrying is that you, dear @ MB, don’t understand that. And it’s not your fault. Ignorance isn’t a crime. You just don’t know. You have no idea what actual AO/NZ farming is. You know the bi-product of farming which is what you eat and wear daily plus any money you receive or of when you use state owned assets. Yep. Farmer built.
The millionaires and billionaires and the money that’s taken from us by the second by four foreign owned banksters? That’s proper farmer money. Not none of that there false economy, debt trash dollar stuff nor that there an’ what not.
We live in a strange world @ MB. The abstract nature of our economy and the corrupt politics that enable those whom can best exploit us is the stuff of mystery.
But wait There’s more to come. Our farmers will either suicide or mumble ” Fuck this. We’re off to Australia where the Kiwi Criminals are.)
Aye Boys?
The cell phones in schools thing has merit. Teachers already have a difficult enough time without Little Ms/Mr/They/Them/He/She/It picking at the electro-button-plank to catch up with Spangle Brain the Spliff-maestro to check out product the his/her/they/he/she/them/they/those might be in possession via the latest soul sucking Brain Spurtinator to distract and infuriate a person trying to teach the terminally stupid his/her/they/he/she/them/It their abc’s an’ that y’awl.
I guess someone must make cannon fodder.
So we down play our human ability to do things concurrently?
But none of them are capable of basic regulated capitalism.
The trick is to have minimal ‘ red tape’ so as to allow the economy to grow but in such a way ordinary consumers get a fair go and trickle down takes place.
” The vast majority of submitters on the Plan – almost all of the 2,790 email submitters – called for a time-bound transition away from bottom trawling – yet the final plan has ignored these voices ”
Ignored conveniently because 2790 voices are a drop in the bucket and no serious threat to the fishing industry.
God bless Greenpeace but they have no authority or power.. simple.
The Green party could have run with it ……..but then again they have deliberately forgotten their environmental credentials which is a disaster at a time when we need them more than ever.
All those people who vote for Winston / Jones , LINO, Nasties and the Greens in a couple of months will be voting to continue the current status quo.
Change and public awareness will only bring real pressure when it supported by a new movement.
This is bloody disgraceful and Labour or whoever was in the top seat with the power to impact on these decisions is corrupt.
…“The science is clear – bottom trawling destroys marine habitats and life. The public knows this and are fully onside with a ban. Almost 80% of people surveyed want a ban on bottom trawling and that same sentiment shined through in submissions.”
The vast majority of submitters on the Plan – almost all of the 2,790 email submitters – called for a time-bound transition away from bottom trawling – yet the final plan has ignored these voices…
As for smoking – I suggest legalising cannabis now and letting dairy owners who register as responsible salespeople to sell it in the stores that no longer can sell cigarettes – perhaps tobacco to roll yourself can have an easier ride? There would be less chemicals in it and a lot of people wouldn’t bother to roll, though a camaraderie would grow up about which was the best way and heads together there would be chats. People wouldn’t be fussing around rolling 20 or 40 a day, as a rule. Why bother about giving up everything – we will be struggling to survive soon, so cut out the puritan garbage. Make tobacco a cheaper option than cigs and the addicts can go there if they want to give up vaping!!
And how many actual NZ/AO farmers, dairy and kiwifruit etc were birthed here in this country? How many actually live on and work their farms? Hahahahaha? Make it a rule that farms have to be sold by foreigners when exiting – back to Maori. That would be a neat pass for a try.
Years ago I read how the Federal Reserve in USA was run by – private enterprise. There were occifers employed to watch for double dealings, but hey when they found them no-one wanted to know. (Can’t present the actual source of this.) There is something called ‘capture’ by business of even good intentioned watchdogs.
Life in the business jungle ain’t easy.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/7/10/silicon-valley-banks-former-owner-sues-us-govt-for-one-point-nine-bn 2023
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/063015/what-are-some-major-regulatory-agencies-responsible-overseeing-financial-institutions-us.asp 2023
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/government-financial-bailout.asp 2023
https://www.startribune.com/government-watchdog-ends-intense-oversight-of-u-s-bank-s-fight-against-money-laundering/503447412/ 2018
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-financial-gao-idUSN1849242020090319 2009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government’s hodgepodge of financial regulatory agencies failed to take a big-picture view of risk and ignored red flags in the current economic crisis, a government report said on Wednesday.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/imf-worlds-controversial-financial-firefighter 2021
etc
Lots of good reading there!
there’s only one way to beat big business. the collective.
anarchy and community. down with big government and big business. coming to a local near you soon.