Thursday, February 27, 2014

I agree with Grant Brooks - A requiem for a new dawn in New Zealand

Grant Brookes‎MANA Poneke

"The left should welcome this appointment. It does mean there will be more opportunity for a united, collaborative campaign of the broader left to get rid of this government. It can make us a little more optimistic that the new government may make decisions a bit more favourable to working people and a little less favourable to big business. For Matt that will be a victory worth fighting for.

I continue to believe that we need to build a movement to the left of Labour, but not just to “keep the bastards (including Matt McCarten) honest” . For the longer term struggle to actually replace this hideous society of inequality, racism, sexism, dispossession and war we need a movement of working people whose goal is a complete system change. That will be a movement worth fighting for

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Tony Ryall throwing the blue towel in at the next elections - thats about a dozen at least now...

Tony Ryall (Photo credit: nznationalparty)

SORT

Peter Petterson on Tony Ryall's impending retirement from Parliament:

Do you remember Tony Ryall's cash registers in hospitals during the Bolger National government in the 1990's? $50.00 a day part charges for hospital patients. Worth about $100.00 in todays money. Great man? Great to see him gone. He had the same negative reputation that Hekia Parata has today. Goodbye Tony..

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

National's housing policy is a total disaster...

Phil Twyford

National's housing policy has seen state housing eligibility made so tight that people are sent off to live in substandard overcrowded private rentals, while in places like Palmerston North dozens of state houses lie empty. Madness. — with Iain Lees-Galloway.

Privatisation by stealth - the John key way...

Reunión con Primer Ministro de Nueva Zelanda, Japón. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CHRIS HIPKINS |

Prime Minister John Key’s promise that Genesis will be the last state asset sold off rings hollow given he is hell-bent on privatisation by stealth, Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.

“The Government is busy privatising facilities across the entire government sector.

“In education alone there are five charter schools opening this year and the Government is now taking applications for a second round of new privately run schools.

“The Government is also using the reconstruction of Christchurch schools as an excuse to privatise school facilities through the use of public-private-partnerships (PPPs). We know from the Hobsonville experience that school PPPs actually cost the taxpayer more money than if the Government built them using traditional methods.

“At the same time, other state sectors are being privatised. National has created a private prison at Mount Eden and a new private prison at Wiri is set to open next year. Both will be run by the controversial multinational corporation Serco.

“National is also privatising our roads. A PPP for Transmission Gully has become an endless vacuum for taxpayer funding.

“In the health sector private hospitals and clinics are being used for elective surgery because the public system lacks the capacity to address our growing health service needs.

“These are core duties of the state that National has been shifting responsibility for to the private sector.

“Few Kiwis would believe the sale of Genesis spells the end of the privatisation of vital infrastructure,” Chris Hipkins says

Monday, February 24, 2014

Workers need a decent wage...

69% of Kiwis back $15 or more minimum wage – poll

24FEB

(From One News TVNZ)

The adult minimum wage is going up to $14.25 – but a poll shows nearly half of Kiwis want it raised to $15.

The current rate of $13.75 an hour will be increased 50 cents from April 1, meaning a rise for around 100,000 New Zealanders who earn the minimum wage.

The training start out wage rate for young newcomers to the workforce also increases from $11 to $11.40 an hour.

The first ONE News Colmar Brunton poll this year asked New Zealanders whether they support increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour. Forty-six percent said “yes”, 23% supported more than $15 an hour and 16% support a rise of less than $15.

Prime Minister John Key argues increasing the minimum rate higher than $14.50 would mean job losses.

“The bottom line message is we’re trying to balance the capacity for businesses to pay a bit more and for people to earn enough to live,” Mr Key says.

Labour renews $15 promise

The Government’s increase puts it within striking distance of Labour’s $15 election promise.

“In our first hundred days we will lift it to $15 and we will move it again within our first year,” said Labour leader David Cunliffe.

Business leaders are comfortable with the minimum wage increase, which is above the rate of inflation.

Employers and Manufacturers Association CEO Kim Campbell says the increase is a lot less than “the silly numbers we’ve heard bandied about” for a living wage which would mean a $5-an-hour rise.

“It is coming in small increments, so industry will probably be able to cope with it,” he says.

But living wage campaigners, who argue for $18.80 an hour, disagree, Annie Newman of the campaign saying the increase is very disappointing.

She says the Government “should have taken a much bigger step than that” at a time when the economy is growing and we’re being told that workers are going to reap some of the benefits of this.

‘Certainly some relief’

ONE News political editor Corin Dann says the increase is certainly some relief for those on the lower income.

“As for timing, well it is election year,” Dann says, pointing out that this year’s annual increase is a little more than the rate of inflation.

“And remember the economy is doing well. So that does raise questions about whether they have raised it enough.”

Shoot down the TPP - it is all about the One World Corporate Government...

TPP FTA (TPPA): Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement Subordinates Nations (And People) To Corporations (Photo credit: watchingfrogsboil)

Peter Petterson

Labour, Greens and Mana: You must use the TPP during your election campaign. Pres Obama is pushing this behind the scenes, in private to be exact. National and Act fully support the TPP. They have seen the draft copies of the TPP. Your intellectual property rights are in danger. The TPP is all about private corporations controlling the free world. This is the first step in the One World Government controlling our lives. The wonderful invention the internet, will be used to support this One World Corporate Government. John key wants to be part of this. If he is stupidly allowed to to lead National to a disasterous third term, he will step aside midway through the term to allow a successor to take the helm of the National neo-fascist government. Oppose Key,oppose National and Act and shoot down the TPP before it is passed. Remember this, there will not be any amendments to the TPP.