Green vomit and statistical nonsense: lies about immigration and housing
A few days ago the Labour party announced a new policy of increasing police numbers by 1000. I groaned at this news but it didn’t really surprise me. Then yesterday I heard of the new Greens policy on immigration, with James Shaw calling for a drastic reduction in numbers. Is New Zealand First calling the shots here, aided and […]
Mourn for the dead, fight for the living!
At this time we remember and honour long time union leader Helen Kelly, a brave and compassionate person who mourned with and comforted the families of workers killed at work; Forestry workers, the Pike River miners, Charanpreet Dhaliwal, aged only 22, beaten to death on his first night on the job as a security guard. […]
Medical Cannabis Rally outside Parliament
About 40 medicinal cannabis campaigners rallied at Parliament on Wednesday in support of a petition being handed in, and for Damien O’Connor’s Members Bill to permit medicinal cannabis being prescribed for the terminally ill and sufferers of significant pain. Yes Damien O’Connor, the sometimes illiberal Labour MP for West Coast. If O’Connor can support this […]
Living Wage win in Wellington
The Greater Wellington Regional Council, meeting on 28 September, unanimously passed a Living Wage motion proposed by Sue Kedgely. I was one of a group of Living Wage activists present at the meeting. The motion proposed was as follows: “That the Council: Notes that the Living Wage movement is gaining momentum around the world and […]
International Socialism Day School 2016 (Wellington)
This Saturday will see Wellington hosting the International Socialism Day School 2016: This will be a full day of discussion and exploration on the following topics: 10:30am – The Case for Socialism11:45am – Ideas for Liberation: Marxism against Eurocentrism2:00pm – Rosa Luxemburg’s “The Mass Strike”4:00pm – Roz Ward on Safe Schools, Equal Marriage, and […]
No Deportations!
On Monday night in quiet leafy suburbs in Lynfield, the silence was broken by calls for justice from a crowd of around 50 people. Justice for the 150 Indian students who have been swindled by immigration agents overseas and tertiary institutions here in New Zealand. The National Party was hosting a public meeting at the Lynfield Community […]
Easter Sunday: Another Attack on Workers’ Rights
On 25 August the government majority in Parliament passed the Shop Trading Hours Amendment Act by a vote of 62 to 59. Peter Dunne, David Seymour (ACT) and Te Ururoa Flavell (Maori Party) voted with the National Party, who were whipped for this measure. Marama Fox (Maori Party) voted against along with Labour, the Greens […]
Our ‘work ethic’ is not the problem
John Key came out this week and said it: New Zealanders are just too lazy or drug-addled to work, so we have to bring in migrants to “do a fabulous job” harvesting fruit and veges. It’s a meme that has done the rounds on the media, slyly suggested by employers, farmers and politicians but never before as baldly […]
NZEI and PPTA stand up to government’s attacks on public education.
Unionised teachers in the secondary, primary and early childcare unions, PPTA and NZEI, attended paid union meeting nationwide to discuss a fightback against the government’s attacks on public education this week. Thousands of teachers filled the Auckland and Wellington town halls to voice their anger and concern about the government’s plans. Thousands more filled halls […]
“Anti-poverty” group suggests increasing student debt
We live in strange times. In a report released earlier this week, the Child Poverty Action Group – a group formed with the aim of reducing poverty – actually suggested re-introducing interest on student loans. The report did detail the increasingly desperate situation facing all but the most well-off students. Student allowances remain just pitifully […]
