Category Archives: Economics

From Greece to Germany. When will we focus on the elephant in the room ?

We are living in interesting times. The last few weeks were especially fascinating to watch. We are witnessing history in the making First all eyes were on Greece. The narrative was all about the Greeks bringing their dire plight all … Continue reading

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Racism in Real Estate ?

First the facts : 1.     The Auckland housing market has gone crazy over the last few years making it all but impossible for first home buyers on average incomes to buy a house. The situation has become so … Continue reading

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Yanis Varoufakis – What a man !

Since my last post the Greek tragedy has entered its next act. The referendum produced a surprisingly clear result on the bailout terms : NO  –  61% Yes  – 39% As the play will have a few more acts to go and … Continue reading

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Greek Tragedy : Don’t piss off the Gods !

What is happening to Greece is a tragedy of epic proportions and it has all the qualities of the classical period. There are many parts where the old chorus has reason to wail and lament. As I write we are of … Continue reading

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Climate: Will New Zealand fight alongside the elves or the orcs ?

Following the militaristic culture and thinking of our ally and only remaining superpower America we frame all our problems in terms of war. War on drugs, war on terror, war on weeds and the list goes on. I am desperately … Continue reading

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Media: Neoliberal corporate propaganda or just sloppy journalism ?

One of the features of the Reagan/Thatcher neoliberal revolution over the last 30 plus years – in New Zealand called Rogernomics – is growing inequality. The rich are getting richer at the expense of the poor getting poorer. This is expressed in … Continue reading

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Let’s kill a corp – where is the terminator when we need him most ?

You might have missed a disturbing piece in the NZ Herald under the headline “Humans can’t win against US killer robots“. Two programmes commissioned by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are seeking to create drones which can track … Continue reading

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Have you stopped beating your wife Mr. Armstrong ?

John Armstrong, this is not just about you or even the New Zealand Herald but about all mainstream media, which are engaged in just uncritically defending the status quo of economic and political power. And this is not just about … Continue reading

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Government experiment on the mentally ill without Ethics Committee approval

Buried among the long weekend non-news the item on mental health bonds made me choke on my dinner. This government, which fancies itself compassionate conservative after throwing a 25 dollar bone to the poorest of the poor is showing its true … Continue reading

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Campbell Live vs Kardashian’s Arse

The reaction of the mainstream media to the axing of Campbell Live was predictably superficial. No deep analysis nor compassion. The analysis must include the almost constitutional – if only we had a constitution – role of independent media in a democracy. … Continue reading

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