From “Nanny State” to “Daddy State”…
I don’t think there’s much question that serious social problems in this country are not being addressed in any meaningful way by this current government…
So is the Prime Minister, John Key, really aware of what is actually going on in New Zealand right now? Well, judge for yourself…
So what is National doing about soaring youth unemployment?
At their recent Conference, held in Wellington, they came up with this…
(Article abbreviated)
They’re going to clamp down on booze and cigarettes?!?!
That’s it?
Oh good lord! And people thought that Labour was “Nanny Statist”?!?!
I wonder who will be next to feel the iron fist of National’s Polit-buro state control? The retired? Civil Servants? Anyone using state hospitals???
Congratulations, my fellow New Zealanders: we have gone past Nanny State to Big Brother.
It might be worthwhile considering that,
- Not all unemployed youth smoke
- Not all unemployed youth drink
- Even if they do, Key says that they will still receive “a limited amount of money for young people to spend at their discretion“. Like… on booze and ciggies?!
- Even if they won’t have enough “discretionary pocket money” – what is to stop them stealing it? Or selling their Food Card for cash, and then buying ciggies and booze?
In the meantime, how many jobs will this piece of neo-Nanny Statism create?
Even the NZ Herald was quick to acknowledge this simple fact in their August 16 editorial,
“Yet there is also nothing in the Prime Minister’s announcement that creates jobs for young people. There, the Government still has work to do.”
Meanwhile, as National blames the young unemployed of this country for the world recession, and proposes to penalise them by tinkering with their only means of survival – the problem continues unabated,
The last time youth unemployment was this high was in 1992…
1992?
Wasn’t that the previous National government led by Jim Bolger, with Ruth Richardson as Minister of Finance? And didn’t she implement a slash and burn economic policy in her “Mother of All Budgets” that resulted in unemployment reaching over 10%?!?!
Why, yes. It was.
Are we starting to see a pattern develop here, folks?
It is abundantly clear that National has no clue how to address this problem. Attacking welfare benefits which keep people from starving to death, or more likely, breaking into our homes to find food, is not an answer. It is a cheap shot geared toward winning votes from uneducated voters who hold the illusion that living on a benefit is a cosy arrangement (it is not).
There are no policies being announced to create jobs, or to train young people into a trade or profession.
National should be throwing open the doors of our polytechs to train young people into tradespeople that the community desperately needs. With the re-building of Christchurch shortly to commence – where are the necessary tradespeople going to come from? (Most have buggered of to Australia.)
If this is the best that National can come up with, then, my fellow New Zealanders, we are in deep ka-ka.
Meanwhile…
Dr Mapp said the research science and technology was the way to create jobs, economic growth and a higher living standard for the country.
“To that end, it is vital that high-tech, exporting companies maintain their competitive edge in global markets.”
The grants range from $300,000 to $5.9m and run for three years.
They are valued at 20 per cent of the research and development spend in each business and provide a maximum $2.4m a year for three years.
Dr Mapp said they provide the businesses involved with more financial security over that period.
Businesses to get grants in the latest round were involved in software development, biotechnology, manufacturing and electronics.
Wellington companies which received grants:
Core Technology: $629,400
Open Cloud: $2,394,920
Xero: $4,040,000
Xero was founded by Rod Drury in 2006, who made $65 million in the same year after selling his email archiving system AfterMail. Xero purchased Australian online payroll company, Paycycle, in July of this year for A$1.5 million.
Which begs the question as to why the government has given away $4 million of tax-payers money when the owner is ‘flush’ with $65 million and has enough capital to buy off-shore companies elsewhere.
Is this a prudent use of tax-payers’ money, especially when,
* government is cutting back on social services?
* government has cut back on youth training programmes?
* government is borrowing $380 million a week, and telling the rest of us to “tighten our belts”?
At a time when government is berrating unemployed 16 and 17 year olds for being on the dole and “smoking ciggies”, instead of providing meaningful training and/or employment, it seems that National is still “picking winners” in the field of commerce.
$4 million could go a long way in providing training, and a future, for many 16 year olds.
By contrast, how much do young people, living away from home, recieve from WINZ? It must be a grand sum, to earn the Prime Minister’s stern attention. The answer is:
It’s a shame they’re not “picking winners” with our unemployed youth.
For a better New Zealand…
~ Cleaner rivers
~ No deep-sea oil drilling
~ Action on climate change
~ Less on Roads – more on Rail
~ A Living wage at $21.15/hr
~ Marriage equality – TICK!
~ Strong, effective Unions
~ No secret free-trade deals
~ Breakfast/lunches in our schools
~ Introducing Civics into our school curriculum
~ Cut back on the liquor industry
~ A fairer, progressive tax system
~ Fully funded, free healthcare
~ Ditto for education, including Tertiary
~ Fund Pharmac for Pompe’s Disease medication & other ‘orphan’ drugs
~ No state asset sales!
~ Rebuild public TV broadcasting!
~ Keeping farms in local ownership
~ Reduce poverty, like we reduced the toll for road-fatalities
~ State housing for life
~ Meaningful work for all who want it!
~ Stronger communities
~ LGBTQI inclusiveness. Trans rights are human rights
Recent Posts
- Business and Media pimp for dodgy covid test. Govt caves. Questions Remain.
- Purpose-built MIQ: National’s sums don’t add up
- The Virus, the Politician, and the gang member
- Open letter to Michael Barnett, Julie White, et al
- The Virus, the Bubble, and the Trap
- The Virus, the Media, and John Key
- One thousand dead New Zealanders per year?
- Submission on Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill
- The Microbiologist, the Caretaker Leader, and some Nasty Germs
- Free Speech, done Newshub-style
- Submission on Conversion Not-A-Therapy Bill
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 20 (@L3)
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 19 (@L3)
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 17 & 18 (@L3)
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 16 (@L3)
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 15 (@L3)
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 13 & 14
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 12
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 10 (cont’d) & 11
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 9 & 10
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 7 & 8
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 5 & 6
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 4 – Caretaker Leader Collins, another rare mis-step
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 3
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 2 – REVISED
- Life in lockdown, Round Two – Day 1
- Team 5 million vs Covid: Aotearoa on Three Strikes
- The freezing cold invisible hand of neo-liberalism
- National: Demand the Debate. Also National: No, not like that!
- The Shifting Faces of Simon Bridges
Essential Viewing/Listening
International Orgs.
Media Links
Planet of the Blogs
- Boots Theory
- Bowalley Road
- Brooking Blog
- Cafe Pacific
- Closing the gap
- Fightback!
- Gordon Campbell
- How Melulater Sees It
- Imperator Fish
- John Pilger
- kiwi blog
- Kiwi Politico
- Liberation
- Local Bodies
- My Thinks
- Naked Capitalism
- No Right Turn
- NZ Leftwing
- Open Parachute
- PostingDad
- Public Address
- Pundit
- Putting NZ First
- The Civilian
- The Jackal
- The Knightly Views
- The Standard
- Watchblog Aotearoa
- Werewolf
Political Parties
Resources
- Action Stations
- BERL Economics
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- Debt Clock – New Zealand
- Farm Land Grab
- FYI
- General Elections in NZ
- History Commons
- List of countries by tax revenue as percentage of GDP
- List of New Zealand by-elections
- N.A.S.A. – Climate Change
- Parliament TV – On Demand
- PolicyMic
- Referendums in NZ
- State Asset Sales History
- Tax rates around the world
- The New Zealand Government Directory
- Trading Economics – NZ Economic Data
- US Debt
- Wikipedia
Social Media Groups
- Action Stations
- Affordable Housing For All
- All New Zealand Media
- Anadarko eye
- Anadarko- Wish You Weren't Here!
- Aotearoa is not for sale – NZ
- Aotearoa is Not for Sale Wellington
- Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)
- Children of Aotearoa
- Coal Action Network Aotearoa
- Community Campaign for Food in Schools – NZ
- DiscussioNZ
- Feed The Kids
- Forest & Bird
- GayNZ
- Generation Zero
- Hector's and Maui's dolphin SOS
- Housing NZ Tenants Forum
- Inside Child Poverty New Zealand
- It's Our Future – Kiwis concerned about the TPPA
- Keep Our Assets
- KidsCanNZ
- Kiwi Expats Against Asset Sales
- Lets Talk About WINZ (Work and Income New Zealand)
- National Standards Must Go
- New Zealand Pompe Network
- Nobody Likes a Tory – NZ
- NZers for a snap election 2012
- Occupy NZ
- Occupy WINZ
- Oil Free Wellington
- Palestine Human Rights Campaign (New Zealand)
- PolicyMic
- Pre-register your disinterest in buying Mighty River shares
- Revoke the GCSB Bill
- S.O.S Save.OUR.Shores
- Save Fiordland
- Save Otago from Deep Sea Oil Drilling! (OIL FREE OTAGO)
- Save our Schools – Christchurch Needs your Suppport !!!!!!
- Save The Basin Reserve
- Say No To Fracking In New Zealand
- Service and Food Workers Union – Nga Ringa Tota
- Stand up for kids – protect our schools
- Stop the Search and Surveillance Bill Now!
- Tax Justice Network
- Tibet Solidarity Network (Wellington, New Zealand)
- TPPA Action Group
- United Nations For a Free Tibet
- We Don't Need Your Charter Schools
Uber Cool Internetty Places
- All Out
- Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa
- Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly
- David Suzuki Foundation
- Flying Blind
- Friends of Tibet
- Greenpeace
- John Key Looks At Things
- John Pilger
- Kia Ora Gaza
- Kiwi Expats Against Asset Sales
- Living Wage Campaign
- NZ Fabian Society
- Richard Dawkins Foundation
- Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand
- Royal Society of New Zealand
- S.E.T.I.
- Save Our Schools NZ
- Save the Farms
- The Equality Trust
- The Virtual Museum of Bacteria
- Transparency.Org
- Voluntary Euthanasia Society
- Wikileaks
- Xkcd
Useful Utilities
Archives
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
Blog Stats
- 551,339 hits