Posts by Russell Brown
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Hard News: Occupy: Don't call it a protest, in reply to Euan Mason,
We hear very wealthy people moaning about and avoiding taxes while they drive on roads that we have paid for, hire people whose educations we have paid for, enjoy the protection of police whom we have paid for, use knowledge developed by universities and research institutes that we have paid for, and strip assets that we have paid for.
It depends on your definition of "very wealthy" is, but this is really not true.
While the share of net tax (including GST) paid by $150,000+ pa households isn't anywhere near the 70% claimed by Bill English and David Farrar -- see Rob Salmond's excellent de-bamboozling post for Pundit -- their share of tax paid is greater than their share of income. They contribute about 43% of all net tax paid by New Zealand families. I think this is a good thing.
As the other of the scale, families earning up to $35,000 pa actually make a net gain from tax-welfare transfers. Again, a good thing.
I'd be more concerned that 50-60% of the wealth in New Zealand is controlled by the top 10% of households, but that's a slightly different issue.
OTOH, we are agreed on the matter of Alan Gibbs. He is appalling.
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Hard News: Occupy: Don't call it a protest, in reply to Kumara Republic,
The same critics who point out the private debt factor under Clark would likely have attacked attempts to control it as nanny statist. It seems some people can’t bear to part with the champagne-life-on-beer-income, until they come horribly unstuck. And it goes to show that materialistic excess is the “NZ the way you want it” of the smartphone age.
To be fair, Labour did benefit from the growth driven by the housing boom -- which was where much of the private debt got racked up. But it was individuals who did the borrowing. And Cullen did get net public debt to about zero before he left office, despite Opposition chivvying to lighten up a bit.
And I think a Tobin/FT tax has merit, but what it needs is backing from the G8/G20.
I recall looking at it when it was Alliance policy and it seemed to me that the problem was the potential perverse impact on the productive sector. It seemed to offer a considerable advantage to large, vertically integrated producers who could run a supply chain with a minimum of transactions. Maybe someone's thought that through a bit better now.
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Hard News: Occupy: Don't call it a protest, in reply to Sacha,
That venn diagram post seems to fit well here. (h/t Lew)
Damn. I meant to put that in the post. Thanks for bringing it up.
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Hard News: Occupy: Don't call it a protest, in reply to Hilary Stace,
I would say the average age at OW is quite young, or at least they certainly look it. They are making a virtue of not being a spokesperson for anyone or anything apart from themselves. I think they debate these issues quite extensively at their twice daily general assemblies. There seems to be a lot of discussing going on, face to face or in groups, which almost seems a lost art.
That's great -- and it mirrors trends that have been going on for a while in the "unconference" sector. Maybe that's a good way of looking at it, actually.
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Hard News: Occupy: Don't call it a protest, in reply to DCBCauchi,
I love how various commentators of various stripe try to maintain that ‘the occupy movement’ is coextensive with the people in various camps in various cities. Who are they trying to kid? It’s interesting seeing who still thinks they’re better off serving other people’s interests. Who still thinks we’re all gullible.
Pause while I look up coextensive.
Clearly, different conditions pertain in different places. But the rhetoric of consensus etc and the general grievances are shared along with the name. The result is a genuinely different style of protest – to the extent that we are asked not to regard it as a protest at all.
Bernard Hickey’s colleague Alex Tarrant wrote a furious post about plans expressed on Facebook to occupy the Reserve Bank in Wellington. In his view, which I think is correct, the Reserve Bank has actually shielded us from the worst of the global financial calamity. Its role is democratically enshrined. And anyone who thinks the RBNZ is a fan of the financialisation of the global economy should probably read Alan Bollard’s book.
I have a terrible feeling that whoever called for that occupation copped the idea from calls for the abolition of the US Federal Reserve. Which of course have been coming from the libertarian Paul-bots who’ve got involved in the US Occupy actions.
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Hard News: Occupy: Don't call it a protest, in reply to Hilary Stace,
There are lots of chalk messages everywhere but no party political or union banners to be seen.
Interesting. Auckland is much more of a Unite presence, and there are some well-known faces to the fore.
But it still feels somewhat different to, say, a Global Peace & Justice do, which is a good thing for them. John Minto scowling on camera is never a very appealing look.
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Meanwhile, Occupy Wellington is being asked to move for the rugby parade. And they're handling it sensibly:
Occupy Wellington hospitality volunteer Cole Gunn said they hope they can keep the Wharanui and Kai tent on Jack Ilott Green and said they didn't want to ruin the party.
"The last thing we want to do is to piss off rugby fans," Mr Cole said.
Camped near to the rugby fanzone, Mr Cole said there had been a lot of "craziness" going on and occupiers had entered into the spirit providing face painting for rugby fans before Sunday's final.
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Hard News: Occupy: Don't call it a protest, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
I think any benefits of FTAs are grossly overstated. If we produce stuff that people want, they’ll buy it, FTA or no FTA. And a typical FTA with the US involves massive concessions from the victim state and none from America, where protection rules.
That's the thing. A FTA with the US is unlikely to be worthy of the name. The current TPPA demands from the US are simply offensive.
OTOH, Closer Economic Relations with Australia has been of very great benefit to New Zealand, and as global agreements GATT and the WTO have certainly been more good than bad for us. We do tend to forget how bad the era of trade wars and tariffs was.
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Field Theory: A moment of national significance, in reply to BenWilson,
I hope it endures, but I don’t think that’s going to happen by itself. It’s great that it got people out and about and socializing. But it’s a bit sad for NZers that we need the RWC, and an All Blacks victory, to make it happen. This level of public engagement could happen all the time. Why doesn’t it? Why don’t we go out just to mingle, experience, hang out. It can’t be about cost, because it doesn’t have to cost.
I honestly think it's a step-change. But we'll need public spaces in which to meet each other, and events that give us common cause.
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Hard News: Occupy: Don't call it a protest, in reply to BenWilson,
Bernard's suggestions are very reasonable.
I think so too. But we would say that.