GPJA #495 (2 of 2): News & Analysis – NZ & World (21/3/14)

BEST ON THE WEB

NEW ZEALAND

Problem Gambling Foundation funding must be reinstated http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1403/S00266/problem-gambling-foundation-funding-must-be-reinstated.htm

Labour hamstrung by a sea-anchor of right-wing MPs from the 1980s. By John Minto http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/03/16/labour-hamstrung-by-a-sea-anchor-of-right-wing-mps-from-the-1980s/

Under Which Flag? http://iso.org.nz/2014/03/17/under-which-flag/

NZUSA: Minister Disingenuous With University Council Claims http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1403/S00217/minister-disingenuous-with-university-council-claims.htm

How will Labour ‘get out the vote’? http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/columnists/chris-trotter/9838319/How-will-Labour-get-out-the-vote

Christchurch: No Place for Race Hate http://iso.org.nz/2014/03/19/christchurch-no-place-for-race-hate/

Labour Pains: An interview with Labour Party leader David Cunliffe by Gordon Campbell http://werewolf.co.nz/2014/03/labour-pains/

Once We Built a Tower, a new play from award-winning socialist playwright Dean Parker, has just opened at Bats in Wellington. Socialist Review caught up with the play’s director, David Lawrence, to get some sense of this production. http://iso.org.nz/2014/03/12/once-we-built-a-tower/

An Artistic Response to the Teina Pora Case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zDfrM73ges#t=195

Elderly, disabled included in state house review http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11222414&ref=NZH_FBpage

A New Broom Needed to Sweep the Pathway for Kohanga http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1403/S00374/a-new-broom-needed-to-sweep-the-pathway-for-kohanga.htm

Key’s doublespeak a reminder of Muldoon By John Minto http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/03/20/keys-doublespeak-a-reminder-of-muldoon/#sthash.SPgoLQeE.dpuf

EDUCATION

The Destruction of New Zealand’s Public Education System http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2014/03/the-destruction-of-new-zealands-public.html

School Bully http://publicaddress.net/busytown/school-bully/

Performance pay for MPs – not teachers By Bryan Bruce – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/03/17/performance-pay-for-mps-not-teachers/#sthash.HyzyDzkz.dpuf

POVERTY & INEQUALITY

Terror and humiliation – just another day with WINZ http://writehanded.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/fuck-winz-yes-i-said-it/

No excuse for WINZ’s mistreatment of people in need http://thestandard.org.nz/no-excuse-for-winzs-mistreatment-of-people-in-need/

Families being split by poverty http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11222724

Closing the gaps: Struggling mother has high hopes http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11220752

Closing the gaps: The great ethnic job divide By Simon Collins http://www.nzherald.co.nz/closing-the-gaps/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503618&objectid=11220647

Closing gaps favour young http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11220829

Closing the gaps: Longer life expectancy http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11221309

Closing the gaps: Maori-Pacific report card – Good but could do better http://www.nzherald.co.nz/editors-picks/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503539&objectid=11222017

Closing the gaps: Melting pot offers hope http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11222665

For CPAG’s analysis of the thorny issue of paid parental leave, read Assoc Prof Susan St John’s paper, New Zealand must invest in all new-borns http://www.cpag.org.nz/assets/Backgrounders/140129%20PPL%20Backgrounder%200114%20SSJ.pdf

CPAG: Minister’s crack-down on loan sharks a crack-up http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1403/S00256/ministers-crack-down-on-loan-sharks-a-crack-up.htm

All New Zealanders deserve to live in dignity stories from the frontline of Work and Income http://blog.greens.org.nz/2014/03/20/all-new-zealanders-deserve-to-live-in-dignity-stories-from-the-frontline-of-work-and-income/

NZ – ECONOMY

Govt selling us out in secret as corporate will asserts itself http://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503423&objectid=11222320

National, The Economy, and coming Speed Wobbles – March Update By Frank Macskasy – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/03/16/national-the-economy-and-coming-speed-wobbles-march-update/

Gordon Campbell on the Genesis share float debacle http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2014/03/14/gordon-campbell-on-the-genesis-share-float-debacle/

Tony Holman: CCOs a Trojan horse for privatisation http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11215245

Census 2013: Property ownership keeps falling http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11221811

Kiwi workers more productive http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/9840223/Kiwi-workers-more-productive

CTU: Who is going to benefit from GDP growth? http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1403/S00253/who-is-going-to-benefit-from-gdp-growth.htm

Families won’t be fooled by National twisting the electricity stats http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1403/S00411/families-wont-be-fooled-by-nats-twisting-electricity-stats.htm

PM defends rising power prices http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/9809407/PM-defends-rising-power-prices

Up to 125 jobs to go with Cerebos factory closure http://tvnz.co.nz/business-news/up-125-jobs-go-cerebos-factory-closure-5869742

NZ – WORKRIGHTS

Things aren’t always better with… http://www.bademployers.co.nz/things-arent-always-better/

CTU:http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/951.php

http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/03/19/government-committed-to-making-life-worse-for-workers/

Employer accused of exploiting migrant workers http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11221972

SFF zero pay offer criticised by union http://www.odt.co.nz/news/business/295062/sff-zero-pay-offer-criticised-union

Workers productivity not matched by pay boosts http://blog.greens.org.nz/2014/03/19/workers-productivity-not-matched-by-pay-boosts/

NZ-HISTORY

The White New Zealand policy: subordination, racialisation and the first exclusionary legislation http://rdln.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/the-white-new-zealand-policy-subordination-racialisation-and-the-first-exclusionary-legislation/

STATS OF THE WEEK

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"If those in charge of our society – politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television – can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves." – Howard Zinn

"They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening ." – George Orwell

"The truth is not in the commercial media because the truth is a dagger pointed at its heart, which is its pocketbook." – George Seldes

“Why destroy public education so that a handful of people can boast they have a charter school in addition to their yacht?” Diane Ravitch, former U.S. assistant secretary of education, Say Goodbye to Public Schools, Salon, March 12, 2014

FEATURES

John Pilger – The War You Don’t See – Must Watch Video: John Pilger says in the film: "We journalists… have to be brave enough to defy those who seek our collusion in selling their latest bloody adventure in someone else’s country." http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27116.htm

The Spirit Level authors: why society is more unequal than ever: Five years after The Spirit Level, authors Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argue that research backs up their views on the iniquity of inequality http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/09/society-unequal-the-spirit-level

Piketty’s Triumph: Three expert takes on Capital in the Twenty-First Century, French economist Thomas Piketty’s data-driven magnum opus on inequality. http://prospect.org/article/piketty%E2%80%99s-triumph

Anti-Poverty Measures Alone Won’t Do http://pmarcuse.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/anti-poverty-measures-alone-wont-do/

The State of the Art in Inequality Scholarship: Progressive EconomyKate Pickett and Gosta Esping-Andersen, editors, Inequality: The challenge of the century, Journal for a Progressive Economy, March 2014. http://www.progressiveeconomy.eu/content/journal-progressive-economy-march-2014

Ten Reasons Why Nukes Are Nuts http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/22458-ten-reasons-why-nukes-are-nuts

Amsterdam, February 2014: Speech in commemoration of the February Strike of 1941 http://www.spectrezine.org/amsterdam-february-2014-speech-commemoration-february-strike-1941

35 countries where the U.S. has supported fascists, drug lords and terrorists http://www.salon.com/2014/03/08/35_countries_the_u_s_has_backed_international_crime_partner/

WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS

On the Wrong Side of Globalization By Joseph E. Stiglitz http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/15/on-the-wrong-side-of-globalization/

Paul Krugman: Fear of wages http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/opinion/krugman-fear-of-wages.html

The Middle Class Is Steadily Eroding. Just Ask the Business World. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/03/business/the-middle-class-is-steadily-eroding-just-ask-the-business-world.html?_r=0

Paul Krugman: Liberty, Equality, Efficiency http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/opinion/krugman-liberty-equality-efficiency.html

LAND, LABOUR AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Global Warming has made Greenland Ice Sheet unstable, increasing Sea Rise (Plus Spectacular Video) http://www.juancole.com/2014/03/greenland-increasing-spectacular.html

Climate Change: ‘Abrupt,’ ‘Unpredictable,’ ‘Irreversible’ and ‘Highly Damaging’ http://billmoyers.com/2014/03/19/climate-change-abrupt-unpredictable-irreversible-and-highly-damaging/

CULTURAL DISSENT

Miners Shot Down Wins International Award http://msdnews.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/miners-shot-down-wins-international-award/

John Lennon’s “Imagine”, made into a comic.Read more: http://www.trueactivist.com/gab_gallery/imagine-john-lennon/

Roger Waters: Why I must speak out on Israel, Palestine and BDS http://www.salon.com/2014/03/17/roger_waters_why_i_must_speak_out_on_israel_palestine_and_bds/

Una Marson: An Anti-Colonial, Feminist, Anti-Racist, Pan-Africanist Champion of Good Causes http://thefeministwire.com/2014/03/una-marson-anti-colonial-feminist-anti-racist-pan-africanist-champion-good-causes/

AUSTRALIA

50000 People March In March Against Abbott Government In Melbourne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvHch0FjFUE

‘NOT IN OUR NAME’ is a short documentary montage of the March In March in Melbourne, Australia on the 16th of March 2014. Three days of peaceful assemblies, non-partisan citizens’ marches and rallies at Federal Parliament and around Australia to protest against government decisions that are against the common good of our nation. http://vimeo.com/89244643

Australia ‘shockingly close’ to oil companies in discredited Timor treaty http://cafepacific.blogspot.co.nz/2014/03/australia-shockingly-close-to-oil.html

Aboriginal woman’s jailing highlights plight of intellectually impaired Aboriginal offenders http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-12/intellectually-disabledaboriginal-people-stuck-in-legal-limbo/5316892

The Forgotten Coup By John Pilger http://zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-forgotten-coup/

Asylum seeker living conditions on Manus judicial inquiry begins http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2014/03/asylum-seeker-living-conditions-on-manus-judicial-inquiry-begins/

OECD warns of rising poverty in Australia as GFC fallout continues http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-19/oecd-warns-of-rising-poverty-in-australia-as-gfc-fallout-contin/5331814

How Aboriginal people created Australia — book provides detailed account of Aboriginal land management https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/56093

OECD report: Poverty engulfing many Australians http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/oecd-report-poverty-engulfing-many-australians-20140318-350ef.html

BOSNIA

”Plenums Are The Voices Of The Street” http://www.sarajevotimes.com/plenums-voices-street/

CAMBODIA

A Week That Shook Cambodia: The Hope, Anger and Despair of Cambodian Workers after the General Strike and Violent Crackdown (Dec 2013 – Jan 2014) http://amrc.org.hk/system/files/FFM-Cambodia-Report-022014-amrc_0.pdf http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/after-blockade-unions-plot-next-move

CANADA

The 2014 Peoples’ Social Forum: Organizing the fight against the Right http://canadiandimension.com/articles/6008/

Canadian government says it has no ‘social contract’ to care for military veterans http://www.rogerannis.com/canadian-government-says-it-has-no-social-contract-to-care-for-military-veterans/

CHINA

Walmart workers in China blockade store in protest at closure plan https://usilive.org/walmart-workers-in-china-blockade-store-in-protest-at-closure-plan/

CUBA

International Commission highlights – photos, videos and reports http://www.unisonwalthamforest.org.uk/2014/03/19/international-commission-highlights-photos-videos-and-reports/

EL SALVADOR

El Salvador ex-rebel’s presidential victory confirmed: El Salvador’s electoral court has confirmed the victory of former left-wing rebel Salvador Sanchez Ceren in a tight presidential run-off election.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-26607549

A Precarious Victory in El Salvador http://www.thenation.com/blog/178895/precarious-victory-el-salvador#

GERMANY

Ukraine – Diplomacy Is the Only Way by Gregor Gysi http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/951.php

IRAQ

‘The most dangerous place in Iraq’, Mark Urban returns – Newsnight

Eleven Years After US Invaded Iraq – Bloodshed, Rape, Torture & Executions in the Country Are Ignored http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article38018.htm

LIBYA

Patrick Cockburn: Three years after Gaddafi, Libya is imploding into chaos and violence http://tinyurl.com/oen393g

PALESTINE

Israelis slam Kerry over “Jewish State” Remarks as Abbas Rejects Demand http://www.juancole.com/2014/03/israelis-remarks-rejects.html

More than one Palestinian Child abducted every two hours (740 in first two months 2014 ~ Euro-Mid Observer Human Rights Report, 17 Mar 2014) src: http://euromid.org/en/article/505

Miko Peled stumps Zionist on South African TV debate http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2014/03/19/miko-peled-stumps-zionist-on-south-african-tv-debate/

The Shocking Truth: Rabbi Meir Kahane On The Jewish State And The Arabs http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article38012.htm

Boycott movement has empowered Palestinians, says co-founder http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/adri-nieuwhof/boycott-movement-has-empowered-palestinians-says-co-founder

PHILIPPINES

BS Aquino govt continues to ignore extrajudicial killings http://www.karapatan.org/BS+Aquino+govt+continues+to+ignore+extrajudicial+killings%E2%80%94Karapatan

RUSSIA

In Moscow, tens of thousands turn out to protest Russian intervention in Ukraine http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/in-moscow-tens-of-thousands-turn-out-to-protest-russian-intervention-in-ukraine/2014/03/15/a3b35c34-caa3-49ee-9612-d6e883535eb8_story.html

After Crimea Votes to Secede, How Will U.S. & Russia Handle Gravest Crisis Since Cold War? http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/17/after_crimea_votes_to_secede_how

SOUTH AFRICA

Numsa gathers support for 500,000-strong national strike http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/labour/2014/03/18/numsa-gathers-support-for-500000-strong-national-strike

Workers’ guide to the crisis in COSATU; Reply to Jeremy Cronin http://links.org.au/node/3768

SPAIN

Madrid’s Basque stance absurd and untenable http://links.org.au/node/3764

SYRIA

Endless War? As Syria Conflict Enters 4th Year, Deadly Stalemate Favors Assad Regime http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/17/endless_war_as_syria_conflict_enters

Robert Fisk: On the march with Assad’s army: ‘Unusually, the Syrian army took rebel prisoners. Ominously, I saw none’ http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/on-the-march-with-assads-army-unusually-the-syrian-army-took-rebel-prisoners-ominously-i-saw-none-9198188.html

Syria conflict: UN reports mass executions by ISIS http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26626363

TURKEY

Death of Turkish teenager awakens dormant Gezi spirit http://roarmag.org/2014/03/berkin-elvan-death-protests/

Protests in Turkey: Dispatch One

Dispatch 2

Corruption, Islamism, and Twitter in Turkey http://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-awakening/ahmet-t-kuru/corruption-islamism-and-twitter-in-turkey

UK

"Whose going to hold the banner for us?" Bob Crow on Newsnight

Dismantling the British State – An Interview with Tariq Ali – See more at: http://internationalsocialist.org.uk/index.php/2014/03/dismantling-the-british-state-an-interview-with-tariq-ali/#sthash.NvWFYPyK.dpuf

Tony Benn (1925-2014): A great communicator of the socialist cause http://links.org.au/node/3763

How inequality is costing the economy billions http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/03/how-inequality-costing-economy-billions

Five Richest UK Families Wealthier Than the Bottom 20% http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/five-richest-uk-families-wealthier-bottom-20-1440573

UKRAINE

Getting Ukraine wrong http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/opinion/getting-ukraine-wrong.html?_r=0

Putin’s Counter-Revolution – James Meek reports from Ukraine http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n06/james-meek/putins-counter-revolution

The Siege of Sevastopol Threatens War by Howard Friel http://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/03/14-6

USA

Indigenous Vow: We’ll Be ‘Dead Or In Prison Before We Allow’ Keystone Pipeline http://intercontinentalcry.org/?wysija-page=1&controller=email&action=view&email_id=602&wysijap=subscriptions

HORROR: Five Cops Beat Innocent, Unarmed Father to Death Outside Cinemas http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/horror-five-cops-beat-innocent-unarmed-father-death-outside-cinemas

35 countries where the U.S. has supported fascists, drug lords and terrorists http://www.alternet.org/world/35-countries-where-us-has-supported-fascists-druglords-and-terrorists

Making Noise: Solidarity with Immigrant Hunger Strikers – See more at: http://labornotes.org/2014/03/making-noise-solidarity-immigrant-hunger-strikers#sthash.oWaMqEi8.dpuf

Israel’s War on American Universities http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/israels_war_on_american_universities_20140316

One Nation Under Guard – Another dubious first for America: We now employ as many private security guards as high school teachers — over one million of them, or nearly double their number in 1980. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/one-nation-under-guard/

USA – WORKERS REVOLT

Underpaid McDonald’s workers file suit http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/9827961/Underpaid-McDonalds-workers-file-suit

Will Tipped Workers Get Excluded Again From Minimum Wage Hike

New York Settles With McDonald’s Restaurants In Wage Theft Investigation http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/17/mcdonalds-wage-theft_n_4981336.html

Saving Labor from itself https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/03/saving-labor-from-itself/

McDonald’s Accused of ‘Wage Theft’ by Thousands of Employees in Lawsuit https://news.vice.com/articles/mcdonald-s-accused-of-wage-theft-by-thousands-of-employees-in-lawsuits

New York McDonald’s workers to get $500,000 wage theft settlement http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/19/1285910/-New-York-McDonald-s-workers-to-get-500-000-wage-theft-settlement?#

USA – SPYING SCANDAL

Snowden Docs Expose How the NSA "Infects" Millions of Computers, Impersonates Facebook Server http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/17/snowden_docs_expose_how_the_nsa

US tech giants knew of NSA data collection, agency’s top lawyer insists http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/19/us-tech-giants-knew-nsa-data-collection-rajesh-de

Edward Snowden’s Testimony to European Parliament on NSA http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1403/S00108/edward-snowdens-testimony-to-european-parliament-on-nsa.htm

Targeting Dissent is the Real Purpose of NSA Programs http://tinyurl.com/ke3jksk

VENEZUELA

Don’t Pray for Venezuela: The Struggle Against Contemporary Fascism by Chris Gilbert http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2014/gilbert140314.html

The truth about Venezuela: a revolt of the well-off, not a ‘terror campaign’: John Kerry’s rhetoric is divorced from the reality on the ground, where life goes on – even at the barricades http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/20/venezuela-revolt-truth-not-terror-campaign?commentpage=1