Posts by George Darroch
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It is indeed illegal, and will remain so. I'm not accusing National of introducing the 90 Days and Legalisation of Sexual Harrassment Bill. National isn't that bad!
However, the point as myself and Tom have made is that it increases the vulnerability of workers to exploitation (both legal and illegal), and reduces a worker's sense of being able to challenge conditions and behaviour. Very often (in my experience) the conditions and working environment set down in the first few months are those that become permanent, and difficult to challenge.
We'll likely disagree on where the balance of power between employer and employee is currently, and where it needs to be, but this shifts it greatly in the direction of the employer.
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Well, Tom, I think the only sexual fantasies we're getting any insight into are yours.
Bloody hell Craig. Are you going to joke about me having sexual abuse fantasies too?
having a third child doesn't magically make my salary larger, so it's not entirely unreasonable to assume that the dpb should be assessed in the same way. the only real difference is that a salary is like, "a million" times bigger than the bene[fit].
Indeed. There are a lot of incomes which are pretty damn hard to raise children on, and I have a lot of respect for anyone (my parents included) who does this. Wages need to be higher, and supplementary assistance, such as that which this Government has rolled out in large amounts, should be available.
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might still receive the DPB at that level, instead of automatically getting the DPB at the level calculated for one parent with three dependent children.
So that parent had to magically feed, clothe, educate, and raise that child with nothing?
I know it isn't National policy now, but I wonder what instructions for magic tricks are hidden in the new policy.
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Craig, I'm sorry, but that's exactly what the bill National is trying to pass does. It takes away the rights of new employees for three months. Fire at will.
When you have a power relationship like that, and someone who needs that money to survive (and getting a benefit is going to get a whole lot harder - WINZ caseworker: you walked out on that last job, didn't you?), then that power is there to be exploited. Most won't, but don't pretend there aren't people who will.
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Life in the benefit line is already hell. Very little money, constant denigration by society (and a cohort of children feeling ashamed of their station in life), regular deprecation by WINZ.
The results of 18 years of this policy are stark, shocking, and a stain on our humanity. We have 230,000 children alone living in poverty.
More than one-in-five children are living in poverty, the report says, putting them at risk of educational failure, undermining job prospects and making them more likely to suffer sickness, abuse, or die young
The present Government brushes these aside, since they're about 'lifting people off welfare'.
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I'm used to the quality that is Phill Liggett and Paul Sherwen
Liggett is a wonder - I never paid cycling much attention until coming under the spell of his hypnotic voice.
The swimming has been amazing. It was disappointing to watch NZ bail out in the 4x100 breast-stroke, but considering the world record was broken in that heat it was a strong performance. Records are dropping everywhere.
(and yes, the Speedo LZR suits may have something to do with it, but no, they're not expensive and most are wearing them or hastily copied clones. Records are falling even to those who don't wear them though...)
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On watching the Olympics in Australia: Upside - extensive free to air coverage on several channels. Downside: hearing the commentators talk about Bay-jeeeng, and what a funny outfit Mark Drysdale is wearing.
One thing that surprised me however was how much high-school Chinese I remember. Despite it being the world's most spoken language, it's very rarely that we encounter it without it being slathered with subtitles (which usually means I read instead of listening).
Despite being a skeptic, I've actually been charmed by this spectacle. China seems desperately to want to prove itself to the world (in the eyes of this uninformed foreigner), while simultaneously asserting itself. A contradiction, perhaps, but an interesting one.
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Not exactly new, but this sends shivers down my spine Joe Higgs, singing old school beautiful reggae.
I've also been thrashing Cat Power's Jukebox, Bon Iver, Emilie Simon, and The Coup's feel good Marxist party hip hop.
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Maybe if someone announces an election date, we might get some policies....
We peasants don't deserve to know when we will next be allowed to chose our rulers.
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OK, not a story if the paper is in the form of homework..
Maybe the dog ate National's policies?