No Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022

The cause of #Aotearoa's #CostOfLivingCrisis is unprecedented, however we've been through financial crises before.

The #Libertarianism of the '80s was supercharged by #JimBolger's National government in 1990. Their brand of "fiscal responsibility" echoes that of #NZNationalParty/#ActParty today.

Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022

Clips in this 🧵 come from #AlisterBarry's excellent 2002 #documentary #InALandOfPlenty - Free to stream through
#NZOnScreen or #Beamafilm

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/in-a-land-of-plenty-2002

http://beamafilm.com/watch/in-a-land-of-plenty

In a Land of Plenty | Film | NZ On Screen

In a Land of Plenty - The tagline for this feature-length dictionary runs "The story of unemployment in New Zealand" and In A Land of Plenty is an exploration of just that; it takes as its starting point the consensus from The Depression onwards that Godzone economic policy should focus on achieving full employment, and explores how much this changed under the 1984 Labour government. Director Alister Barry's perspective is clear, as he trains a humanist lens on Rogernomics to argue for the policy's negative effects on society, "as a new poverty-stricken underclass developed".

Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022
In 1990, #NZNationalParty were elected:
• Businesses wrote laws to steal #BargainingPower from workers
• Workers were forced to fight for jobs by destroying #Workers #Unions
• National promised "real growth, more jobs, and higher pay"
Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022
• Introducing the #EmploymentContractsAct drove down wages by eroding #JobSecurity for #WorkingClass #NewZealanders & introducing the proto-gig-economy.
Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022
• Focussing on #welfare, Treasury told government to #Slash #Benefits
• Using #OtagoUniversity researchers' home budgeting plans around food requirements, Treasury hid their intentions
Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022
• Treasury chose #UniversityOfOtago's lowest food budget - the average person couldn't survive on it
• Treasury slashed it down by 20%
• In 1990 this below-poverty amount became the "#NewZealandIncomeAdequacyStandard" - the basis for benefits
• Inflation was 6.1%
Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022
• #JennyShipley: "low benefits = more people working"
• #NZUnemployment reached 15% - ie: no jobs
• People were forced into unemployment by #DonBrash's #OCR #InterestRate hikes
• The #NZUnemployed now had to live on 75% of what they used to get from unemployment benefits
Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022
• #NZUnemployed on benefit couldn't feed their families, forcing responsibility from #Government onto #charities
• People began choosing between paying rent/medication/food/power
Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022
• This "#FiscalResponsibility" actually damaged the #NZEconomy
• Lower benefits = less spent at small businesses = businesses closed down = even higher #NZUnemployment
• People with jobs had those jobs taken away from them because #NZNationalParty & Treasury wanted #TaxCuts
Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022
• When #wages fell enough & #inflation fell enough, household credit card debt increased
• People couldn't buy things with cash, so now they incurred #debt to pay more for things because credit cards earn #interest on purchases
Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022

Breaking their promises, #NZNationalParty delivered:
• #FailedBusinesses
• More #NZUnemployment
• #LowerPay for workers

Hiding behind #COVID/#SupplyChain/#inflation shocks, this war on #NewZealand #workers continues now:
• National plan to cut #taxes for the rich again

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/10/cost-of-living-crisis-christopher-luxon-defends-national-s-tax-cut-plan-after-uk-pm-liz-truss-forced-to-ditch-her-policy.html

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Three NZ
Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!

• #NZNationalParty/#ActParty plan to drive down #wages

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/464691/fair-pay-agreements-bill-flies-through-first-reading

Fair Pay Agreements Bill flies through first reading

Legislation that will see a radical overhaul of New Zealand's current workplace laws has passed its first reading.

RNZ
Oct 28, 2022 at 11:41pmWeb
Show threadNo Pasarán, Mate!Oct 28, 2022

• #NZNational/#ActParty plan to cut #benefits & #services

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75TKBuuDwRI

Christopher Luxon: This Government's spending is to blame for high inflation | Q+A 2022

National Leader Christopher Luxon says the Government's spending is to blame for this week's jump in inflation but is still struggling to say exactly what.Su...

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