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| Bryan Bruce |
Bryan Bruce is one of NZs most respected documentary makers and public intellectuals who has tirelessly exposed NZs neoliberal economic settings as the main cause for social issues. This is what he wrote in the daily blog: I quote:
"As a former teacher let me be clear I’m 100% behind our educators in their efforts to get better pay and conditions.
Shaping the lives and fostering the talents and ambitions of future New Zealanders is a tough and important job that has been underrated ever since the introduction of neoliberal economics in 1984 which wants to measure everything in terms of immediate dollar outcomes.
The cry from our Minister of Education that “ there is no more money “ is, economically speaking, just dumb.
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson is operating a neoliberal self- imposed austerity regime
Running our country is not like running a household. There are many solutions we could discuss to get the money needed. Taxing the 10% of us who own 60% of the wealth of our country in order to get them to pay their fair share would be a good start.
We could borrow the money at very low interest rates from overseas
( we have one of the lowest rates of overseas debt in the OECD ) and for goodness sake the government owns a bank! It allows private banks to print money by issuing mortgages – there WAS a time when our government was in change of that business.
So I have no sympathy for Labour finally having to deal with the misery it sowed back in 1984 when it thought trickle- down theory was such a good idea.
But the duplicity of National in trying to claim that the teachers going on strike is somehow down to mismanagement by Labour is frankly gob-smacking in its hypocrisy.
National put neoliberalism on steroids. They grossly under funded education and displayed an ignorance of modern teaching and learning practices that was, quite frankly, appalling .
No. We are here at this moment in education because learning is not a commodity . It is a gift we should give to our children and young people because they and we all benefit in the long run from their ability to make their way in a future that none of us can imagine but will determine what kind of lives we can all enjoy tomorrow.
Pay our teachers -our people makers- and pay them well. Reduce their workload. Give them our support for their strike action because they are not doing this lightly.
Oh and tell our government they need to rethink how they are running our economy.
Capital needs to be made to work for the State. Not the other way around.
Kia kaha teachers!
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/05/14/guest-blog-bryan-bruce-kia-kaha-teachers/
So said Bryan Bruce.
Now if that does not stir the blood, then there is a possibility that the reader is brain dead...and I sincerely hope you are not in that category. Bryan Bruce and his truthful and honest statements surely leads us toward acceptance that the train wrecker that was Roger Douglas and Richard Prebble and the super depressing strange lady Ruth Richardson who floated in after their departure to the ACT party. Of course the Roger Douglas evil apprentices in the form of Grant Robertson etc, still exist sadly....you'll need to use all your fingers to count the neoliberalist clan that still exists in the Labour Party and especially New Zealand First.
The real problem is that they have convinced themselves that [stealing, robbing, double dipping] from the public purse is OK these days...
Speaking of a worthy Strike, I wonder if the teachers will support the strike below? Lets hope so!
Friday, May 24, 2019 at 12:30 PM – 3 PM
Speaking of teachers again...this from Stuff says it all...from the National party perspective: here is an intro:
"A
Wairarapa school teacher was shocked by her local MP's suggestion
to "look elsewhere" if she didn't like her employment circumstances.
Greytown primary school teacher Alex Southall wrote to Wairarapa MP
Alastair Scott of the National Party saying it was time for action over
teachers' pay and conditions.
"I was shocked by that response. I was like 'Wow, if that's how valued we really are, that's so sad'," Southall said.
Scott told Southall although he supported
increased wages for teachers he believed teachers should find another
job if they were not happy."
After a quick read you may decide that should you be unhappy being a teacher, you can always simply give it a miss, and grow grapes or make a bottle or two of wine...because that's want National would recommend...of course you'll need access to a few million dollars, and government start up grants from the regional development grant [Just have a chat to whats his name again, Oh yes Shane (Blue movie) Jones] he will see you right...
But wait, if teachers give up on teaching who will look after our kids? Who will teach them to read and write? These skills don't come easily for some...In the words of John Key, "Show some guts" and let the market manage the future...the market always knows best...yeah right. I see ANZ has just put a hold on Key's Air NZ directors fee...so I suppose he'll quit and go live in Hawaii again.
So this rant naturally leads me to recommend that you support the teachers, and the youngsters who are striking for Climate Action on Friday May the 24th at 12.30 in the Square near the Council Chamber. Come along and support them...and you teachers encourage your students and their parents to attend...
2. One last plea: You may like to consider this:
Peter,
This is urgent. We have under 2 weeks to stop the Minerals Forum in
Dunedin, a conference promoting the expansion of the coal industry in
Aotearoa.
At this point in the climate crisis, we cannot afford to further the interests of the coal industry. We must cut ties with this polluting industry and throw our full weight behind a fast and just transition to 100% renewable energy for all. Join us to stop the Minerals Forum from going ahead!
When our cities host such events, they support the social license of the coal
industry. At the Minerals Forum, the coal industry will promote the expansion of
our largest coal mine, Stockton, and the exploration for more underground coal
deposits on the West Coast. All the while, there is no mention of a just
transition for workers into sustainable, long-term jobs. As for the climate
crisis, it is posed as an economic hurdle for the coal industry to “adapt
without compromising their business nor the coal industry”.
Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull has a reputation as one of New Zealand’s most progressive Mayors on climate change matters. He has consistently taken a stand against the fossil fuel industry until now.
- In 2015, he led Dunedin City Council to be the first city council in Aotearoa to implement a socially responsible investment policy and divest $1.4 million from coal, oil, and gas.
- In 2017, as President of LGNZ (Local Government New Zealand), he was the first signatory on the Local Government Leaders' Climate Change Declaration.
- That same year he voted along with the majority of his councillors to support a moratorium on oil and gas exploration.
We have just 11 days to urge Mayor Dave Cull to stand by his climate
leadership and reject hosting the Minerals Forum in a council venue.
There is no place for a coal-sponsored conference in the buildings of a
city council that has divested from fossil fuels.
The statement of intent between Dunedin City Council and the venue operators,
Dunedin Venues states the business should "exhibit a sense of social and
environmental responsibility by having regard to the interests of the community
in which it operates.” It’s obvious hosting a conference which promotes the
expansion of the coal industry is at odds with this statement. Call on
Mayor Dave Cull to strengthen the venue hiring policy to rule out the fossil
fuel and mining industries from using the city's publicly-owned
venues.
Last year, hundreds of us linked arms in peaceful resistance to the Petroleum
Summit in Wellington. Only three weeks later the government announced an end to
offshore oil and gas permits. In the following months, our local 350 Wellington
group set out on a campaign to have the summit banned from council-owned venues.
Then just last week, the Petroleum Summit opted to take its business
underground, keeping the date and venue of the next Petroleum Summit a
secret.
Our presence makes an impact. When we come together to take action,
we raise the moral question of whether our cities and institutions should
associate with the industry most responsible for the ecological
collapse. We must hold these industries to account. We must continue to
erode the social licence of the fossil fuel industry because, without it, they
can’t keep doing business digging and burning coal.
Together we can stop the fossil fuel industry from being able to promote this out of date agenda. Together we can shut the Minerals Forum down.
Let’s do this!
Claudia and the 350 Aotearoa team
P.S. If you can make it to Dunedin, there are two events to get involved with.
1) A coalition of local activists is planning the resistance
to Stop the Minerals Forum from going ahead altogether.
2)
Coal Action Network Aotearoa is hosting a Coal in Aotearoa
discussion day in Dunedin on Sunday 26th.
350.org.nz is building a global climate movement.You can connect
with us on Facebook, follow
us on Twitter, and become a sustaining donor to keep this movement strong and
growing.
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| Our own Donald Trump....Pony tail Key now Sir John. |
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Carly Thomas Peter
I meant to message you. The photo of the girl in the student Strike in
one of your blogs was my daughter Lily. I’m happy for you to use her
name 🙂
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