ACT's David Seymour - i like his style.

[Azz]

AGAIN:

BlackPeter: stop stalking me round the site. And stop giving me negative Reputation, you just did another you idiot. You have faulty impulse control, and anger management issues, I suggest you get professional help.

[BlackPeter]

AGAIN:

BlackPeter: stop stalking me round the site. And stop giving me negative Reputation, you just did another you idiot. You have faulty impulse control, and anger management issues, I suggest you get professional help.

Sigh ...

look Azz, I tend to give negative reputation for posts which attack other posters (instead of discussing a certain subject) and I tend to give negative reputation for posts spreading already debunked lies (aka conspiracy theories).

If you feel that you get too much negative rep, than maybe this is the reason.

I am sure (no, that's actually not true), but I hope you are able to find better and more positive ways to contribute to this forum. ;

[Azz]

Sigh ...

look Azz, I tend to give negative reputation for posts which attack other posters (instead of discussing a certain subject) and I tend to give negative reputation for posts spreading already debunked lies (aka conspiracy theories).

If you feel that you get too much negative rep, than maybe this is the reason.

I am sure (no, that's actually not true), but I hope you are able to find better and more positive ways to contribute to this forum. ;

You are a narcissistic stalker.

[causecelebre]

Sigh ...

look Azz, I tend to give negative reputation for posts which attack other posters (instead of discussing a certain subject) and I tend to give negative reputation for posts spreading already debunked lies (aka conspiracy theories).

If you feel that you get too much negative rep, than maybe this is the reason.

I am sure (no, that's actually not true), but I hope you are able to find better and more positive ways to contribute to this forum. ;

Sounds like you are channeling your inner Disinformation Project mate.

[moka]

No, I don’t agree that ‘colonialism’ and ‘neoliberalism’ are the same things, with only the terminology changing over time.
When I gave the definition of neoliberalism as simply meaning less government regulation & more private ownership, some wag came back with an even simpler definition: ‘rich people doing whatever they want’.

Neoliberalism = rich people doing what they want is a good definition.

Neoliberalism = economic freedom, less regulation from government.

Neoliberalism can be interpreted either as a utopian project to realize a theoretical design for the reorganization of international capitalism (free trade, free markets, property rights etc) or a political project to reestablish the conditions for capital accumulation and to restore the power of economic elites. Neoliberalism has been very successful in restoring or in some cases creating the power of an economic elite. The theoretical utopianism has worked as a system of justification and legitimisation of whatever needed to be done to achieve this goal.

One condition of post-war settlement in almost all countries was the economic power of the upper classes be restrained and that labour be accorded a much labour share of the pie. When growth collapsed in the 1970s, when real interest rates went negative and paltry dividends and profits were the norm, then the upper classes felt threated. In the US the control of wealth (as opposed to income) by the top 1% had remained fairly stable over throughout the 20^th century. But in the 1970s it plunged precipitously as asset values (stocks, property, savings) collapsed. The upper classes had to move decisively if they were to protect themselves from political and economic annihilation. And so we had Thatcher and Reagan pushing neoliberalism.

[Panda-NZ-]

Neoliberalism = rich people doing what they want is a good definition.

Neoliberalism = economic freedom, less regulation from government.

Neoliberalism can be interpreted either as a utopian project to realize a theoretical design for the reorganization of international capitalism (free trade, free markets, property rights etc) or a political project to reestablish the conditions for capital accumulation and to restore the power of economic elites.( Neoliberalism has been very successful in restoring or in some cases creating the power of an economic elite. The theoretical utopianism has worked as a system of justification and legitimisation of whatever needed to be done to achieve this goal.

One condition of post-war settlement in almost all countries was the economic power of the upper classes be restrained and that labour be accorded a much labour share of the pie. When growth collapsed in the 1970s, when real interest rates went negative and paltry dividends and profits were the norm, then the upper classes felt threated. In the US the control of wealth (as opposed to income) by the top 1% had remained fairly stable over throughout the 20^th century. But in the 1970s it plunged precipitously as asset values (stocks, property, savings) collapsed. The upper classes had to move decisively if they were to protect themselves from political and economic annihilation. And so we had Thatcher and Reagan pushing neoliberalism.

Fear of communism was a large part of the reason why the rich tolerated high tax rates. There was an economic alternative out there (not a very good one... ghost cities and state run turnip farms).

Now they can get away with much more. They've pitted nations against each other in a "manufactured" competition on tax rates and regulation, the way to overcome it is global agreement among developed countries like Biden's minimum tax rate. If they want to move outside the "club" then they can enjoy having no protection for their assets.

[moka]

No, I don’t agree that ‘colonialism’ and ‘neoliberalism’ are the same things, with only the terminology changing over time.

The first experiment with neoliberal state formation occurred in Chile after Pinochet’s coup in 1973. The coup, against the democratically elected government was promoted by business elites threatened by Allende’s drive towards socialism. It was backed by US corporations, the CIA, and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. It violently repressed all the social movements and political organisations of the left e.g. community health centres. The labour market was freed from regulatory or institutional restraints (trade union power.) Economists working with the IMF restructured the economy according to neoliberal theories. They reversed nationalization and privatised public assets, opened up natural resources (fisheries, timber etc) to private unregulated exploitation, privatised social security, facilitated foreign direct investment and freer trade.

Sounds like colonialism to me.

[blackcap]

Sounds like you are channeling your inner Disinformation Project mate.

He certainly would be in good company with Kate Hannah and Sanjana.

Thankfully the Disinformation Project has lost its power and mandate after being caught pretty much spreading disinformation.

https://thedisinfoproject.org/about-us/our-people/

[BlackPeter]

He certainly would be in good company with Kate Hannah and Sanjana.

Thankfully the Disinformation Project has lost its power and mandate after being caught pretty much spreading disinformation.

https://thedisinfoproject.org/about-us/our-people/

I have neither a view on the project nor on the people you are referring to, but I find it interesting that the only people I came across so far trashing the disinformation project seem to be either conspiracy theorists, trolls, or their supporters.

Just based on this observation it appears it is a good project ... it seems to hit the right crowd.

[blackcap]

I have neither a view on the project nor on the people you are referring to, but I find it interesting that the only people I came across so far trashing the disinformation project seem to be either conspiracy theorists, trolls, or their supporters.

Just based on this observation it appears it is a good project ... it seems to hit the right crowd.

That may be true to a point, but when they go out and say that you need to watch out for girls with braided hair and woman that do knitting and arts.... that was very amusing.

Anyway, I see this is the ACT thread. Not going to vote for them, although I do align with them the best in the tv votemeter thing. Followed closely by Nats and NZ first. Probably end up voting for Winston this time around. But have not made up my mind yet.