If National wins ...

[fungus pudding]

Not if it's making money

True. If it's making money GST improves the profit by providing interest free use of money.

[elZorro]

What's National done now? Anything for a quick fundraising buck.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/09/1...-chinese-spies

[jonu]

What's National done now? Anything for a quick fundraising buck.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/09/1...-chinese-spies

EL Z you really are raking the muck now. One bad poll and the true colours start to show.

[fungus pudding]

What's National done now? Anything for a quick fundraising buck.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/09/1...-chinese-spies

I wouldn't let that one go eZ. Something for you to really get stuck into. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. Nobody other than you listens to the radio or TV or reads papers.

[Joshuatree]

This could be from The 101 Things To Do With A Dead Cat by Crosby Texture

On the day of the second leaders debate, Mr Joyce made the $11.7B claim, forcing the question of Labour's fiscal reliability to be raised in front of an audience of a million viewers.
Twenty-four hours after Mr Joyce raised the fiscal spectre, all seven senior economists Newshub spoke to said there's no $11.7B hole - but some would raise questions over how tight Labour's budget could be in future years.
If it was an attempt to create a distraction, the aim would be to swing the focus onto Labour's economics; its tax plan and fiscals instead of its new leader.
But if it was a dead cat attempt, Auckland University political studies lecturer Mark Boyd believes it's backfired.
"If it's that kind of thing, where you throw a cat on the table and everyone goes, 'Look at the dead cat', instead of the fire in the background, then it hasn't consumed all of the oxygen in the room," Mr Boyd told Newshub.
Mr Boyd said he believes, "If Crosby Textor was involved [...] they would put more planning into it. This seems to have been done on the fly."
"I think National's scrambling. They are in unknown territory. Six weeks ago they were cruising to victory. Like 2014, it was just a question over whether they would get enough to govern in their own right or whether they would stitch together a coalition."

[Joshuatree]

"From 1960 to now wages went up 59%"

Fake news or at least a typo.

Reference the CTU Bill Rosenberg

[artemis]

..... Decently paid jobs are the problem in general, for that we need good profit margins for businesses, and that means innovation. National doesn't quite know what that means.......

In the not too distant future we will have proportionally more well paid jobs. Because automation.

Once automation innovation becomes cost effective in a sector, actual humans will be laid off.

It's been happening for years of course. In my first job way back in the day the accounts section - a huge room with more than 30 desks - was overtaken by a new computer system. Five desks against one wall. Automation is only getting smarter and cheaper. Take robotic kiwifruit pickers, now going into production with plans to add functionality such as testing and other produce.

Employers facing national awards and increasing compliance might quite like fewer human workers.

[minimoke]

Reference the CTU Bill Rosenberg

Average wage in 1960 was $30 a week including overtime. The average wage for a public servant in 2017 is $1473 inc overtime

[Bjauck]

Average wage in 1960 was $30 a week including overtime. The average wage for a public servant in 2017 is $1473 inc overtime

According to the CPI - £1 in 1960 bought what $44 can buy today.

With housing, £1 in 1960 bought what you need $176 for today. Those public servants would have been able to afford to buy housing without needing several extra incomes?

[elZorro]

In the not too distant future we will have proportionally more well paid jobs. Because automation.

Once automation innovation becomes cost effective in a sector, actual humans will be laid off.

It's been happening for years of course. In my first job way back in the day the accounts section - a huge room with more than 30 desks - was overtaken by a new computer system. Five desks against one wall. Automation is only getting smarter and cheaper. Take robotic kiwifruit pickers, now going into production with plans to add functionality such as testing and other produce.

Employers facing national awards and increasing compliance might quite like fewer human workers.

Correct, up to a point. That's why I believe innovation should be directed at smaller businesses, not the already large ones. Callaghan Innovation has plenty of taxpayer funds to give to large outfits, who don't need it and will spend most of it on new automation, reducing staff levels.

If you split the same money up and offer it to smaller businesses, they'll develop new exports and will have to take on more staff to do it. Labour's R&D tax credits were a simple way of doing that, hopefully within a few days they'll be back on the table for numerous SMEs.

Followup on polling techniques to phone lines:

In 2014 about 86% of households had a landline phone, it was dropping (Stats NZ). Since then it's down another 25%, or only about 65% of households reachable on a listed landline, according to this article.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/n...ectid=11894517