Grid of posts 2×3

  • Protesting like the Greeks

    Marika Pratley, Workers Party, Wellington On Friday May 25 Bill English criticized over 400 Auckland students  who protested against the budget cuts. He commented,  “they need some Greeks to show them how to do it.”  Greece has a rich history of radical tradition. With Greece bearing the forefront of the economic crisis in Europe, the Read more

  • Budget 2012: Mystification, scapegoating and resistance

    Ian Anderson National’s 2012 budget focused on cutbacks and reducing government debt. The budget increased research and healthcare spending through cuts to KiwiSaver, Working For Families, the public sector, and the education system. Cutbacks in the public sector are a basis for casualisation, with contractors profiting by undermining labour conditions (public sector cuts will be Read more

  • Christchurch’s housing crisis

    Kelly Pope On Saturday 26th May, protesters gathered outside earthquake recovery minister Gerry Brownlee’s Ilam electorate office to draw attention to the housing crisis faced by many Canterbury residents. Occupy Christchurch activists involved in organising the action decided to hold the demonstration over the weekend, as electorate office staff could not give a time in Read more

  • WSWS left-sect slanders against genuine socialist participation in the campaign against asset sales

    Jared Phillips In a May 17 article titled “New Zealand ‘Not for Sale’ campaign promotes anti-Chinese sentiment” World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) writer John Braddock lies and makes countless distortions about the campaign against asset sales and socialist involvement in the campaign. The essential point Braddock tries to make is that the left forces involved Read more

  • Victory for Southern Paprika workers

    Back in October last year, The Spark carried an article highlighting the struggle of I-Kiribati horticulture workers in Warkworth against redundancies. Since then, their site delegate, Botau Retire, was sacked by the employer, Southern Paprika, in January. He has just won reinstatement with 11 weeks’ pay plus $4500 compensation at the Employment Relations Authority. In Read more

  • Marriage: Equality, abolition, and the Mana movement

    Ian Anderson The marriage equality discussion has found increased currency in recent months with US president Barack Obama coming out in support of same-sex marriage. MPs Louisa Wall and Kevin Hague, of Labour and the Greens respectively, both have bills in the ballot box supporting same-sex marriage and adoption. This country has a different legal Read more