“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them.
Interesting, follow the money is a definite indicator. Brash's 20k, I wish I had 20k to throw around and merely to prop up my Hobson's Choice agenda. I wonder if he gave any to his ex ceo Casey Costello's party? The sea world/fishing and tobacco industry, and mining...seem absent from these.......but benefiting much. It has to be in there somewhere. Thanks for the breakdown Bryce.
A lot of those donations are connected with the Atlas Network of nasty MegaCorps (tobacco, guns & weapons, BigOil, mining etc) and their disinformation orgs :
“A crash programme of massive cuts; demolishing public services; privatising public assets; centralising political power; sacking civil servants; sweeping away constraints on corporations and oligarchs; destroying regulations that protect workers, vulnerable people and the living world; supporting landlords against tenants; criminalising peaceful protest; restricting the right to strike.
Anything ring a bell?
#Argentina’s fascist new Pres. #Milei is attempting, with a vast “emergency” decree and a monster “reform bill”, what the Conservatives have done in the UK over 45 years… The crash programme bears striking similarities to Liz #Truss’s “mini” (maxi) budget….
Coincidence? Not at all. Milei’s programme was heavily influenced by #neoliberal thinktanks belonging to something called the #AtlasNetwork, a global coordinating body that promotes broadly the same political and economic package everywhere it operates.
Sue - is there actually any evidence of these donations being linked to the Atlas Network? I'm very keen to know if any are, but I couldn't immediately identify any. I think we have to be a bit careful with the Atlas Network in making assumptions. If we make false allegations, it weakens the campaign of scrutinising the wealthy and powerful. I don't think there's any evidence on the Standard link.
As well as David Seymour, who has an Atlas MBA -and Casey Costello linked to at least 2 Atlas Network think tanks- 1. Taxpayers Union & 2. Hobsons Pledge. Also strong links to BigTobacco.
Simeon Brown, Willis, Jones & Luxon are also strongly linked. Luxon is part of NZ Initiative (Atlas think tank) & went on an Atlas field trip to Switzerland.
Yes, there's still a few unions that give to Labour, adding up to a few hundred thousand in election year. These donations didn't quite fit into my column today, but I'll detail them in another one soonish.
It of course makes sense that donations were the same this year in real dollars for National as when the Labour Party of David Lange and Roger Douglas received about $3.5m in donations. The wealthy and corporations stood to make millions more over their donation ‘investment” from tax cuts (ultimately paid by the rest of us in disappearing services). That government of neoliberal hard-core MPs led to a crumbling economy. Hopefully this time around they are more careful in their cuts.
I’m always amazed that the left Labour was conned by a few ministers to become one of the most right-wing economies in the developed world at the time. It was like in the US when the liberal Republican Party of Lincoln and Teddy Rosevelt because the right-wing party of Reagan. Fortunately, they mostly moved back to the centre-left while their former neolib ministers formed ACT.
"I’m always amazed that the left Labour was conned by a few ministers to become one of the most right-wing economies in the developed world at the time." - the late Stephen Stratford wrote an essay in Metro in the 90s which touched on this: he noted that most of the Labour caucus of that govt - and the wider party - had arts or law degrees, and knowledge of economics was thin on the ground. Stratford said something along the lines of "at university, we sneered at those doing economics and accounting". As a young university student at the time I could relate; those words have stuck with me.
I remember an interview on the radio with David Lange when he realised he’d been duped by Roger Douglas. Like David Seymour & Jordan Williams (NZTPU) Douglas was an Atlas Network acolyte.
Wow great work, lot of work with analysis. There is nothing to prevent a person receiving donations on behalf of another and that second person passing on. Unsure if there are tax breaks for political donations. Can we presume that there is a limit to spending on the election? Surely that figure would include any associated costs. Also, presume that a party is entitled to spend any ‘left-over’ on anything they want to?
Interesting, follow the money is a definite indicator. Brash's 20k, I wish I had 20k to throw around and merely to prop up my Hobson's Choice agenda. I wonder if he gave any to his ex ceo Casey Costello's party? The sea world/fishing and tobacco industry, and mining...seem absent from these.......but benefiting much. It has to be in there somewhere. Thanks for the breakdown Bryce.
A lot of those donations are connected with the Atlas Network of nasty MegaCorps (tobacco, guns & weapons, BigOil, mining etc) and their disinformation orgs :
“A crash programme of massive cuts; demolishing public services; privatising public assets; centralising political power; sacking civil servants; sweeping away constraints on corporations and oligarchs; destroying regulations that protect workers, vulnerable people and the living world; supporting landlords against tenants; criminalising peaceful protest; restricting the right to strike.
Anything ring a bell?
#Argentina’s fascist new Pres. #Milei is attempting, with a vast “emergency” decree and a monster “reform bill”, what the Conservatives have done in the UK over 45 years… The crash programme bears striking similarities to Liz #Truss’s “mini” (maxi) budget….
Coincidence? Not at all. Milei’s programme was heavily influenced by #neoliberal thinktanks belonging to something called the #AtlasNetwork, a global coordinating body that promotes broadly the same political and economic package everywhere it operates.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/06/rishi-sunak-javier-milei-donald-trump-atlas-network
Sue - is there actually any evidence of these donations being linked to the Atlas Network? I'm very keen to know if any are, but I couldn't immediately identify any. I think we have to be a bit careful with the Atlas Network in making assumptions. If we make false allegations, it weakens the campaign of scrutinising the wealthy and powerful. I don't think there's any evidence on the Standard link.
thanks Sue, do politicians have to declare think tanks etc they are involved in.....like Chris Bishop is part of an Israeli based think tank in NZ??
As well as David Seymour, who has an Atlas MBA -and Casey Costello linked to at least 2 Atlas Network think tanks- 1. Taxpayers Union & 2. Hobsons Pledge. Also strong links to BigTobacco.
Simeon Brown, Willis, Jones & Luxon are also strongly linked. Luxon is part of NZ Initiative (Atlas think tank) & went on an Atlas field trip to Switzerland.
https://thestandard.org.nz/the-apparatus-behind-the-curtain/
https://thestandard.org.nz/the-apparatus-behind-the-curtain-part-2-the-mainline/
https://thestandard.org.nz/atlas-smirked/
Some thorough research there Bryce.
Of course the unanswered (and unasked) question is: what effect, what political power, is achieved or intended with donations.
Do people donate because they agree with existing party policy or do they seek to alter policy?
It's a hard one but that, above anything, is what should concern us.
Do the unions still contribute to the Labour party ? If so how much in election year?
Yes, there's still a few unions that give to Labour, adding up to a few hundred thousand in election year. These donations didn't quite fit into my column today, but I'll detail them in another one soonish.
And then we have the Herald article - "National Party banks 7.5 times more in donations than Labour Party" and when including ACT, 12 times between 2020- 2023. (Where did that money go to??) https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/election-2023-national-party-banks-75-times-more-in-donations-than-labour-party/CAKRIIEYXBGMRGUNIVQ6J3NXVM/
It of course makes sense that donations were the same this year in real dollars for National as when the Labour Party of David Lange and Roger Douglas received about $3.5m in donations. The wealthy and corporations stood to make millions more over their donation ‘investment” from tax cuts (ultimately paid by the rest of us in disappearing services). That government of neoliberal hard-core MPs led to a crumbling economy. Hopefully this time around they are more careful in their cuts.
I’m always amazed that the left Labour was conned by a few ministers to become one of the most right-wing economies in the developed world at the time. It was like in the US when the liberal Republican Party of Lincoln and Teddy Rosevelt because the right-wing party of Reagan. Fortunately, they mostly moved back to the centre-left while their former neolib ministers formed ACT.
"I’m always amazed that the left Labour was conned by a few ministers to become one of the most right-wing economies in the developed world at the time." - the late Stephen Stratford wrote an essay in Metro in the 90s which touched on this: he noted that most of the Labour caucus of that govt - and the wider party - had arts or law degrees, and knowledge of economics was thin on the ground. Stratford said something along the lines of "at university, we sneered at those doing economics and accounting". As a young university student at the time I could relate; those words have stuck with me.
I remember an interview on the radio with David Lange when he realised he’d been duped by Roger Douglas. Like David Seymour & Jordan Williams (NZTPU) Douglas was an Atlas Network acolyte.
Wow great work, lot of work with analysis. There is nothing to prevent a person receiving donations on behalf of another and that second person passing on. Unsure if there are tax breaks for political donations. Can we presume that there is a limit to spending on the election? Surely that figure would include any associated costs. Also, presume that a party is entitled to spend any ‘left-over’ on anything they want to?
Repealing the Therapeutic Products Act & the attack on Pharmac will no doubt benefit BigPharma