"The international rating agencies have done all New Zealanders a favour. The double downgrade of the country's credit rating makes it clear that the policies and philosophies promoted by successive governments are not working."
Following on from the brave declarations of Dr Jan Wright and Mayor Frana Cradno, another respected New Zealand woman, eminent historian Dame Anne Salmond, Distinguished Professor of Maori Studies and Anthropology at Auckland University has published a powerful critique of where New Zealand society presently wallows. Her ideas will no doubt be dismissed by the greedy and the elite, but she is correct and represent the growing tide of people awakening to the dire situation we have allowed ourselves to be central to.
"We must demand of our leaders - and ourselves - that at the very least, the land, the sea and our young people are cared for. Without them, there is no future. I agree with Phillip Mills and Sam Morgan that there should be a redistribution of wealth in New Zealand. Recent studies link high median incomes with prosperity and stability, and wide disparities with economic fragility and failure.
We should expect the press to deliver vigorous, informed debate. Democratic principles must be upheld, and dictatorial styles of leadership resisted. MMP is helpful here, and the cynical abuses of our electoral system in Epsom and elsewhere are a disgrace."
Dame Salmond's full article is here.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
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6 comments:
Dame Anne "questions", or perhaps "takes issue", even "remonstrates", but I think that she has rarely "kicked arse" (though I stand to be corrected)!
Thanks Robert. I've just been put through the mill by my wife, who shares you view and am about to make the sensible change :-)
I find it interesting when greens talk about "high median incomes" as the only way that is possible is through getting a larger piece of the 'unsustainable pie'.
You can't have it both ways, we either live modestly and sustainably, or we raise the minimum wage and median income and continue the 'rape and pillage.
Just sharing it round more is not even close to the answer and will actually speed up environmental destruction.
Sorry Robert, the Greens are just as lost in economic (socialist) blindness as everybody else.
Must agree with Shunda. Furthermore, the utilization of force is morally reprehensible.
Interesting, Shunda, though I'm not sure where your concerns sprang from - I don't see any referrence in Dame Anne's paper.
I can't see, furthermore, why raising the minimum wage will necessarily result in more environmental destruction. Care to elaborate?
Because the answer will simply be to "expand the pie" for the 'rich' used to having their piece.
If people have an appetite for a certain way of living they will find a way to maintain it at any cost, an increase in unsustainable resource exploitation will be the most likely solution.
The other issue could be an increase in inflation which will largely screw things up for everybody, but especially the asset poor.
These economic issues/injustices can not be addressed without a wholesale shift in how we think about the economy and unsustainable resource exploitation.
To simply redistribute "the pie" is not the answer, the pie is too damned big already!!!
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