Bainimarama hails 'change of stance' by Key | Stuff.co.nz

Bainimarama hails 'change of stance' by Key Stuff.co.nz
Welcome change of stance enhances relations with Fiji. Looks like relations with Fiji are warming. This will be good news for the ordinary Fijian citizen.

Harawira email - more venom from Maori Party MP

Harawira email swore at bureaucrats Stuff.co.nz more bullyboy tactics from the MP for Tai Tokerau. Is there more than a hint of predetermining the outcome re the flag?

The Brash Report

The government invested into the 2025 Taskforce. As a centrist, who is sceptical about a purist market approach delivering good social policy outcomes, readers will not be surprised that I have reservations about certain aspects of the Taskforce prescription. However, when an effort has been made to address New Zealand’s deep-seated problems I am inclined to the view that it’s worth giving it proper consideration.

Certain aspects of the Taskforce prescription are worth exploring further:

• The relative decline in New Zealand’s GDP per capita is not well understood by the public – it needs to be;

• The substantial increase in government spending since 2005 is unsustainable and needs to be curbed is a useful observation but needs to be considered in the context of the global recession of 2009.

• The trebling of subsidies for early childhood education and day care is also worthy of evaluation to see whether such expenditure is getting the benefits expected of it.

• Reforming the welfare system to curb abuses is also going to be important over the next decade.

• Ensuring that our income and company tax rates are competitive with Australia, the UK and other competitors for kiwi talent is important.

There are, however, other parts of the report that appear to lack sufficient analysis:

• The attribution of New Zealand’s decline in economic performance to “the impact of the protectionist regime put in place in the 1930s” is questionable given that our best economic performance occurred in the 1950s and 1960s under such policies;

• There is little in the way of consideration of how new research, science and technology can help drive faster growth rates and diversity in our economy.

• As most business people will tell you selling assets is not a very well thought through strategy for long term economic prosperity. Raising productivity and skill levels – together with NZ-based research capacity is likely to deliver longer term gains for the country’s prosperity.

2010 represents a year of opportunity for the government to introduce overdue economic reforms. The studies it has commissioned in 2009 will offer a useful base of work from which to consider remedies for New Zealand’s economic ailments. Social policy considerations - such as social cohesion- will have their place alongside economic goals in any intelligent programme of reform in 2010.

Lessons From Timor-Leste: Time To Reform International Financial System?

Unlike nearly any other nation in the underdeveloped world, Timor-Leste has refused to borrow money from the international community.

At this year’s donors meeting in May, the Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri, spelled out his Government’s position: “We are not ideologically opposed to borrowing money. But we are opposed to unsustainable borrowing”. These are wise words. A paper by the Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt (CADTM) says that

 

“Despite the nations of the South having abundant natural and human resources, the burden of debt for larger developing nations has restricted their development, for smaller nations, it has suffocated it altogether. In 2000, the UNDP and UNICEF calculated that $80 billion a year for ten years would be enough to ensure that the entire population of the world had basic services such as decent food, access to drinking-water, primary education and access to basic health care. Yet in 2001 alone, developing countries spent $382 billion on debt repayments.

 

In general, indebtedness remains one of the biggest barriers to developing countries’ effort to build strong domestic economies and improve the living standards of their citizens.

 

“For every $1 owed in 1980, developing countries have since repaid $7.50 but still owe $4.

This is a massive transfer of resources from the South to the North that renders international institutions’ talk about “poverty reduction” and achieving “Millennium Development Goals” meaningless. http://www.cadtm.org/Avoiding-Indebtedness-and

In addition to the perpetual merry-go-round of debt that developing countries find themselves trapped in there are also some apparent internal contradictions which impact developed nations and which seem incapable of resolution under existing policy settings:

• The never ending battle by all nations to achieve a balance of payments surplus – despite the fact that by definition half the countries are likely to remain in deficit simply because someone has to import more than they export so that the others can export more than they import. New Zealand and other smaller economies have suffered from this more than most.  
• As labour-saving technology enables the production of much greater volumes of goods and services with fewer labour hours how will the increased volume of production be consumed unless purchasing power (not directly linked to labour hours) is also increased commensurately?
• As technology is used to increase productivity and national income it should be possible to reduce – rather than increase - the number of hours worked. France which has adopted a shorter working week is leading the way in productivity growth. Perhaps there are some lessons to be learned from such innovative social policy?

 We should at least have the debate.

http://www.centristcomment.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Key Reasons To Support Income Splitting

The Minister of Revenue's recent announcement that the government will introduce a Bill into Parliament in 2010 to establish Income Splitting is a significant step forwards.  While passage of the Bill beyond Select Committee is not guaranteed it does offer New Zealand parents the opportunity to show their support next year for income splitting. 

We here republish a 2007 article from the Parents Choice 08 blog. 

"Income Splitting is a policy which allows parents to split their household income so that they pay less tax overall. It means that families which choose to have one parent at home caring for their children will have that worked recognised through the tax system as being socially useful. It sends an important signal that parenting is valued.

In brief there are five key reasons to support income splitting. They are:

1. It sends a signal via tax policy that parenting is recognised as valuable. Currently many policies such as subsidisation of child care for parents in paid employment, parental leave for full time employees, and the discrimination against working parents compared to self-employed parents regarding tax treatment, all combine to slant the playing field towards getting parents out of the home and into the workforce. Parents Choice believes that policies to encourage people back to work should not be at the expense of those parents who want to spend time at home with their children - especially during the crucial early years of a child's development.
2. It empowers parents and helps strengthen families. It allows parents to choose whether they will have one parent at home or whether some other work pattern suits them best. Either way parents should make these decisions without government policies pushing them both into the workplace. It should be a parents choice.

3. It builds social capital. Having a greater number of parents choosing to parent fulltime means more opportunities for voluntary and charitable organisations to benefit from having bright, capable and often highly-educated people able and willing to volunteer to work part time in the community or in charitable or religious organisations - all of which is likely to build social capital - the glue that holds society together. Prof. Robert Putnam (author of "Bowling Alone") has provided substantial evidence on the benefits of boosting social capital in a community.

4. It boosts the economy. Income splitting holds the promise of helping strengthen families, strengthen communities and boost social capital. The long term economic cost of weak families, communities and the erosion of social capital is all too apparent when one looks at the cost of family breakdown, juvenile delinquency, vandalism, gang-related activity, crime, distrust and division. If we can go to the core of the social causes of such breakdown then the economic cost savings in police, social work, court time, and broader strengthening of social capital is potentially immense. In any case most economists now agree that the real solution to better economic performance is not in higher labour rate participation or longer working hours but in higher productivity. New Zealand already has one of the highest participation rates in the OECD. The solution is in working smarter not forcing more and more parents to get into the workforce or for those already there to have to spend even more hours at the office.

5. It places the wellbeing of children at the centre of economic and social policies. Good economic and social policies need to ensure that parents and children are kept "front and centre" when designing a sound policy framework. To ignore the development stage of the next generation of human capital is foolish in the extreme. People remain our greatest asset. We need to ensure that all children get off to a good start in life - through both their home life and school life. Income splitting says that the relationship between a parent and child is very important, at least as important as that between an employer and employee, and that our laws should recognise this and allow parents to spend more time with their families."

Parents Choice 08 has passed the torch to other groups to carry on the campaign for income splitting.  Here at Centrist Comment we will continue to provide news and updates on this important social policy innovation. If you want to subscribe to the Centrist Comment blog updates click on "subscribe". 
If you want to join the national mailing list for Parents Choice please contact Roger on rogerellis07@gmail.com

Obama healthcare plan moves a step closer

BBC reports that after a long, often acrimonious debate Senators voted 60 to 40 along party lines to end debate on the health reform bill at 0100 (0600 GMT) on Monday.Four further votes are scheduled this week on the issue before the final Senate vote on Christmas Eve.

Under the Senate bill, most Americans would have to have health insurance. This marks a significant breakthrough to help ensure that Americans can receive the health treatment they need - regardless of whether they are rich or poor. Historically the US health system has been one of the most expensive in the world.  The proliferation of private providers funded by private insurance companies has led to significant waste and duplication.  At the same time many low income Americans have been unable to pay the premiums which are now required to fund this private healthcare monster.

China- Taiwan Trade Talks Begin

China's top negotiator on Taiwan affairs is due to arrive in Taipei for trade talks that some fear could undermine the island's sovereignty the BBC reports.

Ahead of the talks, tens of thousands of protesters rallied against Chen Yunlin's visit.The two governments hope to sign the free-trade pact by early next year.  In recent months there has been a groundswell of support in Taiwan for full independence from China.

O'connor Elected Chair Of Amesbury Drive School

Scoop: O'connor Elected Chair Of Amesbury Drive School story in Scoop News highlighting the progress made by the new Establishment Board of Trustees (of which the writer is a member). The EBOT will be posting updates on its own blog www.amesburydrive.blogspot.com

National Standards - ODT comment

Otago Daily Times makes some good points on the educational national standards issue.  Consider the state of numeracy and literacy, as measured in school leaver statistics published by the Ministry of Education earlier this month for the 2008 year: nearly a fifth failed to achieve even NCEA Level One or above. Is that good enough? 
If one major purpose of the national standards is to identify pupils who are falling behind and provide help to schools to ensure they improve, what sense is there in resisting it?

Time To Change Failed Recipe

Peter's Position blog sees the United Future leader advocating greater use of voluntary and not for profit organisations to help grapple with the thorny social and family issues that have been languishing in the "too hard" basket for decades now.

While there is always the risk that under-resourcing could compound existing social inequalities surely the time has come to try a new approach from the tried and failed framework of centralised government agencies attempting and failing to deal with entrenched failure in education, health, welfare and skills training?

If the challenges of appropriate accountability for public funding and necessary audits can be maintained or made simpler and more effective then perhaps the time has come for a decentralised approach to social service delivery.  Such an approach could work well with the desire by many iwi organisations to take greater autonomy for delivery of services to their own people.

Liberal Democrats Confirm Commitment to Scrap Tuition Fees

http://www.nickclegg.com/2009/12/tuition-fees/ Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats has announced that scrapping tuition fees would remain one of the party’s most important policies.
In a letter to Liberal Democrat members he today he set out a timetable to scrap fees, including those for part-time courses, over the six years following the General Election. The letter in full:
Dear Friend
I’m writing to let you know some good news about the Liberal Democrat manifesto - good news for students and for everyone who wants a fairer Britain. This week the Party’s federal policy committee agreed a way to deliver one of our most important policies, the scrapping of unfair tuition fees. We’ve developed a plan to phase out tuition fees over the course of the next six years, to ensure this vital policy is affordable even at this time of economic crisis.

Slow progress at Copenhagen talks

There have been ongoing protests throughout the two-week conference on climate change in Copenhagen.  Talks remain deadlocked with just two days left to seal a global emissions pact.

Developed and developing nations remain at odds over who should cut emissions, how deep the cuts should be, and how much aid should go to poor countries.

But there has been some progress - wealthy nations pledged new funds to bankroll the war on global warming.   Read the full BBC report at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8417541.stm

Income splitting for tax purposes back in the spotlight

New Zealand families may yet get a choice on how they choose to work and pay tax. United Future leader, Hon Peter Dunne MP has announced the release of an issues paper looking at how income splitting might operate through an annual tax credit.

“Under income splitting, each partner in a relationship with children would be taxed on an equal share of their combined income, Revenue Minister and UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne said today in releasing the issues paper.

The first round of consultation last year sought feedback on what people thought of income splitting, and attracted more than 200 responses, most of them favourable.

“Because income taxes are progressive, with high incomes attracting a higher rate of tax than low incomes, many families might pay less tax, providing some financial assistance when one parent works full-time and the other chooses to stay at home to care for the children,” Mr Dunne said.

“The issues paper proposes having income splitting operate through an annual tax credit, and seeks people’s feedback on how well such a system would work for them,” Mr Dunne said.

“Inland Revenue would calculate the end-of-year tax credit, which would be based on any difference between the tax the couple would pay on an individual basis and the tax they would pay by splitting their income for tax purposes.

“To be eligible for the tax credit, couples would have to be married, civil union partners or de facto partners, be New Zealand residents, and be primarily responsible for the day-to-day care of a dependent child under 18.

“Financial considerations often play a large role in parents deciding whether both should continue to work full-time or one stays home to care for the children,” he said.

“Income splitting is one way of enabling parents to have greater choice in their work and caring roles, and also recognises the valuable role played by parents who choose to opt out of the workforce to raise their children.

“I urge all interested parties to have their say on the workability of the tax credit that is set out in the paper.

“Once we have received the public’s feedback on the details of the proposed mechanism for making income splitting a reality, the next step will be to introduce enabling legislation next year, a move that is provided for in the confidence and supply agreement between UnitedFuture and National,” Mr Dunne said.

The issues paper, “An income splitting tax credit for families with children” is available at www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz.

Submissions close on 5 February 2010.

http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/default,1291,dunne_unitedfutures_income_splitting_plans_take_shape.sm

Income-splitting plan gives families a tax break | Stuff.co.nz

Income-splitting plan gives families a tax break Stuff.co.nz
At last some recognition for the work performed by many thousands of parents (mainly women) who choose to invest time and work into raising their own children. Income splitting at least moves towards some recognition of the valuable, yet unpaid work undertaken by hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders year after year.

Beehive - Budget spending jumps 45 per cent in five years

Bill English has quoted Treasury papers Beehive - Budget spending jumps 45 per cent in five years to show that government spending has grown massively during the last few years. Government spending cannot keep growing inexorably - without a corresponding increase in revenues. There re only two ways to deal with this - either raise taxes or cut spending. The optimal answer is probably a combination of both and the sooner the better.

Johnsonville Needs Infrastructure Upgrade First

Proposed changes to the Wellington City Council District Plan risk exacerbating current traffic congestion problems in Johnsonville. The City Council is closing off public submissions on Friday 27th November - despite reports that it won't get around to hearing public submissions until May 2010. The question is why the hurry to stifle public debate?

Johnsonville today simply does not have the infrastructure required to support a large increase in infill housing. Our roads are congested at peak times, our on-street parking is already difficult to navigate and other services are also likely to come under pressure in the wake of a surge in population growth.

The Council should defer consideration of this proposal until more local residents have had an opportunity to comment. Many are unaware of the scale of change being proposed and the likely impact on the community. If sitting councillors are confident about the proposed changes then I invite them to test public opinion at the ballot box during next year's local body elections.

Human Rights Day

Human Rights Day marks the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted on December 10, 1948 that set down the basic principles at the very heart of the human rights movement. The UDHR has enabled remarkable progress in human rights, inspiring international human rights standards, laws and institutions that have improved the lives of many around the world.

The day is a high point in the calendar of United Nations and is normally marked by both high-level political conferences and meetings and by cultural events and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues. Many non-profit organizations and human rights activists also schedule special events to commemorate the day. Look out for events in your community!

Obama Health Reform Passes First Hurdle

President Obama's landmark healthcare legislation was narrowly passed by the US House of Representatives. The vote marks a significant step towards the Obama administration's goal of extending health coverage to millions of people lacking it.

It's not surprising that the US is slowly moving towards a universal health care system. What is surprising is the unrelenting opposition to the reforms from what appear to be a large number of Americans on the grounds that it is some sort of socialist experiment.

The House voted 220-215 in favour of the bill, which will impose tougher regulations on the health insurance industry and provide cover for around 36 million more Americans.

In a statement, Obama praised the Representatives and said he was "absolutely confident" that the Senate would pass its version of the legislation. "I look forward to signing it into law by the end of the year," the US president said.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/08/representatives-pass-obama-healthcare-legislation

Fibre Broadband As A Human Right?

Labour's Communications Spokesperson is asking whether Broadband should be viewed as a basic right like water or electricity? I am a huge supporter of the power of broadband to transform communities and economies. There is no doubt that good quality broadband can revolutionise education, health and help integrate communities. However, policy-makers will need to consider what the alternative uses are for between $2billion and $9billion of investment. More importantly they will need to consider exactly how the nation's productivity will be raised through such investment.

There is no doubt that the risk of a new digital divide is significant. There is also little doubt in my mind that government leadership will be important. But we also need to make sure that NZ Inc does not squander this opportunity to build a high-productivity hi-tech economy. Our children's generation will not thank us for bequeathing to them a large debt without commensurate returns from wise investments. Rather than debating whether we should make it a human right - perhaps we should just get on and do those basic things that most of us know will be required in any case - for example improved international connectivity, improved open-access fibre backhaul, abolition of the TSO Levy, and a national stocktake of existing ducting to identify gaps which can then aid in rapid fibre deployment?

NZ Immunisation Rates Well Below Par

Our immunisation completion rates are far lower than in many other developed and underdeveloped countries (which have completion rates up to 95%), and there are significant inequities for many of our most vulnerable children. (Māori uptake in Auckland and Counties Manukau is 64%).

The Health Select Committee is inquiring into these matters and is seeking submissions. The terms of reference for this inquiry are as follows:

1. To collate current statistics for New Zealand children on timeliness of delivery and completion of immunisation, and how we compare internationally.
2. To assess how well the New Zealand Immunisation Register is working, and the effectiveness of utilisation.
3. To search relevant world literature for optimal methods of how to achieve timely and high immunisation completion rates.
4. To seek up-to-date information on community concerns, informed consent and conscientious objection issues.
5. To seek an analysis of benefits and disadvantages.
6. To define, and make recommendations as to what methods could be applied at minimal cost to improve immunisation in New Zealand,( bearing in mind the first 60% are easier to get, the next 20-30% require more effort, the next 5% lots of effort and around 5% are declines).

The Health Select Committee committee will be advertising for submissions in the next few days.

ICT-literate Mums - key election influence in UK

ICT-literate Mums are emerging as the new battleground for electoral success in the UK election campaign. Increasingly Mums (and some Dads) are using mobiles and laptops as a means of staying in touch with their communities while combining parental roles at home or while working part time. The Independent today reports as follows.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/meet-cyberwoman-the-battleground-for-the-next-election-1822412.html

Vodafone Foundation - A Corporate Philanthropic Leader

In October the Vodafone Foundation hosted over 70 guests - including MPs and senior officials to a celebration of the work of the Foundation. The Vodafone Foundation is a leader in the nation's corporate philanthropy. Each year it donates over $1million to the cause of helping New Zealand's high needs young people. For more details www.vodafonenzfoundation.org.nz

TSO Tackled At Last

The Minister of Communications, Steven Joyce, has issued a Discussion Document proposing a new and much fairer way of charging for TSO costs. He has also proposed the introduction of a new Development Levy to be charged against telecommunications companies. While there may be some concern about the imposition of yet another levy on the sector the proposal to set the TSO Levy at zero is one that will be welcomed by most of the telecommunications sector. It has long been a thorn in the side of the non-Telecom operators and most will be pleased to see the back of the TSO levy as soon as possible.

Kennedy Dies

Senator Edward Kennedy dies at age 77 - Yahoo! News
Yahoo News covers Senator Ted Kennedy's remarkable career spanning almost half a century. Kennedy was a flawed human being - like all of us. He deserves credit, however, for his principled advocacy for public healthcare and gun control. His support for the poor and the marginalised provided an inspiring example and a challenge to the establishment. America is better because of the contribution he made.

Mobile and Productive

The links between adoption of mobile technology and productivity have been further evidenced with new research being completed by McKinseys. Billions of dollars of value has been added to the US economy in recent years due to mobile devices - phones, PDAs and laptops. If productivity is the end game then we could do a lot worse than look for ways to ensure that kiwi companies and business operators have the information they need, wherever they are at whatever time they need it. This is the power of mobility.

Productivity - The Challenge for the nation

The new watchword is productivity. Our ability to be more productive as a nation is likely to be the leading factor in new Zealand's growth and propsperity in the next two decades. Its not just about working harder. We need to work smarter. new Zealanders are already among the hardest working people in the OECD.
Quality of management, application of technology in ways that add value and boost productivity - these are the areas where we need to focus.

Skills development, lower income tax rates, and the promotion of investment in export-led, high value goods and services have to be part of the new policy programme. Science and technology have key rolls to play. We can't just reply on dairy products or tourism to prosper.

Kiwi households gorged on debt

Reserve Bank of New Zealand - Key Graphs - household debt

By December 2008 the outstanding total debt of households had increased more than six times in dollar terms since 1990. As a percentage of households' disposable income, household debt peaked at over 160% early in 2008, nearing 3 times the December 1990 level. The weighted average interest rate on total household debt however had fallen from over 15% to just above 8.5% per annum (at December 2008, 92% of household debt was housing debt, at an average rate of around 8%). Interest servicing of the increased debt, as a percentage of incomes, was 50% higher than in 1990.

Higher productivity - Not Longer Hours- the answer

Improving productivity needs to be at the centre of the government's agenda over the remainder of its term in office. The previous government's focus was on drawing more people into the workforce - in fact paying people to join the workforce. The damage of such an approach has not yet been calculated. However, some work has been done on the effects on productivity. New Zealand Business Roundtable Articles shows that productivity growth slumped during the first nine years of the 21st century. New Zealand continued to lag behind the faster-growing Australian economy. Other commentators have already highlighted the greater use of technology, labour-saving devices, shorter working weeks and quality of management as potential contributing factors in the superior performance of other countries such as France and Ireland.

Britain to unveil digital future - technology | Stuff.co.nz

Britain to unveil digital future - technology | Stuff.co.nz
UK getting in on Broadband act.

Cellphone ban in cars likely this year - Telecommunications - NZ Herald News

Cellphone ban in cars likely this year - Telecommunications - NZ Herald News

Great to see the government taking this issue seriously.

Ernie Newman: Time to pull telecommunications out of Stone Age - Telecommunications - NZ Herald News

Ernie Newman: Time to pull telecommunications out of Stone Age - Telecommunications - NZ Herald News

Thoughtful article from TUANZ Chief Ernie Newman. Its about time New Zealand caught up with the rest of the world. Time to move from the Flintstones to the Future.

Vodafone: Let's work together - Broadband - NZ Herald News

Vodafone: Let's work together - Broadband - NZ Herald News
Vodafone has contributed innovative solutions to the challenge of improving Broadband for NZ Inc.

disclaimer: the writer is employed by Vodafone NZ the opinions expressed are his and do not necessarily represent those of Vodafone.

Social Capital Needs Rebuilding

Social Capital is the glue that holds society together. It takes many forms. It is present when volunteers clean up a stream, build a marae, or teach literacy classes. It adds to the strength of communities. It stands in contrast to the selfish individualism for the libertarian Right. It also stands in contrast to the collectivist uniformity of the far left. Building Social Capital is about empowering local communities, rebuilding neighbourliness and recognising the value of voluntarism.

Given the failures of the centralisation of political and financial power which has developed since the 1950s perhaps it is time for a different policy programme?

Mobile Communications Will Drive Economic Growth

At the GSMA's Leadership Summit, bringing together 400 CEOs, government ministers and officials, industry leaders today stressed the unique role that broadband, specifically mobile broadband, can play as an economic stimulus. Those leaders called for governments to support the rollout of mobile broadband services to drive economic growth.
The release of new spectrum for mobile broadband services in 2009 will ultimately add the equivalent of $211 billion to China's GDP, and could add the equivalent of $95 billion to India's GDP1, according to a new report by Professor Leonard Waverman and consultancy LECG for the GSMA, which represents the global mobile industry. The rollout of mobile broadband networks will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, encourage new businesses across the value chain, improve productivity and boost consumer spending.

As the mobile industry is one of the few parts of the private sector currently capable of providing an economic stimulus, governments need to ensure they adopt policies that encourage more investment in mobile services and networks. Wherever possible, governments should seek to create a stable regulatory environment, while licensing spectrum on the right terms to encourage spending on network infrastructure and services, stimulating economic growth.

Obama Approach - the Right One

President Obama has displayed a refreshing sense of realism and optimism in his approach to the Middle East. His determination to use his influence to curb Israeli settlements will be helpful in securing a hearing from most governments in the Middle East. His support for Israel's right to exist should reassure Israelis that they will not be abandoned by their superpower supporter.

Time to Empower Parents

Parents who choose to invest time in their children either fulltime or part time at home should be recognised for the work they do. Allowing a couple with children to split their combined income for tax purposes would provide some much overdue recognition of the importance of parenting young children.

Anti-Racism Conference Walkout

Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. UN General Secretary, Ban Ki-moon found himself between the pro-Israel lobby and the pro-Palestine lobby this week. One of the purposes of free speech and open debate is to establish the facts and persuade listeners. By absenting themselves from the United Nations debate on Racism countries such as the USA and New Zealand deprived themselves of a platform to argue their point of view. Yes - there is a risk that in joining the debate we hear things from others that we do not like. But that is the nature of debate. Tolerance and freedom are hallmarks of the liberal ethos and we depart from them at our peril.

The Importance of Social Cohesion

Social cohesion is important not just because it helps make society more stable, more productive and less violent but because it helps all citizens develop positive aspirations for themselves and their families.
Those societies that have a large underclass that is disconnected from the economic mainstream tend to exhibit a greater range of social and economic problems such as crime, racial tensions, violence and industrial unrest.
A progressive income tax, a strong and responsive public health service and high quality public education service are all foundational to a socially cohesive nation. Most mainstream political parties have now come to recognise this. Parties on the Left have long advocated such measures – albeit at times out of a desire to punish the rich. But today some liberal and conservative parties on the centre-right are also choosing to re-incorporate such policies as part of a socially inclusive form of liberal democracy.

Innovative centrist solutions required to combat recession

The tired old policies of keynesian pump-priming of the Old left and severe retrenchment of the Old Right are no longer the solutions we need to combat today's economic woes. Borrow and hope policies cannot be a long term solution to today's crisis. But harsh cuts in social spending mean the most vulnerable are left to fend for themselves when they can least afford it. Perhaps the time has come to defer income tax cuts for the wealthy, for wage restraint for employees, and for significant State investment in infrastructure projects that will be of value to the nation long after the recession. Better roads, improved broadband, and large scale home insulation programmes would be welcome steps in the right direction.

Centrists support Obama

Good to see centrists in the US supporting President Obama's policy programme.
http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/03/25/centrist-dem-group-pledges-support-for-obama/

It will be the debt of us

You cannot spend your way to prosperity. That's a basic economics lesson that most people learned at a young age. Today, however, we have a generation of bankers and politicians who appear to believe that they can borrow their way to boom times and spend their way to success. It simply ain't so. Once the debt-fuelled binge is over the bill will have to be paid. It would be better to pay as we go now than face the prospect of harsh cutbacks later. Ongoing current account deficits have now been joined by a return to government borrowings for operating expenses. In other words we are borrowing to pay the groceries - something New Zealand finally stopped doing in the 1990s. Are we now poised to return to bad habits?

New Churton Park School Welcomed

“Fantastic news”. That was the reaction today from the Churton Park Community Association to the announcement, by the Minister of Education, of a new school for the fast-growing suburb.

For several years now the local school has been under pressure with rising roll growth and limited land area for new classrooms. This announcement means that parents throughout the community can be assured of access to good quality local schooling in the future.

Churton Park now has a population approaching 5,000 and is one of the fastest growing suburbs of Wellington City.

Northern Suburbs Deserve More Attention

In the empty spaces of Stebbings Valley the ongoing growth of Wellington City is plain to see. One of Wellington's fastest growing suburbs - Churton Park - already has 4,000 residents. The local school roll has grown to such an extent that a new school will soon have to be built. However, in many ways it is the neglected suburb of Wellington. There are not yet any facilities which most suburbs take for granted. No community hall. No youth facilities. No local supermarket or coffee shop. No Sports Centre for it. No Community Board. The one road out of the suburb - Middleton Road - regularly comes to a peak-hour stand still on weekdays. A long-planned link road to the motorway has been stalled through a combination of RMA consent delays and Council funding squabbles. The City Council has a clear focus on areas south of Johnsonville - the so-called 'growth spine". Problem is the growth spine isn't growing. Trying to starve development in the north through lack of attention and investment is not a smart idea. If local residents in the northern suburbs feel neglected by their Council that may be because they have been. Let's hope 2009 is a year in which the Council rediscovers its long forgotten northern suburbs.

Guitly until proven innocent?

Innocent until proven guilty - an historic right under British common law right? Not for much longer if new Internet law proposals are advanced. The proposals means that simply being accused of breaching copyright would require an Internet Service Provider to take down web pages. Failure to do so could be punishable. No trial, no jury, no presumption of innocence. The government is going to allow an extension of time to resolve the issue and for ISP interests to finalise a Code of Practice. For further details check out geekzone
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/juha/6247

Immigration could boost economy

A few years ago high inflows of migrants helped boost house prices and added to economic activity as well as giving new migrants better opportunities. In addition to tax cuts the government might also want to consider a campaign to attract suitable immigrants who can add to the economic dynamism of New Zealand.

Nukes Too Costly

Time Magazine recently carried an interesting report concerning the huge costs involved in building nuclear power plants. Another key concern is the problem of what to do with tonnes of nuclear waste following use in the production cycle.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1869203,00.html?iid=perma_share