Roger Douglas Has a Lesson for the Left
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- Date published:
12:33 pm, August 25th, 2024 - 28 comments
Categories: act, Austerity, Economy, labour, MMP, roger douglas -
Tags: milton friedman, naomi klein, neo-liberalism, shock doctrine, welfare state
By Elliot Crossan – Cross-posted from post at System Change
According to the Douglas doctrine, you move in quantum leaps. By the time your opponents catch up with what you’re doing, you’re on to the next thing.
That’s how Toby Manhire summarised Roger Douglas’ approach to economic reform in The Spinoff’s podcast series Juggernaut, which marked the 40th anniversary of the Fourth Labour Government.
Roger Douglas, the most revolutionary Finance Minister in the postwar history of Aotearoa, knew how to change more in three years than most governments do in three terms. Rogernomics transformed the structure of our economy with dizzying speed, from protectionist welfare state to neoliberal free market.
Inequality soared across the world in the 1980s as neoliberal reforms were enacted. Poverty rose as union-busting and unemployment ravaged working class communities. Privatisation and deregulation unleashed an explosion of corporate profit. The domination of society by the super-rich, accompanied by low wages and unaffordable housing, is the enduring legacy of this decade.
The radical change experienced in Aotearoa between 1984 and 1993 stood out from what occurred in most other OECD countries in three main ways.
Firstly, these free market policies were initiated here by a Labour Government. In most countries, it was conservative torchbearers such as Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan who spearheaded this agenda. In Aotearoa, it was David Lange’s election which led to what the Prime Minister later described with sorrow as “a juggernaut of the New Right.”
Secondly, no one voted for this devastating agenda. Labour was supposed to be the party of the working class, and had stood in the 1984 election on a social democratic agenda. Once Roger Douglas unleashed the neoliberal juggernaut and National signed up to the same policies, voters did not have a choice. When they voted Labour out in 1990 and elected National on a promise of a return to “a decent society,” they got more of the same — Ruth Richardson took over as Finance Minister and continued an agenda of radical reform in the first three years of Jim Bolger’s government. Rogernomics was followed by Ruthanasia.
Thirdly, the speed and scale of the reforms imposed by Douglas and Richardson was ferocious even compared to the likes of Thatcher and Reagan. There is a reason why Aotearoa experienced a faster increase of inequality in the 1980s and 1990s than any comparable OECD country.
Four decades on, Douglas is still preaching his doctrine of moving in quantum leaps. He has long complained that Lange sacked him before he could implement his agenda in full. He and his allies created the ACT Party to finish the job.
It is high time that the left took some notes from Douglas on how to transform society. If the left leaves it to the right to move in quantum leaps, our political economy will only ever move in one direction: ever-higher levels of inequality.
Douglas’ “quantum leap” approach is what left-wing activist and intellectual Naomi Klein called the Shock Doctrine. In her 2007 book by that name, Klein outlined how neoliberal governments exploit moments of crisis when the public is in shock to ram through unpopular policies. Klein is not making this up — she merely had to draw attention to what neoliberal ideologues themselves were saying to come to this conclusion. In 1982 Milton Friedman, the economist dubbed “the most-revered champion of free-market economics since Adam Smith” by the Wall Street Journal, wrote that:
There is enormous inertia — a tyranny of the status quo — in private and especially governmental arrangements. Only a crisis — actual or perceived — produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable.
This insight has been seized upon to devastating effect by the neoliberal right. Their dreams of rolling back the welfare state and breaking the power of organised labour seemed impossible in the 1960s; by the 1990s they had become common sense across the world. Once implemented, they sold their vision as inevitable — Margaret Thatcher famously proclaimed that There Is No Alternative.
Neoliberalism has failed for the vast majority of people. Climate change threatens all life on earth; extreme inequality is tearing society apart. The free market has no answers. An alternative economic system is not only possible, it is desperately necessary.
This alternative system must involve a fundamental and irreversible shift of wealth and power away from the corporations who have been colossally enriched by neoliberalism, and back towards working people. It must uphold Tino Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhake; and it must involve moving rapidly away from reliance on the fossil fuels which are destroying our planet. But we won’t be able to change the entire system without moving, as the right has moved, in quantum leaps. It is the only way to turn back the tide.
A Constant Rightward Drift
It was argued by many academics and pundits that the introduction of the MMP electoral system had replaced the era of radical change with an era of ‘moderation.’ After sacking Richardson in 1993, Bolger led the Fourth National Government in a more moderate direction. The 2008-2017 government of John Key and Bill English pursued a mild, centre-right agenda. The right was consolidating its gains, not wanting to provoke further societal conflict after its application of the Shock Doctrine in 1984-1993.
Since the Fourth Labour Government went down in flames, Labour has won power again twice — for three terms under Helen Clark, and for two under Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins. Neither of these governments followed Douglas in implementing radical right-wing reforms; both Clark and Ardern defined themselves in opposition to the neoliberal free market era. Yet both governments left the fundamental reforms of the neoliberal era in place, and as a result, both failed in their stated missions of tackling our country’s “unacceptable” levels of inequality.
The centre-left held to the notion that MMP had put a permanent break on radical change. The message was that only incremental progress could succeed: maybe one day we would return to a more equal society like what existed before Rogernomics, but it would be a long, slow process.
The Coalition elected in 2023 is shattering that myth. ACT today has a record number of MPs, and as the second-largest party in government it holds more power than ever before. Douglas is urging the party he helped found to take the same approach he did 40 years ago.
In recent years, ACT has moved in a right-wing populist direction, seeking to win votes by appealing to racist sentiment rather than economistic libertarianism. Since the pandemic, NZ First has joined ACT on the populist right — today, both parties align themselves with extremist anti-Treaty groups such as Hobson’s Pledge.
The National Party may be the most moderate element in the government, but it too has allowed itself to be pulled rightwards. The Coalition is thus mounting the most vicious attack on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and indigenous rights that we have seen in a very long time. The Government is further attacking tangata whenua through its law-and-order populism, a thinly-veiled dog-whistle for locking up more Māori, who are disproportionately incarcerated by the colonial prison system.
This racist agenda is accompanied by harsh austerity. Finance Minister Nicola Willis is taking a sledgehammer to the public service in order to pay for tax cuts. ACT’s Brooke van Velden has been appointed Minister for Workplace Relations, and is predictably using this position to attack workers’ rights. Environmental protections are being watered down, with the repeal of the ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling and the dangerous Fast Track Approvals Bill allowing for an aggressive expansion of fossil fuel production.
The Coalition set out its intentions by using parliamentary urgency an unprecedented number of times in its first 100 days. Douglas’ doctrine is being applied. After 30 years of moderate National and Labour Governments, we are back to the era where change happens in quantum leaps — and the pressure on the National Party by its more right-wing coalition partners means that MMP is enhancing the rate of change, not slowing it down.
If a Labour-led Government moves the needle one or two inches to the left, and is followed by a National-led Government which moves the needle five, ten, twenty inches to the right, then overall politics has moved to the right. Zoom out 40 years, and this is the path Aotearoa has taken. Ever since 1984, we have experienced a seemingly-inexorable rightward drift.
The cautiousness of centre-left leaders such as Ardern and Hipkins will never be a match for the ruthlessness of neoliberal leaders prepared to move with speed and ferocity. The approach of the Coalition, inspired by Douglas and Richardson, is to move so quickly from one reform to the next that social movements are left dazed and confused, unable to build resistance against one devastating attack before being faced with another. The left needs to push back on all fronts at once.
A Democratic, Popular Agenda for Radical Change
We live in an era of crisis. Inflation has given way to recession and unemployment. The housing crisis is not going away. Ordinary people work long hours for low pay while the rich get richer. Attacks on Te Tiriti are polarising society; the social division we have recently seen overseas has arrived on our own shores. The climate crisis threatens all life on earth.
This situation is urgent. As Friedman knew, in times of crisis “the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around.” The left needs to put forward its ideas without equivocation, else the ideas that are enacted will be the ideas of the populist right.
The incrementalist centre-left parties who have failed time and time again to turn back the tide on neoliberalism will never implement radical demands of their own volition, let alone lead the charge towards an alternative economic system. These parties must be pressured from below. At the same time, new organisations must be created that are committed to truly transformational change, including a political party committed to dismantling the entire capitalist system.
We need to organise and demand transformational change to occur in quantum leaps. But the agenda of the radical left — redistributing wealth from the 1% to the 99%, repealing anti-union laws, phasing out fossil fuels, and Tiriti-based constitutional transformation — will encounter fierce opposition. The neoliberals understood that such opposition cannot be reasoned with. It must be overwhelmed.
Douglas’ agenda was completely undemocratic, and, once the outcomes of Rogernomics started to become clear, deeply unpopular. A programme of left-wing transformation would be neither. Such a programme would favour the vast majority of the population. It cannot and would not be a secret agenda, kept hidden until being sprung upon the electorate to exploit a moment of shock. The left needs to discuss ideas and strategy openly and honestly, publicise our ideas as widely as possible, and win a democratic majority for change in the interests of the many, not the few.
The main opposition faced by neoliberalism was the labour movement — trade unionists which represented the majority of society. Resistance to left-wing reform will come from the super-rich — people with extreme wealth and power who will stop at nothing to protect their interests. This makes it even more vital that a left-wing programme is implemented with speed and scale.
The right moves with speed in order to disorientate social movements. The left must mobilise unions and social movements in order to win power, and then keep people mobilised in workplaces and in the streets for as long as possible. The power of the right comes from elites; the power of the left comes from the people. If movements are demobilised or demoralised, a transformative left-wing agenda will get bogged down. Therefore the left needs to move even faster than Douglas did, demonstrating that the will of the people will not be ignored, however much it is resisted by the wealthy few.
The government of Michael Joseph Savage and Peter Fraser transformed Aotearoa in the interests of workers from 1935-1949. Its programme of change began at pace in its first three-year term. The modern left in Aotearoa can take inspiration from the determination shown by the First Labour Government. However, this historical example must not limit us, as we must move further — a transformational agenda today must move beyond the colonial capitalist system, something the Labour Party has historically failed to do.
You can change more in three years than in three decades. Roger Douglas knew this, and the current Coalition knows it too. The modern left needs to wake up and learn the same lesson. The incrementalism of Clark, Ardern and Hipkins has failed. It is time we built a democratic majority to move Aotearoa rapidly towards a system that favours workers, indigenous rights and the future of the planet over the interests of corporations.
A better world is urgently necessary. If the left relies on the power of the people, and moves in quantum leaps, then that better world will become not just possible, but inevitable.
Elliot Crossan is an ecosocialist writer and activist from Auckland. He is the Chair of System Change Aotearoa.
System Change is holding a rally on Sunday 8th September protesting the Coalition’s benefit sanctions and cuts to disability funding. The rally will be at 12pm at Britomart. RSVP here if you are interested in attending..
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Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...1 week ago
- Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live at 5pm
Photo by Jenny Bess on UnsplashCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm - 5.10 pm - Bernard and ...1 week ago - Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.
I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading ...1 week ago
- How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?
Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...1 week ago - A missed opportunity
The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...1 week ago
- Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy
Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...1 week ago - Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies
The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...1 week ago - The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...1 week ago
- Minister of Injustice seeks to Entrench largest land confiscation in History
The Waitangi Tribunal has released an Urgent Report on the Government’s proposed amendments to the Takutai Moana Act 2011. The report calls out Paul Goldsmith’s proposal for what it is: a “gross breach of the Treaty” and an “illegitimate exercise of kāwanatanga”. The Tribunal is recommending the Crown step down ...13 hours ago
- Takutai Moana changes another assault on Te Tiriti
The Government must abandon its Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act interventions after the Waitangi Tribunal found it was committing gross breaches of the Treaty. ...13 hours ago - Greens call on Govt to leave Te Reo in schools alone
As Te Wiki o te Reo Māori approaches, the Government is considering deprioritising teaching Te Reo Māori in our schools. ...15 hours ago
- Govt cannot ignore racism
The Government’s directive to the public service to ignore race is nothing more than a dog whistle and distraction from the structural racism we need to address. ...16 hours ago
- Release: Lemauga Lydia Sosene to take medical leave
Labour’s Mangere MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will shortly take medical leave. ...20 hours ago - Potential intelligence sharing with Israel must be investigated
Concerns have been raised that our spy arrangements may mean that intelligence is being shared between Aotearoa and Israel. An urgent inquiry must be launched in response to this. ...1 day ago
- Release: Charter schools undermine our education system
The Government is taking a wrecking ball to our public education system by reinstating charter schools. ...2 days ago
- Youngest MP to travel to Canada to accept Politician of the Year Award
Aotearoa’s Youngest Member of Parliament, and Te Pāti Māori MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, will travel to Montreal to accept the One Young World Politician of the Year Award next week. The One Young World Politician of the Year Award was created in 2018 to recognise the most promising young politicians between ...2 days ago
- Greens celebrate huge step forward for ADHD community
The Greens welcome today’s long-coming announcement by Pharmac of consultation to remove the special authority renewal criteria for methylphenidate, dexamfetamine and modafinil and to fund lisdexamfetamine. ...2 days ago
- Release: Millions to be spent dividing NZ for no reason
The National Party is wasting millions of dollars allowing David Seymour’s Treaty Principals Bill to be drafted and go to Select Committee. ...2 days ago
- Release: New Zealanders departing our shores at a record rate
The Migration figures released by Stats NZ today show National is continuing to drive Kiwis away from New Zealand in record numbers. ...2 days ago
- Te Tai Tokerau MP Slams Govt Overreach in Scrapping Māori Wards
Mema Paremata for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, has reflected on the decisions made by the councils of the North amidst the government’s push to remove Māori Wards and weaken mana whenua representation. “Actions taken by the Kaipara District Council to remove Māori Wards are the embodiment of the eradication ...2 days ago
- Govt already seeking advice on Treaty referendum
On one hand, the Prime Minister has assured Aotearoa that his party will not support the Treaty Principles Bill beyond first reading, but on the other, his Government has already sought advice on holding a referendum on our founding document. ...3 days ago
- Release: Aged care will be worse off if redesign rushed
New Zealanders needing aged care support and the people who care for them will be worse off if the Government pushes through a flawed and rushed redesign of dementia and aged care. ...3 days ago
- Release: Govt fails hundreds of workers as mills close
Labour is devastated at news hundreds of workers are set to lose their jobs following the closure of Winstone Pulp mills. ...3 days ago
- Job losses from mill closures consequence of Govt inaction
Hundreds of jobs lost as a result of pulp mill closures in the Ruapehu District are a consequence of government inaction in addressing the shortfalls of our electricity network. ...3 days ago
- Ngarewa-Packer devastated for Ruapehu following WPI closure
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru is devastated for the Ruapehu community following today’s decision to close two Winstone Pulp mills. “My heart goes out to all the workers, their whānau, and the wider Ruapehu community affected by the closure of Winstone Pulp International,” said Ngarewa-Packer. ...4 days ago
- Release: Cabinet should stop the Treaty Principles Bill
National Party Ministers have a majority in Cabinet and can stop David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, which even the Prime Minister has described as “divisive and unhelpful.” ...5 days ago
- Release: Staff gagged to keep fast track list secret
The National Government is so determined to hide the list of potential projects that will avoid environmental scrutiny it has gagged Ministry for the Environment staff from talking about it. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour challenges Te Whatu Ora gag orders
Labour has complained to the Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission about the high number of non-disclosure agreements that have effectively gagged staff at Te Whatu Ora Health NZ from talking about anything relating to their work. ...5 days ago
- Greens call on Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned after letter from Christian leaders
The Green Party is once again urging the Prime Minister to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill as a letter from more than 400 Christian leaders calls for the proposed legislation to be dropped. ...5 days ago
- Sign the petition: Keep military-style firearms off our streets
Help us tell the Government that reintroducing military-style firearms should not be up for debate. ...7 days ago
- Vast majority of councils support Māori wards
Councils across the country have now decided where they stand regarding Māori wards, with a resounding majority in favour of keeping them in what is a significant setback for the Government. ...1 week ago
- Release: Government on the wrong side of Māori wards
The National-led government has been given a clear message from the local government sector, as almost all councils reject the Government’s bid to treat Māori wards different to other wards. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki
The Labour Party congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki on being crowned as the eighth Te Ariki Nui – head of Te Kiingitanga. ...1 week ago
- Green Party welcomes new Maaori Kuiini
The Green Party welcomes the coronation of the new Maaori Kuiini, Te Arikinui Nga Wai Hono i te Po, today in Turangawaewae. ...1 week ago
- ECE teachers deserve better than this Government
The Green Party is unsurprised but disappointed by today’s announcement from the Government that will see our Early Childhood Centre teachers undermined and pay parity pushed further out of reach. ...1 week ago
- Urgent intervention needed on supermarkets
The Green Party is calling on the Government to intervene in the supermarket duopoly dominating our supply of groceries following today’s report from the Commerce Commission. ...1 week ago
- Release: Rainbow youth neglected in mental health funding
Labour backs the call from The Rainbow Support Collective members for mental health funding specifically earmarked for grassroots and peer led community organisations to be set up in a way that they are able to access. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Transport in NZ has to be more than just roads
As expected, the National Land Transport Programme lacks ambition for our cities and our country’s rail network and puts the majority of investment into roads. ...2 weeks ago
- Speech: Barbara Edmonds Building Nations 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa, Thank you for your warm welcome and for having my colleagues and I here today. Earlier you heard from the Labour Leader, Chris Hipkins, on our vision for the future of infrastructure. I want to build on his comments and provide further detail on some key elements ...2 weeks ago
- Govt transport plan deepens fossil fuel fix
The Green Party says the Government’s new National Land Transport Programme marks another missed opportunity to take meaningful action to fight the climate crisis. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for public to back Wrybill in BOTY and beyond
The Green Party is calling on the public to support the Ngutu Pare Wrybill not just in this year’s Bird of the Year competition but also in pushing back against policies that could lead to the destruction of its habitat and accelerate its extinction. ...2 weeks ago
- Building consents data bad news for construction
News that the annual number of building consents granted for new homes fell by more than 20 percent for the year ended July 2024, is bad news for the construction industry. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori Pay Tribute to Kiingi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII
Papā te whatitiri, hikohiko te uira, i kanapu ki te rangi, i whētuki i raro rā, rū ana te whenua e. Uea te pou o tōku whare kia tū tangata he kapua whakairi nāku nā runga o Taupiri. Ko taku kiri ka tōkia ki te anu mātao. E te iwi ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Gaps still to be addressed in callouts response
The Government must guarantee New Zealanders will not be at risk after making changes to the way mental health callouts are handled. ...2 weeks ago
- Poroporoaki: Kiingi Tuheitia passing
Haere e te Kīngi o te kotahitangi Haere ki o nui, ki o rahi I te pō ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party pays respects to Kiingi Tuuheitia
The Green Party is paying tribute to the Māori King, Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero XVII, after he passed away earlier this morning. ...2 weeks ago
- Potaka Brings Whakaata Māori to its Knees
Today’s Whakaata Māori announcement is yet another colossal failure from Minister Potaka, who has turned his back on te reo Māori, forcing a channel offline, putting whānau out of jobs, and cutting Māori content, says Te Pāti Māori. “A Senior Māori Minister has turned his back on Te Reo Māori. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National restricts access to disability care homes
With disability communities still reeling from the diminishing of Whaikaha, a leaked document now reveals another blow with National restricting access to residential care homes. ...2 weeks ago
- Need and value at forefront of public service delivery
New Cabinet policy directives will ensure public agencies prioritise public services on the basis of need and award Government contracts on the basis of public value, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis says. “Cabinet Office has today issued a circular to central government organisations setting out the Government’s expectations ...18 hours ago - Minister to attend Police Ministers Council Meeting
Police Minister Mark Mitchell will join with Australian Police Ministers and Commissioners at the Police Ministers Council meeting (PMC) today in Melbourne. “The council is an opportunity to come together to discuss a range of issues, gain valuable insights on areas of common interest, and different approaches towards law enforcement ...20 hours ago
- New Bill to crack down on youth vaping
The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping. “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...1 day ago
- Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed
Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...2 days ago
- Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...2 days ago
- Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups
Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...2 days ago
- Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it
The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...2 days ago
- Targeted supports to accelerate reading
The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...2 days ago
- Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology
With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...2 days ago
- Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...2 days ago
- Driving structured literacy in schools
The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...2 days ago
- Labour’s misleading information is disappointing
Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says. “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them. ...3 days ago
- Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine
The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. “Mpox is obviously a ...3 days ago
- Next steps agreed for Treaty Principles Bill
Associate Justice Minister David Seymour says Cabinet has agreed to the next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. “The Treaty Principles Bill provides an opportunity for Parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the Treaty, including establishing that every person is equal before the law,” says Mr Seymour. “Parliament ...3 days ago
- Government unlocking potential of AI
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced a programme to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uptake among New Zealand businesses. “The AI Activator will unlock the potential of AI for New Zealand businesses through a range of support, including access to AI research experts, technical assistance, AI tools and resources, ...3 days ago
- Government releases Wairoa flood review findings
The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...3 days ago
- Promoting faster payment times for government
The Government is sending a clear message to central government agencies that they must prioritise paying invoices in a timely manner, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. Data released today promotes transparency by publishing the payment times of each central government agency. This data will be published quarterly ...3 days ago
- Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech
E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward. Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...4 days ago
- Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses
Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...4 days ago
- Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test
More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...4 days ago
- Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction
Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...4 days ago
- Māori Education Advisory Group established
The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...4 days ago
- Government welcomes findings of NZ Superannuation Fund review
The Government has welcomed the findings of the recent statutory review into the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis says. The 5-yearly review, conducted on behalf of Treasury and tabled in Parliament today, found the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation ...4 days ago
- First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight
Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...4 days ago
- Have your say on suicide prevention
Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...4 days ago
- Action to grow the rural health workforce
Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...5 days ago
- Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...5 days ago
- Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians
Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris. “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...5 days ago
- Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations
A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report. “It will have the mandate ...1 week ago
- Passport wait times back on-track
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...1 week ago
- New appointments to the FMA board
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...1 week ago
- District Court judges appointed
Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...1 week ago
- Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand
Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...1 week ago
- New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender
New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...1 week ago
- Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...1 week ago
- Improving access to finance for Kiwis
5 September 2024 The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia
As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...1 week ago
- Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer
Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations. “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...1 week ago
- More choice and competition in building products
A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...1 week ago
- Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul
On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...1 week ago
- Universal Road User Charges Needed To Future-Proof Transport Funding
Interim Chief Executive Dom Kalasih says while paying fuel excise at-the-pump was convenient for drivers, changes in vehicle technology and variability in fuel consumption meant it wasn’t an effective way of vehicle users paying a fair contribution towards ...6 hours ago - Government’s Plans For Infrastructure Are “Promising” – Templer
Now, Templer is hopeful these initiatives will help projects get started soon and that there will be consistent management of the pipeline of infrastructure projects and workforce needed to ensure their delivery. ...7 hours ago
- West Papuan independence advocate seeks NZ support against ‘genocide, ecocide’
SPECIAL REPORT: By Te Aniwaniwa Paterson of Te Ao Māori News West Papuan independence advocate Octo Mote is in Aotearoa New Zealand to win support for independence for West Papua, which has been ruled by Indonesia for more than 60 years. Mote is vice-president of the United Liberation Movement for ...7 hours ago - Waitangi Tribunal findings on customary marine title changes no surprise to iwi leader
The Waitangi Tribunal has hit out at the government for blindly adhering to its coalition agreement by making it harder for Māori to get customary marine title. ...9 hours ago - Get set for more extreme weather across Australia this spring and summer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Australia is no stranger to extreme weather. From heatwaves and droughts to flooding rains, hailstorms or fire weather, our continent experiences it all. To help Australians prepare for these hazards, ...10 hours ago
- Are you ready for it? What a Taylor Swift endorsement means for Kamala Harris
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Shortis, Adjunct Senior Fellow, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University As the US Presidential debate wrapped up on Wednesday, commentators and journalists regrouped and drew breath. But then, enter Taylor Swift. The pop superstar posted her endorsement ...11 hours ago
- What the government’s home care changes mean for ageing Australians
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracy Comans, Executive Director, National Ageing Research Institute; Professor, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland pikselstock/Shutterstock The Albanese government has this week announced it will introduce one of the largest reforms to Australia’s aged-care sector to date. The ...11 hours ago
- Government exploring ‘all options’ to deal with demand for aged care – Minister
Minister for Seniors Casey Costello insists the government is not considering any spending cuts. ...11 hours ago
- A billionaire and an engineer have completed the first private spacewalk. But this isn’t just a va...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gail Iles, Associate Professor – Physics, RMIT University Two astronauts have carried out the first-ever commercial spacewalk, using new less-bulky spacesuits designed by SpaceX. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman (who also funded the mission) and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis together spent almost ...12 hours ago
- Samoan journalists blast ‘ridiculous’ media restrictions at Commonwealth summit
By Harry Pearl Restrictions on journalists covering an upcoming summit of Commonwealth nations in Samoa are “ridiculous” and at odds with a government that purportedly values democracy, says the Pacific island country’s media association. The Samoa Observer newspaper in an editorial also condemned the government’s attempt to limit coverage of ...12 hours ago
- The Week in Politics: David Seymour’s dragon soon to be unleashed
Analysis - David Seymour's Treaty Principles Bill is a step closer to Parliament, and Chris Hipkins' hints his party could go into the next election with a radical tax policy. ...12 hours ago
- Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke wins young world politician of the year award
Maipi-Clarke says the award is an honour, as is her day job. ...12 hours ago
- Your gas stove might be making your asthma worse. Here’s what you can do about it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nusrat Homaira, Senior Lecturer, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney Kwon Junho/Unsplash We may think of air pollution as an outdoor problem, made up of car exhaust and smog. But if the air inside our homes is polluted, this can also ...12 hours ago
- The death of printed newspapers has long been predicted – but there are still some pleasing signs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, 2024 Oxford University visiting research fellow RIJS; Professor of Political Communication., La Trobe University Shutterstock This piece is part of a series on the Future of Australian media. You can read the rest of the series here. When ...13 hours ago
- Needs Not Race Directive Threatens Progress We’ve Made As Country
The Government has taken a decision based on ideology which fundamentally impacts Māori without consulting Māori. There’s a clear pattern here of a government again setting out to divide New Zealand. No-one voted for that. ...14 hours ago
- Crown knew it legally had to pay midwives better, court hears
Health ministers' comments prove the Crown knew it breached legally binding agreements to improve midwives' pay and contracts, a lawyer has told the court. ...14 hours ago
- Local Government Freshwater Protections Must Not Be Hamstrung By Anti-nature Government
Successive Govts have failed to regulate NZ’s worst freshwater polluter - the intensive dairy industry, who pollute lakes, rivers and drinking water with contaminants like E coli and nitrate. And now, Luxon’s govt is removing the only effective freshwater ...15 hours ago
- New plan shows Australia’s hydrogen dream is still alive. But are we betting on the right projects...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute Producing hydrogen remains vital to Australia’s prosperity through the net-zero transition, according to a major strategy that lays a national pathway to becoming a global leader in the low-emissions technology. The ...15 hours ago
- A new law aims to tackle online lies – but it ignores expert advice and doesn’t go nearly far en...
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There were a couple of reasons why Douglas succeeded.
One is that nobody really took seriously what some in the Labour party were warning (like Jim Anderton) – either because they didn't believe it, or didn't want to believe it. After all, how could a LABOUR government turn against everything it had previously believed in…..? And by the time people discovered what had happened it was too late to do much about it, the Rogernomes were in firm control and Lange was lapsing into indifference with his own personal problems.
The second is that Douglas very cleverly kept the support of the trade unions. There was no move to voluntary unionism (that happened under the succeeding Bolger government) and the trade unions were placated and at the same time Prebble and his cohorts made sure to take control of the biggest Labour Party branches and get rid of the leftist elements.
I could write a lot more on this, this is just a summary.
But it would be nigh on impossible for Labour to do this now. They had their chance three years ago when they (for the first time in MMP history) won an absolute majority at the polls and they could have boldly transformed this neo-liberal economy into a much fairer system. But instead they wimped out and took little baby steps forward which the present government have quickly negated.
So if someone tells me that Labour can do anything transformational, I laugh.
Yep, 2020 was a tragedy alright. The fact is Labour did not have the ideological fire power to even want to make transformational change at a level like these current arseholes have.
A lot of good stuff happened during their two terms, but…but…when Mr Hipkins unilaterally scotched wealth tax and CGT it was all over. NZ Labour has to comprehensively repudiate Rogernomics and hand power back to ordinary party members rather than Fraser House HQ and the Parliamentary wing if they are ever going to be useful to the NZ working class.
Well, I was opposed to Rogernomics from the very beginning having witnessed other implementations of neo liberal economics–which are rather obvious now looking back to Pinochet and the Chicago Boys.
Certain unions like the then Workers Union and Hotel and Hospital Union supported Roger the Dodger, but a hell of a lot of unions did not. The State Sector Unions with their political neutrality stance supported him by default.
But the true tragedy is that each election the State Sector Act and Reserve Bank Act roll over.
That some unions supported Douglas and others didn't was an indication of the confusion that existed over his policies at the time. I was one of those who chose to withdraw from the political scene after the 1984 election – not so much because I was opposed to the new direction but because I didn't understand it. I realise now why. It didn't make sense.
History has proven it a failure – as in the lack of urgency over CC and many other social and economic issues. Helen Clark was slowly removing the excesses of neoliberalism but she was voted out before she could finish the job. Great pity.
Trouble is, Labour doesn't have to do this now.
Muldoon had a lot to be criticised for, but he was the thorn in the neoliberals' side. In other circumstances, the neolibs would have rolled out their ideology from the right side of the white line, but Muldoon could see through it and they had to find another stooge.
Once the cracks Roger Douglas's so-called 'vision' was 'outed' by Labour, he and his ilk formed the ACT party and moved across the game board to their rightful position, at the extreme right of NZ politics.
And, unions (I think it also applies globally?) are so weakened now, ACT/Douglas doesn't really need their support. Neoliberalism won those battles and as held that territory. The general public see unions negatively, after 40 years of indoctrination.
I think you're right though (not in the political sense
). If the left were going to do something transformational, they could have done it in their recent heyday. I think Labour's biggest strength is also its biggest weakness, in that it is comprised now of so many different subsets, it can't easily develop a strong, unified strategy or (dare I say it) single-minded ideology.
I keep wondering, if some of the scuttlebutt in The Standard is true, and ACT is being funded by organisations like The Atlas Group, why would they bother with a small country like ours? Why not leave us to play catch-up? The answer, I think, lies in our ability to be a test-bed for public reaction to strategies? If we do this, will the public stand for it? How far can we push our ideas before public apathy turns to public anger? Then, roll that out in bigger countries.
If ? Scuttlebutt ? Have you read some…or any of the links that have been provided on The Standard ? …
Mountain Tui in particular revealed much about their NZ involvement…
As to why? IMO its all part of their desire for global tentacle reach. In every country. NZ has previous, and a particular NZ connection. Obviously with that Gibbs slimebag…and the rotten apple didnt fall far from the tree with daughter Debbi chair of Atlas.
Much, much more, can and should be revealed. The Standard is trying. No scuttlebutt here…………
Sigh, I got in trouble before for saying something was so, without referencing it.
Now, I'm in trouble for not saying so…
Allgood thinker. I, and others, feel this Atlas Network tentacle reach into NZ is so malevolent, its Important its revealed. I always try to read those Links about such.
Have good night.
Prebble certainly got rid of a lot of people in Auckland Central. When, finally he was down to a dozen or so bully boy activists and aged retainers and lost Auckland Central to Sandra Lee, most of the Labour members in that electorate had either moved into adjacent electorates as "political refugees", or existed only on paper.
Yes, he certainly had branches – most of which had the 15 member minimum requirement to have a vote at Party Conferences etc but they had $20 or so in the bank and when we got the printouts of members after his mob departed, we could see that the names were duplications – with 8 or 10 people having the same address. When we called on some of the addresses to get membership renewals they either did not know they were Labour members, or were not at that address. It was all fakery.
He left the electorate with a computer that was theoretically valued at $6,000, and the last Treasurer refused to hand over the accounts.
The same dishonesty was shown in Onehunga where the "Backboners" left the Party organisation with $7 in the bank and the major asset alienated from the Party, when their chosen candidate did not get the Selection.
While I have no problem with this proposed course of action; I find it completely impossible to believe that a publicly radical left agenda – as outlined, would gain significant support in NZ. If that were the case, the Greens and TPM, who have much of this already in their policy documents, would have a much greater share of popular support than they do.
Kindly explain why National, ACT, Labour and NZF, before each election pretend to be much more socialist and socially aware than they really are, if it didn't gain votes?
National was going to “fix the cost of living crisis” for ”hard working New Zealanders”. Sic.
Kindly explain why (if the OP statement is true, that it simply requires a programme of left-wing transformation to be outlined, for the electorate to embrace the winning party) – this has so far failed the GP.
Surely you're not going to claim that ACT, NZ First or National outlined such a programme before the 2023 election!
Awful Trotskyist tosh
We now have MMP with necessary coalition agreements to balance power, a disaggregated state with massively decreased power, and a far more information-rich society that makes secrecy and stealth to steal power near impossible.
Dream on Ad…NZ is a constituted neo liberal state with substantial amounts of previous public infrastructure penetrated by private capital–heard of Fulton Hogan?–Trans power?
Go on go right ahead and get a major project up and running, Fulton Hogan or Transpower or not.
Well as blog commenter I don’t have to do anything, and certainly not major projects, but I have…got an Art Collective happening in the Far North which provides income for local artists, income for trades people and a venue for tourists on an historic DoC owned Reserve. It is still operating well 20 years after set up.
Plus I help organise local Artisan Events in the North and support various Iwi political actions.
From that Bruce Jesson article…………..
"Labour almost entirely deregulated the economy. It privatized most of the state’s commercial activities. It reorganized both central and local government along commercial lines. The government ceased to play any role in economic management, with the exception of eliminating inflation, which became its sole economic goal. To this end it operated a high-interest-rate monetary policy………………"
In this years general election in America the Democrats catch cry is "we are not going back"
It is painfully obvious that here in New Zealand "we must go back"…….cos we are definitely on the wrong track……….not holding my breath though cos the only way it would happen is under a more inclusive political system where governance is a true contest of ideas rather than the adversarial petty party politicking status quo.
Regarding MMP, the demise of United Future left the 'middle' rather bereft of parties. This forced National to align with ACT.
NZFirst – I never know what they're about- I did have respect for the likes of Ron Mark and Tracey Martin. But this current iteration with Jones – I just shake my head in despair.
A split in the Labour Party would make a lot of sense- a middle of the road party and a full socialist left party. Natural allies, but different appeal. And with a bit of luck would keep ACT out of play if National had another choice in the centre.
I am just waffling off the top of my head here.
S'alright. Its Sunday night – waffle time. 😉
Left-wingers haven't had a clue since '71 when I realised they were as much part of the problem as right-wingers (dunno about before then). I learnt about Mondragon around '72 and wondered why they weren't advocating that model.
Provision of social equity by design and consensus. Proven to work in the long-term. You replace the status quo by providing a positive alternative. Elinor Ostrom won her Nobel prize when she explained it to the economists. It's a no-brainer.
I always hope leftists will get their act together but they never do. Pretence can be a survival strategy but authenticity impresses everyone.
Mondragon is still cranking along with multi billion Euro annual revenues. Imo Historical and Dialectical Materialism as per Marxism needs to be employed to make sense of the global scene. Co-operatives have not spread widely because of Capital and International Finance Capital.
Capital is all about concentration of ownership and monopoly–not sharing the love. Consensus cuts little ice with the Billionaires–they will not cede power voluntarily.
I help run a small co-operative with mutual community benefits and it beats sucking up to landlords and all the rest, but this planet is in such dire straits climate wise that a fundamental shift in class power is needed really to have any chance. There is no longer the time for incremental social equity.
I help run a small co-operative with mutual community benefits
Good on you. It's a vital part of the solution, lacking only a method of scaling up into mass influence. Some contemporary insight into how such thought/praxis is trending globally can be gleaned from Nick Romeo's book The Alternative.
TINA, apparently, was a Thatcherism. I mistakenly thought RR invented it but she was just cloning her master model. I knew there was an alternative to the 19th century but neither the left nor the right want to admit it.
My view on class is that the framing needs revision. Historically, the dyad rulers & ruled has been persistent – and still dictates the thinking of conspiracy theorists – yet various groups operate as medial and thus form a triad between upper & lower. Harvesting the middle class in the gfc worked well for the 1% – both left & right voters remain too stupid to figure that out. Professional politicians work the medial function expertly, which is why Hipkins remains complacent.
The french use estate theory with media as 4th estate (a tetrad). The Indians retain their antique caste system – also a tetrad. I see the BBC reports India's micro-caste divisions too, which will delight classification freaks everywhere…
Workers, attention! Subdivide, now!
Sorry, forgot to include their link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35650616
Whilst the Marxist class division system never got mass traction, it's true that the middle class emerged as a valid mass phenomenon in many countries. Since we know that middle links top & bottom, we know a triad was the basis of this.
Inasmuch as contemporary Aotearoa features a plethora of folks who don't self-identify as top or bottom class, one could argue that they are middle by default. If this group is indeed an effective majority, one would expect both Labour and National to compete to represent it. Seems to me our status quo features such behaviour persistently, so we have theory matching reality (rare in academia).
I saw a poll a while back which found that 90% of professors believe they are above average in their performance. You can imagine the delusional culture they co-generate! Not all students succumb though, so inter-generational idiocy often seems rather moot. It's true that several generations of students have sucked up the neolib Kool Aid – so we can be confident that the idiocy rate remains about 90%.
Much like the research where drivers self-asses their ability.
http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0121-54692021000200087