NZ Centre for Political Research

Isn't it time that Chris Finlayson declared his interest in Maori acquisitions?

No one purporting to represent the interest of all New Zealanders can take away from so many and give to a minority interest who want governance, control and income in all areas.

- RES

Carbon War erupts in Europe

A battle of world significance has started quietly in Europe. Like all battles it is about energy, resources and ideology.

In the red corner, with a coercive utopian green ideology, is Germany, strongly supported by Denmark and UK. This group wants to forcibly wean Europe off carbon fuels by replacing them with sunbeams, sea breezes and fermented food crops. They get self-serving support from places like nuclear powered France, hydro-powered Scandinavia and geothermal Iceland. They are now proposing more drastic cuts in Europe's usage of carbon fuels after 2020.

In the blue corner is Poland, with quiet support from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.

Poland relies on coal power, has undeveloped gas resources and prefers to use its short growing season to produce food, not fuel. The Poles know that nuclear power is the only realistic non-carbon option for Eastern Europe. They have recent experience of coercive central planners, and want to avoid dependence on Russian gas.

Naturally the German Greens oppose Poland's use of coal, gas or nuclear power. In self-defence, Poland is opposing the plan for extra cuts in the use of carbon fuels in the EU after 2020.

This is a crucial battle in the carbon war. If Eastern Europe caves to the Greens, all Europe faces very painful adjustments. Power and food costs will surge, electricity supplies will become unreliable, and industry and jobs will migrate.

This battle shows that the green consensus in Europe is starting to crumble. If Europe cannot get unanimous support for more carbon cuts, even within the EU, there is no hope for a binding world treaty.

Australia seeks green adulation by trying to lead the world in carbon taxation, but Australia is in the same position as Poland with nuclear power banned and little hydro potential. Australia and New Zealand are already the lonely carbon fools of the Pacific. The growing doubts in Europe may well leave us with the world title.

- Viv Forbes

G'day - I suggest you check out KCDC Kapiti Coast District Council.

They told residents they were going to 'upgrade' their H.Q and now the building has been gutted like their ratepayers.

- Mike Rodwell

I was interested to note a glaring omission in Lindsay Mitchell's discussion.

Where are the fathers of these babies?

Many women on the DPB are in reasonably long-term relationships with their children's fathers, but they hide the fact, as both parents want to continue receiving a benefit while living defacto. How do I know? As a landlord with 5 rental homes, I see it in around a quarter of the couples I rent to. This lifestyle has become endemic in NZ.

Many years ago I worked on the DPB section in the Dept of Social Welfare in a major city. Social workers regularly checked DPB recipients - if there was evidence of a man living in the home the benefit was cut immediately.

Times have changed, mainly in the area of the moral decay of our communities.

We've kowtowed to the PC gurus and now we're all too gutless to demand men shoulder their responsibilities and look after their partners and kids, and to tell women that they need to take responsibility for the children they produce by choosing a decent bloke.

Heck, are there many out there?

- Chrissie

Good points made.

Don't non working mothers have more time to make savings on food,gardening,cleaning, fuel,fun,care etc.

Another child is going to cost very little .

It's more about having time for more loving and care.

So who are the lucky ones?

- Anne

Having children is a privilege, NOT a right.

I worked as a Plunketnurse from the mid 70's to the mid 80's and at that time there were already quite a few women who came on the books with one baby and within 2 years or so a 2nd baby was born. Some added a 3rd and had no qualms about it whatsoever. Even felt they were entitled to a larger flat.

Once when I refused to write a letter to Housing NZ requesting this, because I considered her 4-roomed flat quite adequate, I got the sharp end of her tongue.

Such an attitude has now gone into the warp and waft of society and has twisted our concept of fairness: Sue Bradford's "opinion" is proof of that.

How dare a woman add another baby when she's already unable to look after even one and when other women, who WORK for a living, restrict their families so as to be able to give each child a good education!

- Ineke

Re the need for local government reform:

Local example in Bay of Plenty which has Tauranga City Council (TCC), Western Bay of Plenty District Coucil (WBoPDC) and Environment Bay of Plenty (EBoP).

With its small population, we should only need one local governing body. If Auckland can merge councils, so should we.

Example of inefficiencies recently with bus routes - WBoPDC decides on the bus routes.

TCC then decides where the bus stops go.

WBoPDC recently decided to change a bus route (promoted by a Councilor that doesn't even live in the BoP but in Auckland - which is ludicrous in itself), then a questionnaire was sent to affected residents after the change was decided.

Then it was referred to TCC to determine where the bus stops were to go!

- Tim

Owen McShane's article - see http://www.nzcpr.com/guest278.htm - is the clearest picture of the ratepayer being rorted under the "Power of General Competency" that I have read.

It should be front page in every major news organ in the country.

- Mick

What a superb article by Owen McShane - see http://www.nzcpr.com/guest278.htm.

I have wondered for years how our Councils have got so out of shape and so insanely restrictive and ridiculously expensive.

Owen's rationale makes complete sense and I believe it is essential that his article should be emailed - and preferably hard-copied as well - to every local body councillor and every politician in the country.

It should also ideally be sent to every local body employee so they too understand what is going on.

I for one would be happy to contribute to the costs of promoting this further.

- Mark

Letter to the Editor
NZCPR
24th February 2012

White Christmas in Brisbane?

Not long ago, Europe decided to cool the globe by introducing carbon taxes and rationing.

They have succeeded beyond their greenest dreams. Already their tax on carbon dioxide has frozen the Danube and destroyed crops in Ukraine. The severe cold has killed over 500 people and produced snow in the Sahara and ice on the canals of Venice.

All this from a carbon tax of just $8 per tonne.

Imagine what the Gillard/Brown tax of $23 per tonne will do in Australia.

Should we prepare for a White Christmas in Brisbane, ice skating on the Yarra, penguins on the Lower Lakes, cardigans in Marble Bar and Hobart threatened by the Derwent Glacier?

- Viv Forbes

Excellent articles on Welfare reform by Muriel, Lindsay Mitchell and Joanna Moss. The facts are clearly explained by them: the more we spend on welfare under current models the worse the social problems will get, the welfare of children is seriously damaged by fatherlessness, the cure for fatherlessness is shared parenting.

The problem is that for the past 20 years the state has consistently refused to discuss or analyse these issues. What are the reasons for this? Are they political or ideological

The governments current Family Court review discussion documents are a case in point. They say social policy isn't in the review, yet the discussion documents give space to attacking shared parenting (surely a social policy issue). So can we have confidence in the bureaucrats running the review? Absolutely not!

Game set and match. Once again, real welfare solutions will be ignored and politics and ideology will rule. Why do we bother?

- Bruce

This latest column re the DPB is absolutely spot on. It identifies the real “root cause” of the child abuse, child poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, youth crime etc – ie its the “production” of children. All those other "issues" are simply symptoms of that primal cause.

It’s successive Government policies that have encouraged and 'enabled' the least equipped and least able people in our society to have as many children as they want irrespective of their personal circumstances – not because they want a child to love and care for – but often as an ‘easy’ source of income and a Government funded 'lifestyle' that has been perpetuated generation after generation. No Care and No Responsibility - with the Government and taxpayers as the enablers and the families (whanau) as disinterested bystanders.

If I have a pet dog - do I expect the Government to pay for its food and upkeep? No! Its my responsibility. If I have a pet cat - do I expect the Government to pay for its food and upkeep? No! Its my responsiblility. If I have a child - do I expect the Governnment to pay for its food and clothing and housing? Why? Isn't that MY responsibility?

- Colin