It has been a very long time since a New Zealand government has had an agenda of justice sector reform. In truth, justice has been run on the fuel of the agony of the victims of crime. It has been stoked by rage and fear. There has been little that is dispassionate or even that over-used phrase, evidence-based, about justice policy. To be honest, justice policy since about 1990 has been stark raving bonkers.
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It’s appropriate that I give my view on our just released Budget. Already you have seen the misinformed and nonsensical views from the National and Māori Party on how ‘wonderful’ they were last time and how we ‘missed the boat’ this time. So let me tell you just how big the boat is that we have caught.
When the Leader of the Opposition can claim on TV that ‘trickle down’ works, you know we are a country still in the grip of neoliberal culture. The Left has become so distracted by Identity Politics they don’t have an economic class response to counter neoliberalism and Budget 2018 is the perfect example of this.
The government has decided to increase the building of state housing from their extremely modest target of 1000 a year to the still very modest target of 1600 a year over the next four years.
Housing NZ is not being given any extra money to do this.
They will have to borrow on private financial markets at higher rates than the government can borrow money for.
The cost to the government will be more as a result.
I really don’t want to hear his bullshit, and how weird is it that Paula Bennett is slowly turning into Laila Harre?
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If we cannot bring Israel to respect the most fundamental provisions of international law, then we must part company with our ‘traditional allies’ as they seek to cover for Israel’s lawlessness and inhumanity. New Zealand should reappraise its foreign policy and align itself with humanity rather than unashamed power. Solidarity with BDS would be a shining beacon for united action by all who yearn for a return to sanity, justice and respect for the whole of humanity.