The need to start reimagining our systems to face the reality of adaptation in a century of entropy and epochs is greater than ever.
Post growth late stage capitalism demands new ways of being whether we like it or not.
Here are some thoughts.
Case for more Artists:
We need more artists in a post growth late stage capitalism planet rapidly burning. Let’s start investing large sums of money into an Artists Benefit where artists, musicians, writers, poets, dancers, sculptors, carvers, actors are all paid a weekly benefit to produce and make art.
An explosion of art and people paid to produce it would do more for the depression rates, poverty rates, inequality rates and pull us away from the never ending economic growth model fantasy than anything else!
The crisis and emotional damage catastrophic climate change will cause needs art to facilitate and process that socially. Artists have the capacity to creatively transform and that mental skill set needs urgent capacity upgrade to deal with what is coming.
An Artists Benefit would be paid out weekly to enrolled Artists who would have to provide proof of their work with minimums in place that would judge the Art produced.
Artists are as important as Bureaucrats and Academics and they should be paid for that cultural and social importance by the State.
Kiwi Subsidy on Kiwi food:
The lie of neoliberalism is that unregulated markets lead to competitive utopia.
They don’t.
They lead to an elite corporate oligarchy who ensure their dominance via duopoly or monopoly. A plutocratic cartel who amputate monopoly rentals from the economy and call it business.
The brutal strength of the State is required to step in and break up such cartels when they bubble to the top and that’s exactly what the Commerce Commission must demand in its reports on the Supermarket duopoly in NZ.
Countdown and Foodstuffs about to find out what’s in the regulator’s trolley
Countdown and Foodstuffs will find out next week whether they may have to sell off some of their stores or change their businesses to help make way for a new supermarket company.
Price controls on some “essential items” such as fruit and vegetables and cheese, might even be on the table, Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said.
The Commerce Commission is due to publish its draft market study into the $22 billion groceries industry on Thursday.
Duffy said it was a “no brainer” that the regulator would recommend new mandatory rules that will give more rights to food suppliers in their dealings with supermarkets.
Just like we created Kiwi Bank (and should expand it) to break up an Aussie banking cartel, we should force Countdown and Foodstuffs to sell stores to the Government so the Government can inject actual competition into the super market industry with a strict policy on local producers getting better prices, with staff paid the living wage and customers getting cheaper prices.
So what if the Supermarket duopoly have to share their $22billion annual market with us New Zealanders? Shouldn’t we be feeding us?
Let’s be clear, this isn’t socialism, this is the State forced to repair capitalism once again by intervening in a broken market.
Farmers get ripped off, customers get screwed and staff are run ragged.
All so Australian corporations get to clip the ticket?
Fuck that.
Government should enter into a deal with Iwi to stock a new chain of Government/Iwi Supermarkets that champion local produce at better prices for the consumer and
We need a kiwi subsidy on all local produce to recognize that producers have already used water and created local climate changing gases to create their product and as such consumers have already paid a price just to get the product to their table.
We should feed the 5million here first before boasting about feeding 40million world wide!
Calls to ‘feed the 5 million first’ before exporting NZ food
People are going hungry even though New Zealand produces enough food to feed 40 million – and it’s spurring calls for the country to “feed the five million first”.
Almost 40 percent of New Zealand households experience food insecurity, while 19 percent of children live in households that experience food insecurity.
Poverty researcher Dr Rebekah Graham said while working on her thesis on food insecurity, she interviewed a woman who walked for 90 minutes each day to get a free community meal.
A state owned 3rd supermarket chain would do more for providing a cheaper means of living to all kiwis who have food security issues. It would do more for welfare than any single PM since Savage.
A state owned supermarket chain that radically forced competition on base level cost of living for a vast swathe of New Zealanders would be a legacy worthy of Labour.
We need to be kinder to individuals and crueler to corporations.
More Military:
If we are serious about an Independent Foreign Policy, we have to accept it is going to cost us a lot more.
I believe that the climate crisis means we need a vastly larger military to cope with civil disasters and if we are attempting to distance ourselves from China and America, we need to make a decision to dramatically lift what we spend on the military for purely defensive capacity.
How would we go about defending the realm of NZ and all our economic exclusive zone?
Currently we spend 1.5% of GDP on our entire military, to defend the full realm of NZ and pursue an independent foreign policy, I argue we need to push that up to 3%.
Note – NZ should only build up its military to defend our full territory (NZ islands, EEZ, Ross Dependency, Tokelau, Cook Islands and Niue). Any upgrade of our military is for purely defensive purposes, not for military adventure or invasions.
We can’t pull away from America and China and pretend there is no cost to being Independent.
With the climate crisis looming, we need that debate now.
We also have the geopolitics of it.
With China’s attempt at building a forward military base that could cut America off…
A Chinese politics specialist has called the deal between the Solomon Islands and China a “game-changer” saying New Zealand could be cut-off US military support.
…the real danger here is the Chinese Fishing Militia that will use it as a base to raid deep into fisheries.
We need to protect our fisheries.
I maintain we must have an independent foreign policy and that our stance must be friend to all, enemy to none, but we will urgently need to protect what is ours and acknowledge how the climate crisis will demand more civil emergency infrastructure and assets.
We need a complete review of our defence force and massive increase in spending.
Reimagining a new public service socialism:
Short term the Government has to be focused on deflationary spending, mid term economically we need radical climate change adaptation, long term they need to start navigating a post growth economy.
The best way to push those values is via the Public Service Culture and processes.
For essential state service workers like teachers, like police, like Drs, like nurses, like ambulance and Firefighter services, we can match the rising inflation in wages, but the focus needs to be on expanding capacity, expanding State responsibility and expanding quality of work experience.
It is insane that our Ambulance Service is privatised, and the State should nationalise it immediately. As first responders, their obligations and responsibilities will only climb as society continues to rock from the shockwaves of Covid.
Professional Firefighters must be expanded to acknowledge the danger we are under from climate change and fire seasons.
Rather than compete with inflationary wage rises, focus on better conditions. 11 weeks paid holiday each year, 4 day weeks plus housing projects where subsidised rentals are available for houses.
We also need to start bonding Teachers, Drs and nurses with free education in exchange for bonded work around NZ.
We shouldn’t be looking to slash public servants, we need more!
ACT want to amputate 5 Ministry’s while Luxon is promising to slash 14 000 jobs!
That is ideological vandalism, that’s not an actual plan!
Covid showed us the need for a strong State with capacity to step in and with the climate crisis here, we will continue to need a strong State with capacity!
The Right’s never ending march to amputate and slice down the State is so that the people don’t get used to a well functioning public service and so will politically agree to starve it of funds via tax cuts.
Global free market capitalism is dead, hyper regionalism is here. We need a bigger State with actual capacity rather than the threadbare barely regulated joke that it currently is.
We shouldn’t agree to cutting public services, we should fund their capacity and infrastructure rebuild while making the working conditions for those there a better quality!
Where should we get that money? Windfall taxes on the corporations and banks!
We need better conditions for those workers and the values of working 4 day weeks, extra holidays and housing solutions are aimed at making better working conditions as opposed to never ending inflationary wage pressures.
We need a sustainable bureaucracy rather than 7 figure technocrats who see their own fiefdoms and glass palaces as the measure of public policy achievements.
The creation of a Ministry of Green Works is essential for this.
Post-Growth Global Warming Fortress Aotearoa:
While Muldoon’s repugnant use of identity politics to divide a nation over rugby will always mark him as an authoritarian thug willing to plunge the nation into the social trauma of mass civil disobedience, he was ahead of the curve with Think Big.
His economic nationalism was ahead of its time, triggered by stagflation and geopolitical shockwaves, it parallels the same threats we face now.
Why shouldn’t we have our own basic pharmaceutical industry?
Engineering industry.
Industrial industry.
The supply side shocks caused by Covid and war are not going away, and they are being compounded by catastrophic climate change.
The arguments pushed forward by Muldoon for Think Big infrastructure resonate more importantly now than ever before.
Radical adaptation and communal community resourcing alongside a Big State approach to lynchpin infrastructure for basic self-reliance as an Island country facing enormous economic shockwaves is the only means to build the muscle mass to respond to the ever intensifying external disruption of late stage capitalism.
The need to increase military spending to 3% alongside the new costs for this infrastructure must be funded via new taxes aimed at corporations and banks.
A financial transaction tax and windfall profit tax would take the yoke of taxation off working people and place it upon the shoulders of the wealthy.
National and ACT see mass immigration as a means to create fake growth at a time when we should be focused on de-growth.
Climate Crisis is here and adaptation is now.
We need to start rethinking Isolationism as a strength and Think Big as Economic Sovereignty.
The geopolitical shock waves are only getting more intense.
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The government should use the Fonterra model. Fonterra is required by law to provide a percentage of its raw milk to smaller competitors at collection price. Likewise the supermarket distribution centers should also service small supermarkets
GST removed immediately from essential non processed food and essential personal items.
All supermarkets required to offer completely unbranded products in bulk.
+1 to more artists and artists benefit – they do this in Europe in places like the Netherlands.
In terms of subsidising food, trigger warning quote is sexist!
“GIVE A MAN A FISH AND HE WILL EAT dinner that night, but teach a man to fish and he will be able to feed himself forever.”
I am more spend the time and resources on teaching people how to have small gardens – just growing herbs and spinach is easy and at least can be a start for people to have affordable fresh food. The Labeen government wasted their time in NZ, they could have been incredible but instead told everyone how useless and racist they were, just like John Key and made poverty and helplessness and private subsidies so much worse.
I take it the fortress walls will be to keep the citizens inside the gate? If not, they’ll all be hotfooting it abroad as the tax required to fund this boondoggle would be so punitive no one, perhaps not even the artists would want to hang around
I think that the taxes should largely be spent on conservation of animals birds etc and have environmental tourism to see how well we are doing. And that means that you Yeti will get your share as we search to ensure your type doesn’t go extinct.
I’m thinking about supermarkets as big food malls. Any small shopkeeper who has tried to operate near a supermarket will probably feel that they are in ‘rain-shadow’ area. The foot traffic is good but it doesn’t often pause at their premises, they get it all at the supermarket.
So to get a licence! for an overseas-based or initiated supermarket to operate (over a certain medium size), they must let part of their premises at a low rental to some local individual shopkeepers with necessary water and power supply, to enable diversity, let local suppliers sell local stuff, even to sell the same stuff and (undersell the supermarket on a short-term basis). As the supermarket has the money to cover so much of the available commercial area, and push up rentals, this would give NZ micro business a more level playing field.
“when the govt subsidises my hobbies…” yes bring back the night schools for adult training and community togetherness.
Windfall taxes are a great idea but are not a ‘bankable’ source of revenue as not every year in an economic cycle produces windfall profits. The financial transaction tax is a geater prority and the rate can be increased when there is a windfall.
Muldoons think big was a bit out of whack with some of the rates of return on projects but that sort of investment leads to lots of local companies building scale and secondary start up companies. NZ already has an agriculture pharmecuetical cluster and universities and medical schools with unfunded product development. An astutely deployed $2billion could easily develop a startup human pharma industry. The companies given the grants/investmet would have to be locked long term to the NZ economy so they couldnt be exited to overseas buyers and moved off shore.
National Act NZ First and Labour and Greens are all pro immigration parties. National and Act for cheap workers. Labour so they dont have to train expensive doctors and nurses. Greens so the can feel warm and fuzzy by importing third world granny medical cases. However one of the no brainers about NZs climate change commitments is not to increase Auckland population from 1.5million to 2.8million. And not to increase the whole population to 18million a figure being bandied about recently.
And not to increase the number of tourists that just demand more low end tourist visa waitresses and migration. Lets be smarter and above all….Think of the emmissions!
“when the govt subsidises my hobbies…” yes bring back the night schools for adult training and community togetherness.
Windfall taxes are a great idea but are not a ‘bankable’ source of revenue as not every year in an economic cycle produces windfall profits. The financial transaction tax is a geater prority and the rate can be increased when there is a windfall.
Muldoons think big was a bit out of whack with some of the rates of return on projects but that sort of investment leads to lots of local companies building scale and secondary start up companies. NZ already has an agriculture pharmecuetical cluster and universities and medical schools with unfunded product development. An astutely deployed $2billion could easily develop a startup human pharma industry. The companies given the grants/investmet would have to be locked long term to the NZ economy so they couldnt be exited to overseas buyers and moved off shore.
National Act NZ First and Labour and Greens are all pro immigration parties. National and Act for cheap workers. Labour so they dont have to train expensive doctors and nurses. Greens so the can feel warm and fuzzy by importing third world granny medical cases. However one of the no brainers about NZs climate change commitments is not to increase Auckland population from 1.5million to 2.8million. And not to increase the whole population to 18million a figure being bandied about recently.
And not to increase the number of tourists that just demand more low end tourist visa waitresses and migration. Lets be smarter and above all….Think of the emmissions!
Joseph. Yes, Grey Warbler has previously written eloquently about the importance of community togetherness, and she/ it/ he/ them/ they were/was right, as are you/ tu/thou/.
Don McLean’s song – Food on the Table and Love in my Heart seems to say what the post is putting forward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkJ98kQuC9A
Don McLean – Love in My Heart (1988)
.Food on the table and love in the heart
And a real good woman and a couple of kids
And a dog that thinks I’m smart
I got a big old mortgage on a little old house
And car that’ll sometimes start
But there’s food on the table and love in the heart…
Oh, the roof is leaking but I care not
Gather those buckets pans and pots
Carry ’em throw ’em in the sink a lot
I turn the heat up higher
I don’t have much that didn’t come free
Bills eat up my salary
But I can still hang goodies on a Christmas tree
And sing by crackling fire…
Well I don’t have money but I sure ain’t poor
Many a rich man still wants more
Sooner or later he buys the store
And he still ain’t satisfied
It never took much to make me smile
A new pair of jeans to keep in style
And a little bit of loving every once in a while
To stroke my foolish pride…
Writer: Michael Brewer
http://www.songlyrics.com/don-mclean/love-in-my-heart-live-lyrics/
How carefully I’ve shaped you in the solitude of days
How peaceful is my mind entwined in cord around my fingers
How sweet the days I’ve marked in knots I’ve tenderly caressed
So many times I’ve touched you, reached you, teased you
Now fingering these veins of hemp
Their hair upon my skin
And how gently, quickly you will sleep
Slip into my collection with its bristles, coils, intentions
Yet your words will be unfaithful before I set you free
Slip as life is bound to slip from this entropy disorder
Then tied and laid upon the floor in perfect symmetry
‘Til the frayed edge of your lips on mine
Positioned, placed at ease once more
‘Til this restlessness returns I turn and turn and turn again
You remind me of how fascinating the skill of tying knots is – they can be ornamental, they can be life-savers just by twisting a certain way. Did you write the above Frank C?
song by Living Color called ‘Hemp’
but I think TS Elliot penned it originally
For every 100 artists there are one or two worthy
The artist is the lapdog of the government
Headlok. No, the artist is not the lapdog of the government. The voices of truth come from the poets, and increasingly rarely from the politicians.
Hedlok So, you’ve been listening to the Philistine New Zealand Arts Council have you ? Shakespeare was a lap dog of the government was he ? James Baxter ? Fleur Adcock? Matthew Arnold ? Hone Tuwhare? Do you really think that any of the WW1 poets were government lapdogs ? I don’t. Whose government was Guernica painted for do you think ?
An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.
Charles Bukowski
Every week or so MB rolls out his philosophy of “Fortress Aotearoa”. I appreciate that this concept appeals to certain left wing thinkers, but in my opinion it is a grossly outdated concept that may have been relevant (just) in the 1950’s but certainly not now in an inter-connected 21st century.
I would like to address the idea of increasing military spending to 3% of GDP but at the same time being neutral with no military partnerships or alliances. I would like to preface that I agree that NZ needs to increase military spending to 2% of GDP which is the NATO target and also what Australia is currently spending. This is something that urgently needs to be addressed by the NZ Government as we are no longer in a benign security environment.
Even at 3% of GDP NZ could not afford to procure equipment such as fifth generation fighter jets like the F35. The only way for NZ to have an all round capable defence force is interoperability especially with our nearest neighbour and our only formal military ally, Australia. For example NZ could make a proportional financial contribution to Australia for a squadron of F35’s some of which could be based in NZ. New Zealand could then focus upon making worthwhile contributions in areas where we have expertise such as maritime patrol.
Another major weakness of a neutral NZ even with significantly increased military expenditure, is where would NZ source the necessary weaponry from as it is doubtful that in those circumstances whether the US, UK or others would in fact even sell NZ the necessary equipment to defend the country even if we had the funds and the will to do so.
The only answer even more so for small countries like NZ is collective security. As a trading nation at the bottom of the world it is critical that NZ works closely with allies, partners and friends, especially Australia. It is worth noting the position of the Albanese Government to China which is now taking a much more balanced, less bellicose position than Morrison and Dutton’s unnecessary sabre rattling. Most of us want a positive, mutually beneficial relationship with China but we have to clear where the red lines are, and that we have will and the capabilities to back up our words with actions if necessary.
I appreciate that some of my fellow commenter’s on the TDB may accuse me of being a US/Australian stooge, however I strongly believe that I am dealing in the world of realpolitik and that it would be crazy to go it alone. No country is an island, even one at the bottom of the world especially when it comes to economics, security, and climate change mitigation.
My 2 cents, as someone who has managed to spend 40 years in the field of music without applying for a cent of support from artistic funding bodies.
The problem with funding art and music is determining who qualifies for funding.
Consider music (similar considerations apply to visual and other performance arts):
Popular music- What is the artistic rationale behind funding popular musical genres? Why fund what is essentially constant regurgitation and repackaging of centuries old musical language into 3 minute radio friendly packages? Surely popular music, almost by definition, is commercial i.e. a saleable commodity? Why should it even require subsidy? Why should established performers still attract (as some do) funding?
When a musical genre is less popular, obscure or pushes established boundaries how do we establish its merit? or the merit of its producers? is it worth funding? who gets to arbitrate?
Artistic aesthetics and merit are thorny issues, everyone believes they can pronounce on it. Witness some of the earlier comments in this thread, often driven, I surmise, by some sort of resentment rather than by reason.
To be totally fair and to avoid having to make judgements on merits, funding should either be universal – available to anybody who claims to be an artist/musician – or there should be no funding available at at all, let all stand or fall on their popularity or ability to attract personal support.
I believe in a limited universal support for artists, support with strict time limits. It both fosters art itself and establishment of artistic reputations and careers and it avoids long term abuse by both those of little talent and rorting by artists who already have claim to be popular or who are in fields that shouldn’t even require financial support.
Richard C When all the jobs are taken up by poorer people from other countries, or those trying to avoid being friend when outside in the day, or clever machines made by the technocrat-oriented, than playing any sort of music will be a positive job, both calming, diverting anger and despair etc and using our higher faculties that we have for understanding our world and ourselves. When we finally achieve that outside technocracy the upset humans will need some high-end practice to concentrate on probably in the arts. Buskers’R’Us!
Maybe just give artists a living wage – let them be like the token hippies in the 1960s paid to come up with original ideas. eg
https://bigthink.com/the-present/1960s-counterculture-created-silicon-valley/
(Here is something on inflation and perhaps relevant now.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/09/1970s-great-inflation.asp)
psychedelics inspired cavemen onto greater things than just survival of the fittest
its started with some nice scribbles of an aurochs on a cave wall
todays name artists are selected for agreeability by the state
Forward Thinking. And our artists and creators and original thinkers are too important too be subjected to state control, or to government word police, or to selective ethnicity requirements. Dunno what the answer is, but it is not
effete parliamentarians and their dodgy overpaid minions.
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