Bothered about the exodus to Australia? Wait a few decades and water might fix it.
While most promoters of environmental apocalypse focus on oil, of which there is still rather a lot, it might be water that slows the world economy.
And this country, unlike Australia, is pluvial. Prepare for an Australian invasion later this century, gold medals clanking in their luggage.
Politicians like to talk about market failure, the parts of life the market cannot reach. It justifies politicians’ place in the scheme of things. They don’t often talk about democracy failure.
I don’t mean the election expenses disgrace which the police last week compounded: a case to answer was found but no answer shall be called for. Happily for the police, the election result accurately reflected the country’s mood, so the matter will now fade.
Some United States military men have been visiting in recent weeks and militarist Tony Blair will be keynote speaker at a climate change conference in two weeks. It is cause to remember Iraq.
More precisely, it is a time to remember the invasion of Iraq three years ago next Monday by Blair, George Bush and hangers-on .
Peter Costello has opened a window on to the bigger landscape in which economic policy will in future have to be set. He has put two businessmen to report on whether Australia is overtaxed — and tossed Asia and flat tax into their pot.
Sir Roger Douglas had a go at flat tax in 1988 but lost. In 1999 Helen Clark embedded the progressivity principle.
Sir Keith Holyoake used to say in the 1960s: “Tell the people, trust the people.” But tell the people what? Statecraft and security set limits.
In fact, the people don’t expect the whole truth — or even necessarily the truth.
Australia is a guide. During the 2004 election campaign John Howard was exposed as having blatantly misled voters in the 2001 campaign. His poll ratings did not flicker.
Murray McCully nuzzled up to the “sisterhood” last week. Not in all ways but in one significant way.
The “sisterhood” is McCully’s undergraduate term of abuse for strong women in and around the government. McCully doesn’t do new-age man well.
Most everything the “sisterhood” thinks or does is on McCully’s hit list.
Michael Cullen is softening us up for the abolition of the income tax rate threshold adjustment in 2008. He is thereby jettisoning an important principle — or is he?
The adjustment was never more than half-pie. The so-called “inflation” adjustment was to be fixed at an annual 2 per cent, the midpoint in the Reserve Bank’s target inflation range.
Winston Peters will today give his first major speech on foreign policy. Murray McCully will follow him. It is a big test for both.
The interest in Peters’ contribution to today’s “major foreign policy issues” seminar organised by the Institute of International Affairs will lie in how much of his own spin he puts on the notes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Emfat) has prepared.
So one party can’t count its election spending and the other thinks it’s OK to use your money to tell you what a fine lot it is, even at election time. Those are great character references for our two main parties.
National and Labour need to clean up their electoral acts and Parliament needs to clean up the Electoral Act. A day in court for both big old parties might be helpful in that and cleansing for our democracy.
Helen Clark is in Canberra for her annual meeting with John Howard today. What can she tell him?
There is much safe ground: mutual purring over election wins, a scan of December’s East Asia Summit, the China question, CER-ASEAN trade talks, Iran’s bomb, the Pacific.
Australia’s resigned realism about her defence policy is now partially offset by recognition of the high per-capita contribution to peacemaking and peacekeeping, especially in Afghanistan and East Timor, and her army expansion programme.