The 12 days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and end on the 5th of January. Each day a new gift is revealed. Imagine 12 days of gifts in the form of credible policies for supporters of a Third Way – what might they be? Various elements of a Third Way agenda have been mentioned in other blogs. Here our choice of policies is guided by what happens over the festive season while at the same time, reflecting the view that people and their ability to participate are what matter.
NB. In a nation made up of at least 164 different ethnicities, Christmas is not relevant to everyone. But the way our society is currently organised, it hard to avoid being caught up in the festive season that includes Christmas, New Year and summer holidays. In other words, I am just using the season as an excuse to talk about policies that might make a positive difference. Feel free to make your own list.
Christmas Day
Every child has a Kiwi Saver Account
Christmas, we are told, is first and foremost about children. So why not start with the smallest among us and gift them a KiwiSaver account that will underpin a ‘choices’ lifestyle when they are old. Kick start the account with a $1,000 dollars and pop in a modest government contribution on an annual basis. When the child is older and earning, make it compulsory for them to contribute at least the minimum amount alongside what they get from the employer (themselves if they are self-employed).
26 December
Every Parent knows about parenting
Speaking of children means thinking of their parents (inclusive of all of those who ‘parent’ them). Parenting is difficult and getting tougher. Advice on what to do is everywhere, some of it useful, some of it not so much. Why not make the best advice on parenting available from before birth and on tap until it is no longer needed? We all know poor parenting (be clear, that stretches through every kind of household) is a major contributor to poor outcomes for children and for the family (what ever shape it takes). As the cliché goes, children are our future, so we need them to turn out well.
27th December
Those without a home get one
At Christmas everyone needs a home – including the homeless. This may seem a bit simplistic – but how about building quality accommodation (I favour apartments that will ensure people interact) and letting homeless people stay there free until they can move on? It would be wise to provide a range of other services that will ensure a homeless person does get ready to join the mainstream of society – but that will turn out to be cheaper than just leaving them on the streets. They could share a Christmas meal and New Year’s Eve in safety.
28th December
A 21st Century Food Nation
Eating and drinking – Christmas would not be Christmas without them. We are a food producing nation. It is what we do. But what we produce and how we produce it may not be as in tune with the needs of the 21st century as we would like to think. We need a new food story to tell ourselves and the world. We need to produce a wider range of food products combining traditional methods with a lot of cutting edge technology. And we need a new food system that stretches from production to consumption to the management of waste and back again. A circular food economy, as the saying goes.
29th December
Construct a New Zealand innovation System
The old rule is to not talk about politics, religion or sex at the table. But there is nothing to stop anyone talking about the many problems we all face. The world is full of danger and opportunity. If we are going to avoid the first and grasp the second, we must make innovation central to everything we do. New Zealanders like to think of themselves as innovative – and they are. But they lack a 21st century innovation system. It should be possible to access fit-for-purpose finance, call on government support in non-competitive areas like training, enable start-ups and ensure there is a pathway for them to scale up, produce and protect ideas coming from universities and like institutions, create a regulatory environment that encourages creating, growing and sustaining markets.
30th December
Services for everyone
It is hard not to talk about the people who can’t afford Christmas at Christmas. At least 20% of the population fall into this category and another 20% are just a dentist bill away from joining them. This is not right. It makes a mockery of everything Christmas is supposed to stand for. There is a lot of talk about a Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a way of solving the problem, but little agreement on how it can be implemented or even if it should be. While the debate rages, how about trying Universal Basic Services (UBS). This would mean universal access to such essential services as transport, healthcare, education, communication (including broadband) and key local services such as libraries and other public amenities. Not a universal service, but housing for those people who cannot enter the housing market might be included. Making these services universally available would have a dramatic impact on poverty and mean that everyone regardless of their income would be able to participate in society.
31st December
Resolve to live in the real world.
Christmas is followed in quick succession by celebrations to welcome the New Year. Solemn promises are made – some based on fact, some not so much. Fooling ourselves, saying misleading things and on occasion denying reality are common to most humans. But these days it is getting hard to tell fact from fiction. Some (I’m thinking of people like Trump and Johnson) would have us accept that the objective world does not matter. It is all about perception. The downside of living in a world where we cannot agree on what is a fact is becoming obvious. Trust, fair dealing, loyalty and truth are undermined in ways that make it impossible for a democratic society to operate. A slide into authoritarian forms of government follows. Facts are open to interpretation, but they remain facts. Resolve to live in a world of facts in 2020 and call out anyone who tries to do otherwise.
1st January
Get a job
Work, now there is a topic guaranteed to be discussed around the Christmas table. Everyone talks about work, the lack of it or how great/awful it is. The biggest worry is insecurity. Can I get a job, will it last, if I lose my job can I get another? Lifelong access to vocational education is critical to having what it takes to stay in work as long as is needed (and hopefully get a decent job). If access to education is universal (see December 30), that solves part of the problem. The other problem is the quality and relevance of the education. It is time for a complete overhaul of the what we teach, how we teach, how we assess and how we organise our vocational education system. It should, by the way, have the same prestige as going to university – a place where currently too many people think they need to go.
2nd January
Don’t be Sad
There is something about festivity that makes people sad. Social psychologists tell us holidays like Christmas and New Year are times when we become very aware of and judgemental about ourselves and those around us. Depression, loneliness, violence, abuse – these are all part of what is supposed to be a great time of year. We can (and should) spend money on addressing these problems, but our main focus should be on causes. We live in a world where people too often feel they do not belong and don’t count. This has happened because the networks, norms and trust that encourage people to do things together have weakened or broken down. The state does more and more for people while the market privileges consumerism above all else. Fixing this situation means ensuring people have meaningful reasons and the resources to do things together – volunteering, projects, events and decision-making. It helps if the principle of subsidiarity is invoked – activities best done locally should be devolved (often through local government) to regions, cities and towns. Revitalised local government is crucial to ensuring people experience control over things that impact on their lives. Anyone who has participated in a functioning community knows that it is much harder to be sad.
3rd January
Take the weather with you
Will it rain? Will it shine? The weather for Christmas is on everyone’s mind – especially those under canvas. Now the conversation is what climate change (climate warming) is doing to our weather. It is real and it will change (if not end) our collective lives. So best start talking about not only what we can do individually (no plastic), but also what policies we want to see put in place. Just demanding change is not enough, we must find a new and positive way to live our lives. The starting point must be fossil fuels because that is the key source of the problem. We need a big bold shift of our energy source starting now. Within 10 years we need to be arriving home for Christmas powered by something other than petrol.
4th January
Don’t forget to ‘dance’
Christmas is supposed be fun – that’s why it is called a festive season. Common among the presents given are books, music, art and tickets to all kinds of events. In other words, forms of cultural expression are vitally important. Too often we forget this as we struggle to cope with the pressing problems of our times. As the saying goes, we need bread and roses. In a small nation like New Zealand, it can be hard to make a living producing culture. Promise to support the people among us who have the talent to add roses to our lives. Maybe try to showcase your own talent. And when public money is used to fund cultural activities say that is alright with you. Imagine how dull life would be if we couldn’t dance now and then.
5th January
A new covenant among nations
Christmas is a time when people head home from around the world to be with family and make plans to head off to new adventures. But what a world! Where there was once an understanding that we might all blur into a cosmopolitan world without boundaries, the rise of chauvinist nationalism is taking us in another direction. It looks like nations and national identities still matter but a world where we are connected to one another remains vital. Can the alternative be that nations ‘covenant’ to meet with each other looking for areas of mutual benefit and aiming to make the world a better place for everyone? There will never be a world government (and neither should there be) but we can and must work on the many issues of common concern (climate change, regulation of international capital, financial risk, social media, immigration, conflict) together.
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Despite the challenges New Zealanders face, we live in a country where there is much to be optimistic about. We can realistically look forward to building a better future. In doing so, we can be a light on the hill for other nations whose circumstances are far less propitious. In a spirit of hope, all the best for the festive season and the new year.
2020 happens to be an election year. There will be many issues raised and complaints made. To modify an old saying – remember the goal is not to pontificate about the world, but to change it. To do that we need practical solutions to the problems we face. Be constructive. Thank you to those who have been reading my Pundit thoughts.