The Guardian Political Review Produced by the New Zealand Democratic Party for Social Credit Inc. Issue No.66
Winter 2015
ISSN1176-614X
"...the rest of the world is finally catching up to what we have been saying all along" Stephnie de Ruyter
IN THIS ISSUE
Stephnie de Ruyter
Chris Leitch
"Good question, "Removing a wrong issue" massive burden"
David Tranter
Dick Ryan
Heather Smith
When is a right not a right?
Land of the longlost opportunity
What's in a name?
Adrian Bayly
A close eye on the political scene
Colin Whitmill
Reporting from the U.K.
PLUS NEWS, REVIEWS, FEATURES & MORE
The Guardian Political Review
Issue 66, Winter 2015
Produced by Guardian Publishing on behalf of the N.Z. Democratic Party for Social Credit, PO Box 5164, Invercargill 9843 Tel/Fax: 07 829 5157 Email: democrats@democrats.org.nz
Website: www.democrats.org.nz
Editor: Tony Cardy, 26 Warren Street, Oamaru 9400. Tel/Fax: 03 434 5523 E-mail: editor@guardian.org.nz Web: www.guardian.org.nz
EDITORIAL
Everything old is new again The current upheaval in the European and world monetary system is described by the UK Guardian newspaper as “a kind of financial warfare not seen in the history of modern states”. Stephnie de Ruyter says the common denominators are greed, vested corporate interest, and a morally iniquitous financial system generating indebtedness, poverty and fear. (p.3) In New Zealand – particularly Auckland ‐ the housing situation is reaching crisis point. Chris Leitch points out that thousands of New Zealanders were financed into new houses after WW2, funded by low‐cost loans from the Reserve Bank. (p.5). This example of social credit in
action was implemented by the Government – as it could be again. After more than 60 years the rest of the world is finally catching up to what we have been saying all along (p.3). Delegates at this year’s Conference will consider a proposal to campaign as ‘Social Credit’ – with modern logo and marketing. I am reminded of the song by Anne Murray: Don't throw the past away You might need it some rainy day Dreams can come true again When everything old is new again.
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CONTENTS 1 ‐ Front cover 2 ‐ Editorial 3 ‐ Leader's Message 4 ‐ Conference + DSC Executive 5 ‐ Chris Leitch 6 ‐ Colin's View 7 ‐ Community Credit 8 ‐ TPPA 9 ‐ David Tranter 10 ‐ Dick Ryan 11 ‐ Comment + Adrian Bayly 12 ‐ Smart Meters
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22 11 Guardian Political Review, Issue 66, 2015 - Page 2
13 ‐ Health 14 ‐ Gisborne rail link 15 ‐ Media 16 ‐ Reviews 17 ‐ Letters 18 ‐ Obituaries. 19 ‐ Whitmill's World (1) 20 ‐ Whitmill's World (2) 21 ‐ Whitmill's World (3) + Environment 22 ‐ News Bites (1) 23 ‐ News Bites (2) 24 ‐ Back Cover
LEADER'S MESSAGE
Good question, wrong issue By Stephnie de Ruyter Leader, Democrats for Social Credit
New Zealanders are being asked the right process ‐ €2.5 billion thus far. question for the wrong reason. As part of the flag The Greek experience provides a fascinating and referendum process, New Zealanders are being revealing insight into the IMF’s modus operandi. asked what they stand for. Good question, wrong The Guardian (UK) had this to say: “Sunday’s issue. referendum has taken place under a kind of This same question is being considered by financial warfare not seen in the history of modern ordinary people in many western economies, but in states. The Greek government was forced to close a much wider context. The refugee crisis, the Greek its banks after the European Central Bank, whose debt crisis…..these days it seems that there’s a job is technically to keep them open, refused to do crisis for every occasion. Scratch a little deeper and so.” the common denominators are The storm clouds over the The rest of the world is finally greed, vested corporate interests, Eurozone are being gathered by catching up to what we have and a morally iniquitous financial winds of change. The newly been saying all along system generating indebtedness, formed Alternative Party in poverty, and fear. Denmark proposes monetary reform and The resounding “OXI” vote echoing around the sovereignty. More than 260,000 Austrians have world from the cradle of democracy is a glancing signed a petition calling for their wealthy country to blow to the corporate and financial elite but shows leave the EU and now the Austrian parliament must that 61% of voting Greek citizens have been discuss a referendum on the issue. And in Iceland thinking long and hard about what they stand for. the Prime Minister commissioned a report which outlined the need for a fundamental reform of After almost six years of IMF‐imposed austerity Iceland's monetary system. The author of the report measures, the Greek people have little left to lose. said: "Iceland, being a sovereign state with an For the first time in many decades living independent currency, is free to abandon the standards have fallen dramatically, 49% of young present unstable fractional reserves system and people are unemployed, and the future is implement a better monetary system.” frighteningly uncertain. Ironically, on 5 June 2010 ‐ It is becoming clear that events unfolding around a full five years ago ‐ the IMF admitted “we failed the world are provoking demands for to realise the damage austerity would do to Greece”. Yet the IMF, the European Union, and the independence, sovereignty, and freedom from the European Bank continued to impose their draconian miseries of a corrupt global financial system. People are deciding what they stand for, what’s important structural adjustment programme on a failing to them, and which values they hold most dear. economy. In particular, many groups are talking openly now Today Greece owes its creditors about €323 about the merits of a Sovereign Money System ‐ a billion. That’s 175 percent of the country’s gross system that would return the power to create domestic product: a hefty debt for a small nation. money to a public entity working in the interests of The bail out loans have been huge but as Joseph the the economy and society as a whole. Sound Stiglitz noted “We should be clear: almost none of familiar? It has taken more than sixty years but it the huge amount of money loaned to Greece has actually gone there. It has gone to pay out private‐ seems that the rest of the world is finally catching up with what the Democrats for Social Credit Party sector creditors – including German and French has been saying all along. banks.” In fact, the IMF’s loans to Greece have not only bailed out banks which lent recklessly in the We already know what we stand for: social credit, first place, they have earned a tidy profit in the not public debt Guardian Political Review - Issue 66 - Page 3
Conference 2015 Wellington 8th ‐ 9th August Brentwood Hotel, 16 Kemp Street, Kilburnie, Wellington
Further Information from The Conference Organiser, PO Box 5164, Invercargill 9843. Ph/Fax 03 215 7170 Email:
democrats@democrats.org.nz Website: www.democrats.org.nz
Democrats for Social Credit: Executive Contacts Leadership:
Leader
Stephnie de Ruyter PO Box 5164, Invercargill 9843 Ph 03 215 7170 Mobile 027 442 4434 Email:democrats@democrats.org.nz Email:stephnie.deruyter@democrats.org.nz
Deputy Leader
Chris Leitch 42 Reyburn House Lane, Whangarei 0110 Ph 09 430 0089 Mobile 021 922 098 Email : chris.leitch@democrats.org.nz
Executive Officers:
Party President
John Pemberton PO Box 402, Matamata3440 Ph 07 888 8564 Mobile 021 716 895 Email:john.pemberton@democrats.org.nz Website:http://www.johnpemberton.co.nz Blog:http://monetaryjustice.blogspot.com
Vice‐president
Katherine Ransom PO Box 402, Matamata 3440 Ph 07 888 8564 Mobile 027 471 6891 Email:katherine.ransom@democrats.org.nz
Regional Presidents
Northern & North Shore Regions
David Wilson PO Box 60, Paparoa 0543 Ph 09 431 7004 Email:northern@democrats.org.nz
Auckland Region
Neville Aitchison Ph 09 522 2743 Mobile 021 816 713 Email:auckland@democrats.org.nz
Waikato Region
Dawood Latif 6 Coombes Road, Hamilton 3288 Ph 07 855 0424 Mobile 021 765 528 Email:western@democrats.org.nz
Eastern Region
Barry Pulford 17 Caernarvon Drive, Hastings 4120 Ph 06 879 9497 Mobile 027 288 5658 Email:eastern@democrats.org.nz
Western Region
Heather M. Smith 8 Darwin Rd, Gisborne 4010 Ph/Fax 06 867 6668 Email:western@democrats.org.nz
Wellington Region
Karl Hewlett 111 Makara Road, Kaori, Wellington 6012 Ph 04 476 9693 Email:wellington@democrats.org.nz
Canterbury/West Coast‐Tasman Region
Robin Columbus Mobile:021 0225 4902 Email:canterbury@democrats.org.nz
Southern Region
Hessel Van Wieren PO Box 149, Cromwell 9342 Ph 03 445 1398 Mobile 027 441 6089 Email:southern@democrats.org.nz
Party Secretary
Roxanne Hansen Mobile 027 733 6641 Email:secretary@democrats.org.nz
Ex Officio Positions:
‘Guardian Political Review’ Editor
Tony Cardy 26 Warren Street, Oamaru 9400 Ph 03 434 5523 Email:editor@guardian.org.nz Website: http://www.guardian.org.nz
Committee Convenors: Finance Committee
Carl Findlater Ph 03 221 7075 Email:finance@democrats.org.nz
Policy Committee
Jenner Lichtwark Mobile 021 295 5141 Email:jenner.lichtwark@democrats.org.nz
Constitution Committee Margaret Cook Email:constitution@democrats.org.nz
Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 4
Removing a massive burden of interest off ratepayers By Chris Leitch,
DSC Deputy Leader, Finance Spokesman
Submission to Far North District Council 2015 Long Term Plan 24/4/15 (extract)
I have major concern about the enormous sum of ratepayers’ money that is being wasted annually in interest payments on the council’s debt, and the level of debt which is now predicted to be significantly higher at $150 million. The certainty is that debt will increase over the plan period and beyond. The costs of all currently proposed projects will be significantly higher by the time they are undertaken. What will also be significantly higher will be the waste of ratepayer’s money on increased interest. Estimated interest on council borrowings currently budgeted for will consume roughly $98 million, yet the community will have not one additional facility or service improvement to show for it.
Instead of the Council issuing bonds that are bought by the privately owned commercial banks, or raising loans, at between 5% and 6% interest, the Council should be seeking purchase of those bonds or arranging lines of credit by the Government owned Reserve Bank at no interest. After all, the commercial banks create new money out of thin air with which to purchase those bonds or make loans and the Reserve Bank can do the same.
That’s $98 million dollars of ratepayers’ money that should be spent on facilities, infrastructure, services, etc., to benefit ratepayers, but which instead will produce nothing. Alternatively, that $98 million could pay back the lion’s share of the council’s external debt and leave the council in a much stronger financial position to either undertake additional capital works, or reduce rates. I am proposing that the Council, through its membership of the Local Government Association, push for much better funding arrangements for capital works by being given access to Reserve Bank lines of credit at an administrative charge only. This would remove a massive burden of interest off
ratepayers and allow that money to be applied to other uses.
References showing the feasibility and benefits of such an option are presented below: 1) ‐ two letters from the New Zealand Reserve Bank and a quote from the Reserve Bank Bulletin, Vol. 71, No. 1, March 2008 2) ‐ quotes from the Bank of England Quarterly Review Q1 2014 which explains how the Reserve Bank could provide the funds 3) ‐ quote from Tragedy and Hope – A History of the World in our Time – Prof. Carroll Quigley. 4) ‐ a well reported and comprehensive International Monetary Fund report released in August 2012 titled “The Chicago Plan Revisited” 5) ‐ excerpts from a report dated March 2015 commissioned by the Prime Minister of Iceland titled “Monetary Reform ‐ A Better Monetary System For Iceland” 6) ‐ a State Housing Department report showing how the process was used successfully in the past References to other material have also been provided.
The Ministry of Works, 1949 STATE HOUSING IN NEW ZEALAND Reserve Bank Credit
State Housing Department report showing how the process was used successfully in the past.
Guardian Political Review - Issue 66 - Page 5
Reserve Bank Credit: To finance its comprehensive proposals, the Government adopted the somewhat unusual course of using Reserve Bank credit, thus recognising that the most important factor in housing costs is the price of money - interest is the heaviest portion in the composition of ordinary rent. The newly created Department was able, therefore, to obtain the use of funds at the lowest possible rate of interest, the rate being 1 per cent for the first $5,000,000 advanced, and one and a half per cent on further advances. The sums advanced by the Reserve Bank were not subscribed or underwritten by other financial institutions. This action showed the Government's intention to demonstrate that it is possible for the State to use the country's credit in creating new assets for the country.
Conference relaxes
Harry Alchin-Smith Carolyn Mackenzie and Mischele Rhodes
Colin's View
- The 2014 DSC Conference as seen through the lens of Colin J. Whitmill
Carl Payne and Hessel Van Wieren Callum Findlater
Guardian Political Review - Issue 66 - Page 6
Community Credit ‐ the nation’s greatest creative opportunity By the late Les Hunter, former finance spokesman for Social Credit/Democrats
Community credit – also known as public or social credit – can provide the funding (from the Reserve Bank) for social assets in ways that call for payment once only, rather than several times over because of interest charges. Repayment of the secured loan, plus a reasonable administrative charge, are all that is required. The debt associated with the extension of community credit must be interest‐free and owned by the people of New Zealand. Every local authority In New Zealand is faced with the problem of funding infrastructure and environmental needs. Those who look to central government to provide for education and health are desperately calling for additional
(edited extract from Guardian Issue 44)
investment in schools and hospitals ‐ and in ways that do not involve increased taxation or user‐pay charges. The responsible use of community credit can put a stop to compounding debt and the associated cost‐inflationary pressures. I can but repeat Abraham Lincoln’s contention that community credit provides each nation with its greatest creative opportunity. However, such a policy can be politically promoted only if underpinned by credible monetary and economic theory. Les Hunter is the author of 'Courage to Change ‐ A case for monetary reform'. Published by harbourside.publications@xtra.co.nz
(Community credit is DSC policy)
The House that Jack Built By Stan Fitchett (Extract from the Guardian Political Review, Issue 52) National Party Leader John Key was raised by his mother after his father died. They had few luxuries, and lived in a State house in the Christchurch suburb of Bryndwr. That meant John Key could progress to university ‐ before student loans were introduced ‐ and went on to become a multi‐millionaire in the "finance industry". John A. Lee ‐ who was usually known as "Jack" ‐ lived in desper‐ ate poverty in a squalid cottage in Dunedin. In 1916 he joined the Army. When he returned to New Zealand he joined the Labour Party. Labour campaigned vigorously for a reform of the monetary system, and its leader Michael Savage declared in the 1935 election campaign, "Labour proposed a money system which would equate credit with the goods produced. The ideal was that the people should be able to utilise their own credit system and complete public works without incurring public debt." In 1936 the new Labour Government resolved "to provide modern houses of a decent standard to be let at reasonable rates to people in the lower income groups." It appointed John A. Lee as Director of Housing ‐ and it couldn't have found a better go‐getting man for the job. His department knew that interest on bank loans is normally the major composition of ordinary rent, so Lee demanded ‐ and got ‐ Reserve Bank credit at one per cent to finance the housing scheme. The State housing programme is one of New Zealand's great success stories. By 1970, 72,498 houses had been built by the State
John Key's State house at 16 Hollyford Avenue. (Photo: Stan Fitchett)
"... to provide modern homes of a decent standard to be let at reasonable rates for low income groups." The reason rents could be "reasonable" is found in 'State Housing In New Zealand' published by the Ministry of Works in 1949 (see feature “Removing a massive burden of interest off ratepayers” in this issue). The State housing programme provided John Key's family with "a modern home of a decent standard at (a) reasonable rate." It is hard to believe there is any sound reason why the same thing cannot be done today, and so utilise our own credit system and complete public works without incurring public debt."
Community Credit in action - a place of 'very great historical significance'.
New Zealand's first state house was built with 1% Reserve Bank credit in 1937 at 12 Fife Lane, Mirimar, Wellington. The first tenants were Wellington City Council tram driver David McGregor and his wife, Mary (see later photo on left). After the McGregors died in the early 1980s, their son, David, sold the home back to the state. In 1983 the New Zealand Historic Places Trust registered it as a place of 'very great historical significance'. At the 50th anniversary of the house's construction, in an act of overt symbolism the Minister of Housing Helen Clark promised the watching crowd that the government would remain an active player in New Zealand's housing market. (But not, however, using Reserve Bank credit.) Guardian Political Review - Issue 66 - Page 7
The storm clouds gather TPPA ‐ the secret takeover of New Zealand! "we have just a few weeks to get the message to our government"
By Chris Leitch DSC Deputy leader, Finance and Regional Development spokesman, Whangarei candidate
Speech to Whangarei Grey Power,
16 March 2015 (extract)
If you don’t know anything about the TPPA, you are committing your grandchildren to becoming serfs in their own land.
Medicines will become more expensive as big pharmaceuti‐ cal companies gain more influence over PHARMAC, and restrictions are placed on generic medicines.
Despite on‐going statements from the Prime Minister and the Trade Negotiations Minister that the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement “is genuinely about free trade and getting trade rules that work for exporters,” the TPPA is far more comprehensive than that.
Big overseas companies will be able to sue the New Zealand government for millions in damages in secretive offshore tribunals, claiming that new laws and regulations (for example, a ban on fracking, smoking control laws, or a cap on electricity prices) have seriously undermined the value of their investments.
In reality it is about making the takeover of the country by trans‐national corporations and investment bankers risk free, and reducing our ability to pass laws that protect our economy, our ecology, and our people.
Even if there are benefits for NZ, who will own the businesses that those benefits accrue to? Will the profits stay in NZ or go offshore?
Foreign owners already And it is about doing that in controlled 33% of our share absolute secrecy. Despite five market in 2014. A plethora of years of negotiations, the public well known, iconic New Zealand are not being given details; companies have already been Opposition parties don’t know sold to overseas owners, and the any details; most Government TPPA will make that process MPs don’t know any details. quicker and easier. There will be no Select American Economist Robert "a Trojan horse in a global race to the bottom" Committee process, no public Reich has served in three consultation, no submissions, and no debate in parliament. national administrations, most recently as Secretary of Labor
Yet the TPPA will have the most far reaching effects on New Zealand’s future of almost any agreement yet signed or piece of legislation yet passed into law.
Clauses in the agreement itself even require that the details of documents passed between negotiators during the course of the negotiations be kept secret for four years after the agreement comes into force. The TPPA will affect the Government’s ability to pass laws protecting our environment, it will limit our control on genetic modification and food safety, and it will roll back restrictions on foreign investment and take‐overs. Guardian Political Review - Issue 66 - Page 8
under President Bill Clinton. He also served on President Obama's transition advisory board. He contends that the TPPA is a "Trojan horse in a global race to the bottom, giving big corporations and Wall Street banks a way to eliminate any and all laws and regulations that get in the way of their profits." We have just a few weeks to get the message to our government that they should not sign the TPPA until there is widespread consultation with the NZ public on all its provisions, and unless there is majority approval.
When is a right not a right? By David Tranter B.Ed (Oxon), B.A. (Canty). DSC Health Spokesman
W
hen is a Right not a Right?
According to the Health and Disability Commissioner's code of patients' rights: "Every provider must facilitate the fair, simple, speedy, and efficient resolution of complaints". This has to be the biggest joke of all the farcical "guarantees" which supposedly exist to protect the safety of public hospital patients in New Zealand. Judging by many cases known to me many complaints peter out simply because the trauma of the failed surgery is compounded by the evasive nature of the bureaucrats dealing with it. Patient frustration is increased by a succession of different DHB bureaucrats being involved with enquiries directed to specific officials being passed on to someone else.
comment was; "there is a high threshold for altering them", i.e. the patient's records. "High threshold"? It's another brick wall. The question arises as to how widespread are surgery disasters in public hospitals. Without the resources to coordinate information known to organisations and individuals concerned about these matters it is impossible to put definite figures on it but from my 24 years of various involvements with the advocacy side of the health system I believe it to be a huge issue. On the question of patient numbers one government report (November 2014) states 489 serious adverse events (excluding mental health and addictions services patients). Of these, 437 events were reported by DHBs and 52 by other health providers. This represents a 21 percent increase in the number of events reported by DHBs over the year 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013.
If the patient is not satisfied they have the "right" to take the matter up with the Ombudsman A former DHB doctor known to me but in my experience the Ombuds‐ When is a right not a right? is simply, has compiled records of many cases man's office is as ineffectual as the when it's interpreted by health known to him, including West Coast HDC. Added to which the Ombuds‐ bureaucrats and conniving politicians ones, where treatment has been man's office can only make abysmal including resulting in recommendations (if they ever do) unnecessary death and where the families have encountered which are not enforceable. The same applies to the Health & evasion and non‐communication from the authorities. One Disability Commissioner. West Coast contact tells me of four local patient disasters Quite simply, the patient protection provisions are paper known to them in the gynaecology area alone ‐ in addition to tigers in what is increasingly being seen by patient advocacy their own horrific experience. groups as a deliberate strategy of "cover‐up not follow‐up" And the bureaucrats' view of all this? A reply from when mistakes occur in public hospital surgery. Canterbury/West Coast DHB CEO David Meates included the Another alarming aspect of these matters is the confused statement, "Cases such as this are very rare and unusual". situation regarding patients' right to see their complete Rubbish! Given the experience of many people and groups hospital files. I was pleased to note the CDHB's chief medical advocating outside the "official" advocacy system for patients officer, Dr. Nigel Millar, state: “The patient owns their health the view that disastrous outcomes for patients are "very rare record, we have to get over ourselves. The patient owns the and unusual" is nothing less than the denial of reality. record to read, to annotate, to correct, to control”. When I It is time for a Minister of Health to end the approach put this to Dr. Millar recently he replied, "Should you ever be followed by Tony Ryall throughout his tenure of the office ‐ in Christchurch then I would be happy to meet and explain and now being replicated by the current Minister ‐ whereby, the context and exactly what I say on such matters". Which in Mr Ryall's words, it is "not appropriate" for the Minister of raises the obvious question as to why, when he's made such Health to become involved in the running of DHBs. So what is definite statements, he won't answer in writing to my "appropriate" for a Minister of Health? questioning him ‐ and given I live in Queensland he's on a Until there is strong direction from the top, treatment pretty safe wicket offering to meet me! tragedies will continue to be swept under the carpet by a The farce of patients "owning" their records is illustrated by system demonstrating the disastrous effects of bureaucrats the actions of the West Coast DHB who share the same CEO supplanting properly qualified people, i.e. the health as the CDHB. Mark Newsome of the West Coast DHB professionals, directing how hospitals should be run. informed me that under Rule 7 of the HDC Code; "People have a right to ask the agency to correct information about them, if they think it is wrong". Like Nigel Millar's statements that sounds promising ‐ until you read on: "If the agency does not want to correct the information, it does not usually have to. However, people can ask the agency to add their views about what the correct information is". So this means that the DHB view remains the "official" one with the patient's view merely added as an afterthought. Mr. Newsome's closing Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 9
I have twice seen (as a DHB member) excellent and experienced health professionals forced out of their positions by ill‐qualified management and board chairmen who simply rejected the views of the true experts.
The answer to the question in the title of this article, "When is a right not a right?" is simply, when it's interpreted by health bureaucrats and conniving politicians.
Land of the long-lost opportunity
T
hirty five years ago when tasked by the NZ government to look at the long term social and economic options open to the country with special regard to technology, the Commission for the Future, under my direction, quite correctly started with a look at our comparative advantages. These advantages quite clearly included our small well educated population dwelling on a large, abundantly renewable, maritime insular environment, qualified by its splendid isolation, temperate climate and glorious scenery. Equally clearly the very stuff of which Island Paradises are made.
A view from the crow'snest by Lt. Cdr. Dick Ryan RN RNZN (rtd)
something of the same sophistry dealt out by politicians, let me turn it into a vision, something we haven’t heard from them in half a century. We are talking about a New Zealand of independent foreign policy, of indefinitely sustainable use of natural resources, requiring energy self sufficiency, organic farming, import substitution, complementary therapy, post industrial communications, production, work patterns and land use.
So what is the reason for the Prime and Finance Ministers of the last thirty years imposing It was thus with mounting enthusiasm upon us overseas loans, think big that I was able to tour New Zealand to industrialisation, monetarism and outline the various pathways open to us, asset sales, all of which from hustling everybody into a few cities increased our dependency?
and industrialising, to parcelling out a piece of land to every family and settling for a subsistence lifestyle. Between these two feasible extremes lay an easily attainable utopian alternative. Indeed I quote from one of our surveys of peoples attitudes:
‘..public preference for a future society which is not a stereotype of others but which has developed its unique brand of South Pacific lifestyle; where social, environmental and economic values have equal importance; where we have become self reliant through ingenious stewardship of our natural resources, using the best of sophisticated and simple technology, within the structure of an open, relaxed, caring, sharing, creatively varied society.’ If you view that generalisation as Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 10
While more self reliance was the appropriate starting point for our rational utopia, New Zealand’s economic, industrial and social dependence has been growing exponentially since those halcyon days. In other words, we have been heading in the opposite direction, so that the vested interests of transnationals, oligopolistic big business and political power seekers of both coloured governments, have been perceived to be best served by ignoring the self reliant option, as in the case of medicine, light industry and defence, paying lip service to it, as in energy and nuclear free zones, or arguing that the status quo cannot be changed, as in trade and the
economic system. So what is the reason for the Prime and Finance Ministers of the last thirty years imposing upon us overseas loans, think big industrialisation, monetarism and asset sales, all of which increased our dependency? Presumably it is the same logic that made a previous Prime Minister scrap our air combat capability just when air terrorism might necessitate its use. And the same logic again that sets us on the path of the rest of the western world in releasing genetic engineering into our environment, just as this world, the market for selling our produce, is deciding that they don’t want to buy or eat anything which is GE tainted if they can avoid it. And why, in this most richly endowed land, do we insist that we borrow billions from overseas? The path chosen is so demonstrably wrong that it can be for only one or all of three reasons. The result of outside bribery, venal vested interest, or simply crass stupidity. There are NO other excuses. Cdr Dick Ryan is DSC Spokesman for Defence, and Tutikuki Electorate candidate. Born in Dunedin and educated in England, Commander Dick Ryan spent twenty years in the Royal Navy, flying with the Fleet Air Arm on active service. He also qualified in submarines, had two years in Antarctica and was leader of the International Helicopter Search and Rescue team. Following two years study in Social Science and Alternative Technology, he returned to Auckland with his wife and family, instructing in Management, Leadership, and Systems Approach for RNZN. Dick was appointed as a Director of the Commission for the Future in Wellington.
COMMENT
What's in a name? by Heather Marion Smith,
Western Region President
I often refer to Social Credit in the body of a letter to the editor, having found ‐ both before and since the election ‐ how many folk recognise that name. I am not the only one who gets described as a Social Democrat at forums, etc. As for ‘DSC’, people of all ages haven’t a clue about our current clumsy 8‐syllable official title.
Footnote: A Constitutional Remit from the Western Division calling for a name change to The New Zealand Social Credit Party will be presented at the 2015 Conference. However, an alternative option will be for the name to remain unchanged (for legal and procedural reasons) but for the Party to campaign as 'Social Credit', with modern presentation and logo (to be used on the 2017 general election voting papers).
It has been 30 years since we adopted the ‘Democrats’ title. I voted for it because I thought our political leaders knew best. Now I accept that President Stefan Lipa was correct then in opposing the change, as ‘Social Credit’ distinguishes us from the others. Since the 2008 financial meltdown, there is accelerated understanding of what the Socred mechanism can do. As an activist (and economist) I desperately want my job made easier – as do Regional activists. It’s exasperating referring to the social credit mechanism in a letter to the press, then having to refer to a website with what appears to be a different name. We can’t afford not to change the name. And as 2016 is the year for local government elections – now is the time to do it.
The Diary of Adrian Bayly Nelson-based Adrian Bayly keeps a close eye on the political scene in New Zealand and overseas.
21/11/14 INDEBTED The Annual Report of the Auckland City Council shows that it has a $6.3 billion debt and this year borrowed $348 million. The interest bill of the total debt is $348 million p.a. Just think how much a DSC government could help Auckland City Council with Reserve Bank loans at low interest to help them fund infrastructure projects plus retire the huge debt and the interest they are paying. Currently Tasman District Council is seeking input to fund a $73 million Waimea Dam project. I’ve presented a submission to the Tasman DC on behalf of the DSC Party. Tasman DC already has a $140 million debt which is growing each year. 4/3/15 INCREDIBLE Tasman‐West Coast MP Damien O’Connor recently remarked “what the hell is it going to take for the public to realise that the country is going in the wrong direction”. It’s incredible that the public elected John Key and his Party back in 2014 – to carry on the financial ruin of New Zealand. 4/3/15 HELP The Dominion Post states that John Key is prepared to let a high influx of migrants (52,400) into the country and house them in Auckland. This will push up house prices further – to the point where low‐to‐middle income earners will never own their own homes. The other regions of the country are suffering due to lack of industries to Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 11
Auckland's Logan Campbell Centre filled with 500 delegates, candidates and observers at the 1981 Social Credit Annual Conference.
employ people and take the burden off Auckland’s huge urbanisation ‐ DSC Regional Development policy is committed to this. Also DSC housing policy would help those needing mortgages to buy property. 27/4/15 INVESTOR'S DREAM Fairfax Media said the Auckland property market is being pitched to foreign buyers in Singapore and Malaysia as an "investor's dream". A radio ad in Singapore said Aucklanders spent around half their week's wages in rent, and that "could be paid to you". 27/4/15 ARTIFICES According to the Nelson Mail "we learned from Prime Minister John Key only recently that the budget surplus which seems to be slipping from the Government grasp this year was nothing more than an 'artificial' target. Be prepared for news that some election promises might be artifices, too." 20/5/15 JUST THINK! Nelson is attracting Auckland people ‐ a $375.000 home here would cost $800.000 therel Just think what a NZ DSC Government could do in helping couples finance their first homes, as well as curbing foreign speculators/ investors. With a NZ Monetary Authority established as the only institution with the power to create, issue and cancel NZ money, and having the trading banks as licensed agents of the NZMA to advance money at low rates of interest to customers, this would ease the burden of repayment for many. Abolishing GST and replacing it with a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) would mean the currency speculators would pay their share of tax. A rate of 0.01% FTT would be better than GST at 15% ‐ and businesses would be relieved of compliance costs.
ENVIRONMENT
Stop Smart Meters Now By Stephnie de Ruyter DSC leader and Energy Spokesperson The Democrats for Social Credit Party (DSC) wholeheartedly endorses the Stop Smart Meters campaign for a moratorium on installations of smart meters until the technology is proven not be a risk to health, and until home owners are given a choice about whether or not they are willing to admit the smart grid into their homes.
appearance of certain cancers (EMF are recognized as “potentially carcinogenic” by WHO) and the risk of Smart meters being rolled out across New Zealand have yet Alzheimer’s in electrosensitive persons. Do we continue this technology for purely economic to be proven safe for anything more than information gathering. Serious concerns overseas about the safety of these reasons or do we take into account the very high health devices must not be ignored just because our safety standards costs that we will be paying as a result?" are out of date and inadequate. Claims that smart meters will save energy, increase power reliability, and give consumers more control of energy use in Smart meters use microwave radiation to transmit data their homes are optimistic, at best. Experience in the United about customers’ electricity use. Electricity companies are States shows smart meters and grids typically use more generally telling their customers that the meters are safe because the microwave radiation that they produce falls within energy, they are extremely hackable (making the entire power grid vulnerable), and most customers suffer higher power bills NZ safety standards. But NZ safety standards are dangerously outdated as they take into account only the thermal (heating) immediately following a smart meter installation. effects of microwave radiation ‐ and ignore the research that Internationally acclaimed digital technology engineer Dr. shows that much lower levels of microwave radiation may be Timothy Schoechle says: The smart meter is a canard - a a health hazard. story or a hoax based on specious and grandiose claims about energy benefits ostensibly derived from the promise Dr. Dominique Belpomme, President of the Association for of “two-way” communication with the customer. There is Research on Treatment Against Cancer (ARTAC), and Founder essentially no possibility that most smart meters or meter of the European Cancer and Environment Research Institute (ECERI) had this to say during an interview earlier this month: networks will lead to greater sustainability. The compulsory installation of smart meters into "High level independent scientists all agree that there is a unsuspecting Kiwi homes must stop. Now. major risk from propagation of wireless technology: Smart power meters a threat to health By Sue Kedgley, NZ Herald 'Politics' 11 November 2014 Call me a Luddite, but I don't want a "smart" electricity meter installed at home, and certainly not without my knowledge or consent. According to Meridian Energy, I will have no choice in the matter. Once they start installing smart meters in my neighbourhood they will put one on our house, whether we like it or not. Smart meters are being fitted to replace old "analogue" meters and more than a million have already been installed. Power companies like Genesis and Meridian are installing them for commercial purposes, because they allow them to measure household electricity use, as often as minute by minute, from a remote location. This enables them to get rid of meter readers, and to collect valuable information about electricity use that can be used for marketing purposes or sold to third parties. Smart meters…allow power companies to Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page.12
collect detailed information about people's home lives ‐ when they get up, when they leave the house, when they turn on a computer ‐ and some worry that the ability to gather this data amounts to an invasion of privacy.
In Sweden, where electromagnetic sensitivity is recognised as an official disease, 3‐5 per cent of the population is estimated to be electro‐sensitive. That percentage of our population equates to about 135,000 people.
Some groups claim they could be used as part of the infrastructure of a surveillance state.
There are other concerns ‐ that power companies could use smart meters to stop power to consumers who have been late paying their bills, or that they could overheat and cause fires. A spate of house fires linked to smart meters has led to mass recalls in some parts of Canada and the United States.
Others are concerned that wireless‐ operated meters add to the electrical smog we are all exposed to. Once installed, they may pulse electromagnetic radiation into a home, emitting millisecond bursts of radio frequency thousands of times a day, according to documents supplied by one manufacturer. You can't turn a smart meter off. It just pulses, 24/7. It is established that some people are sensitive to electrical fields and microwave radiation and may not be able to tolerate a new and continuous source of emissions.
But surely people should have a choice. And surely a power company should not be able to install a smart meter for commercial purposes, without the knowledge and consent of the household. I predict the forced installation will become as controversial here as it is in many other countries. Sue Kedgley is a Wellington regional councillor
HEALTH
Health Services Study raises concerns about the validity of community fluoridation as a safe public health measure Water fluoridation above a certain level is linked to 30% higher than expected rates of underactive thyroid in England, a study has found. Researchers said that GP s surgeries in the West Midlands, which has the biggest water fluoridation scheme in the UK, are nearly twice as likely to report high hypothyroidism prevalence as Greater Manchester, where it is not added to drinking water.
prevalence was found to be at least 30% more likely in practices in areas with fluoride levels of more than 0.3ppm.
"The effects of fluoride on the thyroid have long been observed"
"The findings of the study raise particular concerns about the validity of community fluoridation as a safe public health measure," the report from the Centre for Health Services Studies at the University of Kent said. Around 10% of people in England receive water that is fluoridated at a target level of one part per million (1ppm). Researchers said they found that high hypothyroidism
The study, which is published online in the Journal of Epidemiol‐ ogy & Community Health, said the effects of fluoride on the thyroid have long been observed, but there have been no population studies that have examined this.
"The finding of this cross‐ sectional study has important implications for public health policy in the UK and in other countries where fluoride is added to drinking water or in other forms such as fluoridated milk and salt," it added. "Consideration needs to be given to reducing fluoride exposure, and public dental health interventions should stop interventions reliant on ingested fluoride and switch to topical fluoride‐based and non‐fluoride‐based interventions."
Dismissive The new study published by Peckham et al from Kent University in Epidemiology and Community Health, British Medical Journal that shows fluoridation is linked to an increase in under‐active thyroid is big news and has been reported extensively in the UK and other places, including Newsweek and NBC in the US. However, in New Zealand, we have had only one item from Radio New Zealand which dismisses it on the basis of a comment from the CEO of the New Zealand Dental Association. Fluoridation Action Network NZ 21/2/15
Worrying reduction in IQ The panel convened in 2014 to review water fluoridation has been forced to quietly amend an error in its report about the effects of fluoridation on IQ following international peer review. The 2014 Report, entitled ‘Health Effects of Water Fluoridation: a Review of the Scientific Evidence’ incorrectly stated that the adverse impact of fluoride exposure on IQ was less than one IQ point, but has now been amended to recognise that the established scientific evidence supports a reduction of seven IQ points New Health NZ Inc Chairman David Sloan says the potential impact of losing seven IQ points on a population basis is worrying, especially given that the scientific research concludes that “a shift to the left of IQ distributions in a population will have substantial impacts, especially among those in the high and low ranges of IQ distribution.” Dr Paul Connett, lead author of ‘The Case Against Fluoride’ says “There is a terrible irony here. The last children who need to lose IQ points are children from low‐income families and they are precisely the children being targeted by fluoridation programmes." David Sloan added, “We need to take a more intelligent approach to public health. The real cause of tooth decay is poor diet and poor oral hygiene. Mass medication with a highly toxic industrial waste product that may be contaminated with arsenic, mercury and lead, and potentially reduces IQ across a population, is not a civilised response". Guardian Political Review - Issue 66 - Page 13
What a way to run a railway! The sorry story of the Gisborne rail link The biggest obstacle?
Horrendous!
Last year I wrote to KiwiRail chairman John Spencer requesting he urge the Government to use its sovereign powers to fund the repair of the Gisborne‐Napier rail track.
Before the November election, members of opposition parties both in and out of Parliament promised to fight for the restoration of our Gisborne‐Wairoa‐Napier railway.
It is said that the biggest obstacle is funding, yet we social crediters know for certain that this should be no obstacle at all. The $3.5m to $5m estimate quoted is less than the Government’s daily expenditure on interest and yields to offshore banks and pension funds, and a great deal less than KiwiRail’s own annual budget allocated for debt‐servicing.
DSC researched KiwiRail’s horrendous debt‐servicing figures and wrote to the Board urging its chairman to pressure Government to invoke current legislation which permits repairs to be funded interest‐free and provided the Wairoa District Council with related information during the Draft Annual Plan hearings.
The onus of proof really lies with KiwiRail and the Ministers responsible to supply a convincing case for withholding the funds. Barry Pulford Eastern regional president, Democrats for Social Credit Gisborne Herald 3/2/15 (extract)
Shocking! You list the parties which say they would fix the Gisborne‐Napier line, but what have they actually done? Only the Democrats for Social Credit Party has done anything positive. Besides pleading with Gisborne District Council to advocate for nil‐ interest funding, we recently made strong submissions to the Wairoa District and Hawke’s Bay Regional Councils ‐ well received by both. What shocked several councillors and members of the public was the fact KiwiRail has to find tens of millions of dollars for debt‐ servicing before it can look at a mere $4‐5 million for track repairs. Again, we social crediters are asking the fundamental question: why should our public infrastructures and services always make profits for off‐shore banks, pension funds and unit trusts at the expense of our own welfare and environment? The answer is obvious. Borrow from our own Reserve Bank at zero to 1 percent ‐ something that should have been done for our railway back in 2012. Harry Alchin‐Smith Gisborne Herald 3/9/14
Who will rise to the challenge?
Guardian Political Review - Issue 66 - Page 14
All the groups demanding the rail restoration are convinced that the supporting evidence, both economic and environ‐mental, is overwhelming. Yet, although Government talks glibly about regional development, it refuses to acknowledge any advantages for either freight or passenger services. What assurances have been given by National that more efficient and cheaper rail alternatives will be encouraged? We need answers, with no excuses about commercial sensitivity. Who will rise to the challenge? Heather Marion Smith Wairoa Star 6/1/15
Rail infrastructure funding is available The urgent need to undertake rail infrastructure repairs without increasing an already heavy nationwide debt burden offers the best possible reason for direct government funding of infrastructure using the existing facilities available from the RBNZ. It’s an opportunity to use credit as a public utility. Rail infrastructure funding is readily available ‐ for those with the political will to deliver it. DSC Media Release (extract) 13/7/15
Northland, Vernon Cracknell and Social Credit By Keith Rankin, Scoop Media 9 March 2015 (extract)
Watching the coverage of the Northland by‐election, I was hoping to see some mention of the 1966 precedent, when Northland (under the name of Hobson) was centre of attention in a general election. In the 1960s we were in the full grip of 'first‐past‐the‐post‐voting'; the two‐party club seemed impregnable. The only politically credible alternative to National and Labour was the Social Credit Political League, still alive today as Democrats for Social Credit.
because the First Labour Government (1935‐ 49) in New Zealand was a coalition of social credit and socialist influences. Monetary policies in the Savage government – in particular with respect to state housing – were inspired by the social credit faction.
There was a big schism within Labour that came to a head in the 1943 election. The John A Lee faction was politically defeated by the more orthodox Peter Fraser leadership. But social credit monetary ideas around interest rate controls and subsidies of Social Credit were a party of monetary essential foods prevailed from the 1930s to reformers, inspired by the writings in Britain of Clifford H Douglas, in the 1920s and 1930s. the 1970s. After 1943, monetary reformers remained Social Credit's policy recommendations were pragmatic, and often effective when put into a significant force in Parliament. Independent Nelson MP Harry Atmore was certainly one; practice. he served until his death in 1946 as New Most importantly, the social crediters Zealand's last elected Independent. emphasised the importance of interest rates
at cost. Hence high interest rate policies would be inflationary rather than deflationary; and low interest rate policies would be deflationary. It looks somewhat true when we look at Europe and the USA today. We know these policies were effective
From 1946 to 1966, all New Zealand MPs were either National or Labour. Our Parliament had become a two‐party fortress, thanks to a lack of regional politics (which Scotland and Northern Ireland bring to the UK parliament) and especially thanks to the absence of preferential voting (as in
Australia) in electorates In 1954 the Social Credit Political League first contested elections. The appeal of the monetary reformers was most amongst the provincial mortgaged small business (including farming) population. Relative to finance as we know it in the twenty‐first century, social credit principles were already in place. This is how their success in 1966 was certainly interpreted. Social Credit leader Vernon Cracknell won Northland [Hobson], with Labour voters backing Cracknell once it was understood that he had a chance. Political Economist and Scoop Columnist Keith Rankin has taught economics at Unitec in Mt Albert since 1999. An economic historian by training, his research has included an analysis of labour supply in the Great Depression of the 1930s, and has included estimates of New Zealand's GNP going back to the 1850s. Keith believes that many of the economic issues that beguile us cannot be understood by relying on the orthodox interpreta‐ tions of our social science disciplines.
Iceland looks at ending boom and bust with radical money plan The Telegraph (UK) 7 April 2015 Iceland's government is considering a revolutionary monetary proposal ‐ removing the power of commercial banks to create money and handing it to the central bank. Frosti Sigurjonsson The proposal, which would be a turnaround in the history of modern finance, was part of a report written by a lawmaker from the ruling centrist Progress Party, Frosti Sigurjonsson, entitled "A better monetary system for Iceland".
"The findings will be an important contribution to the upcoming discussion, here and elsewhere, on money creation and monetary policy," Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson said. The report, commissioned by the premier, is aimed at putting an end to a monetary system in place through a slew of financial crises, including the latest one in 2008. According to a study by four central bankers, the country has had "over 20 instances of financial crises of different types" since 1875, with "six serious multiple financial Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 15
crisis episodes occurring every 15 years on average". Mr Sigurjonsson said the problem each time arose from ballooning credit during a strong economic cycle.
"As with the state budget, the parliament will debate the government's proposal for allocation of new money," he wrote. Banks would continue to manage accounts and payments, and would serve as intermediaries between savers and lenders.
He argued the central bank was unable to contain the credit boom, allowing inflation to Mr Sigurjonsson, a businessman and rise and sparking exaggerated risk‐taking and economist, was one of the masterminds speculation, the threat of bank collapse and behind Iceland's household debt relief costly state interventions. programme launched in May 2014 and aimed at helping the many Icelanders whose In Iceland, as in other modern market finances were strangled by inflation‐indexed economies, the central bank controls the creation of banknotes and coins but not the mortgages signed before the 2008 financial crisis. creation of all money, which occurs as soon
as a commercial bank offers a line of credit.
The central bank can only try to influence the money supply with its monetary policy tools. Under the so‐called Sovereign Money proposal, the country's central bank would become the only creator of money. "Crucially, the power to create money is kept separate from the power to decide how that new money is used," Mr Sigurjonsson wrote in the proposal.
The small Nordic country was hit hard as the crash of US investment bank Lehman Brothers caused the collapse of its three largest banks.
In a Media Release 16/4/15, DSC leader Stephnie de Ruyter hails the report, saying "It's exciting that Iceland is seriously examining this proposal: it's exactly what the DSC stands for. We maintain that such a fundamental reform of the financial system would deliver real prosperity, democracy, and independence for any nation with the courage to change".
REVIEWS
Take back your power – investigating the ‘smart’ grid Review from www.takebackyourpower.net
Josh del Sol's award winning documentary investigates so‐called "smart" utility meters, uncovering shocking evidence of in‐home privacy invasions, increased utility bills, health & environmental harm, fires and unprecedented hacking vulnerability...and lights the path toward solutions. Utility companies are replacing electricity, gas and water meters worldwide with new generation “smart” meters at an unprecedented rate. Take Back Your Power investigates the benefits and risks
of this ubiquitous “smart” grid program, with insight from insiders, expert researchers, politicians, doctors, and concerned communities. Transparency advocate Josh del Sol takes us on a journey of revelation and discovery, as he questions corporations’ right to tap our private information and erode our rights in the name of “green”. DVD (102 min) available from Amazon, etc. or on You Tube. See feature in this issue: “Stop Smart Meters Now”
Profits of Doom ‐ How vulture capitalism is swallowing the world Review from randomhouse.com
This is the kind of investigative book that makes you sit up and take notice. Vulture capitalism has seen the corporation become more powerful than the state, and yet its work is often done by stealth, supported by political and media elites. The result is privatised wars and outsourced detention centres, mining companies pillaging precious land in developing countries and struggling nations invaded by NGOs and the corporate dollar. Best‐selling journalist Antony Loewenstein witnesses the reality of this largely hidden world. Who is involved and why? Can it be stopped? What are the alternatives in a globalised world? Published by Melbourne University Press. Price $A24.99 (paperback) $A14.99 Kindle
Profits of Doom challenges the fundamentals of our unsustainable way of life and the money‐ making imperatives driving it.
Endorsements for Profits of Doom: "If you want to know what's behind private prisons, private/public partnerships, corporate sponsorship of schools ‐ this might be worth a read!" Chris Leitch, DSC Deputy Leader "Antony Loewenstein's tenacious work stands out. Profits of Doom is a journey into a world of mutated economics and corrupt politics that we ignore at our peril." John Pilger, independent investigative journalist, author and documentary film‐maker "In this chilling study, based on careful and courageous reporting, and illuminated with perceptive analysis, Antony Loewenstein presents many competitors for the prize, while also helping us understand all too well the saying that man is a wolf to man." Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor at MIT and Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy, political activist and author.
Social Credit Economics by M. Oliver Heydorn Ph.D. Review by Wallace Klinck This is the most comprehensive review of Douglas Social Credit perhaps ever authored. The author has meticulously gathered the essential ideas of Social Credit as advanced originally by Clifford Hugh Douglas and put them between two covers where they can be readily accessed by students and interested parties. This book should readily qualify as an authoritative text for academics, students and public policy makers. It presents the most realistic analysis of modern financial civilization, its core inherent defect ‐ a growing deficiency of effective consumer purchasing‐power necessitating the exponential growth of financial debt ‐ and offers the appropriate remedial measures, being primarily a progressive issue of consumer credits, originating without being accounted as debt and taking the form of universal consumer Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 16
dividends and compensated retail prices to effect a falling general price‐level. A brilliant compilation of essential information that should be read and studied by every responsible citizen. WK 2014 Additional comments from The Clifford Hugh Douglas Institute: By presenting the key economic ideas of Major Clifford Hugh Douglas (1879‐1952) in a clear, systematic, and comprehensive fashion, this work constitutes an academic standard of reference for those who wish to obtain a more advanced understanding of Social Credit economics. Just as Douglas' analysis goes to the very heart of what is structurally wrong with the financial and economic systems of contemporary civilization, Social Credit Economics effectively captures and distils the essence of his economic thought, rendering it more easily accessible to the broadly educated and reflective reader. Published 2014 by Create Space Independent Publishing, Ontario Price $US24.75 from Amazon.com or Book Depository.com.
WE HAVE MAIL WE NEED AN UPRISING The TPPA (Trans‐Pacific Partnership Agreement) is currently the biggest threat facing New Zealand. Forget climate change, forget poisonous sprays, forget deadly vaccines – this is going to mess with us worse than anything unless we shut it down. Democrats for Social Credit have a policy against the TPPA. We need an uprising. Tracy Livingstone, Tauranga
THE FUTURE OF WORK
Minister of Health? I'll bet if you explained to a goat that DHB loans could be provided by the Reserve Bank for zilch interest instead of sending taxpayers' health funds into the private finance sector Amy, Bruno and Scarlett wouldn't bleat about the bush ‐ they'd be all for it. David Tranter, DSC Health Spokesman.
WHO BEST? With housing affordability dominating the news headlines these days, will Labour revive its former policy of Reserve Bank credit for state house construction?
Labour Party leader Mr Little said one of the biggest challenges facing the country was "the future of work". I suggest that the future of work doesn't matter ‐ it's the future of income that's the worry.
There was five million pounds credit creation for that purpose in 1937, rising to twelve million in 1939 (at around 1% interest). There was no "rampant inflation" predicted by opponents.
One of the urgent problems of our society forty years on is the provision of income for all. It's a pity Mr Little's public relations exercise won't be considering that.
Meantime, employment figures rose dramatically, following that basic premise i.e. employment is a function of production which in turn is a function of demand.
Michael Clatford, Wellington
TRUTH AGAINST THE WORLD
Who best to create that demand in times of austerity? Our democratically elected government of course ‐ the institution with the sovereign power to arrange cheap credit.
Website www.socialcredit.com.au is now operative. The site has a substantial amount Heather Marion Smith, Gisborne of Social Credit material. It has books, pamphlets, videos and essays which are made CHASING A PHANTOM freely available to the world as has never Don’t tell me! The aluminium industry’s before been possible. not making enough money again, and needs The truth against the world! help in getting rid of a poisonous waste product in addition to its Government Charles Pinwill chaspinwill@bigpond.com subsidy.
GETTING ONE’S GOAT
An article in the Greymouth Star (21/2/15) about Amy, Bruno and Scarlett ‐ the goats which sorted out Buller Hospitals' "unkempt grounds" ‐ raises all sorts of interesting possibilities. Since goats initiated action which DHB bureaucrats had failed to do for a month why not extend the goats' activities into other areas of management?
It’s exceedingly difficult to do a controlled experiment with human beings, but one of the nearest approaches ever made was the Napier/Hastings twin city scenario in about
the 1960s. One with its water containing fluoride, the other not. The un‐fluoridated one showed the best results. But nothing is done to correct feeding procedures that rot childrens' teeth in the first few years of life. Certainly a lot of this is linked with unnecessary poverty and irresponsible advertising, but there appears to be little or no education in this field. I suggest the Health Board puts effort into this avenue rather than chasing a phantom that has lost credence all over the world. John G Rawson, Whangarei
NEW ECONOMICS Society needs a new economics that recognizes the importance of financing consumption. Industry has proved it can provide abundance. Machines have displaced human energy and reduced wage potential. This has reduced individual’s consumption power. Machines are progress but the wages that the machines displaced urgently needs to be paid as a supplementary weekly income to every individual to enable every individual to purchase their full share of machine production, their entitlement. Machines are our cultural inheritance. Where will the money come from to pay a universal supplementary income? The State can print money the same as banks do, not too much not too little. Henry Raynel, Auckland Letters or emails should be sent to The Guardian Political Review, 26 Warren Street, Oamaru 9400, NZ. E-mail: editor@guardian.org.nz The editor reserves the right to edit or abridge. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the editor or the NZ Democratic Party for Social Credit.
IT? No problem. Instead of sending unwanted paper mountains to all and sundry they could eat them ‐ and produce a useful by‐product for the garden. Planning? Goats don't need to take years to plan something. Working on the same basis that the hospital lawns needed mowing so they got on with it immediately, they could save millions of dollars currently wasted on plans which are created for no other reason than keeping computer twiddlers in bogus work. PR? Goats are known to be sociable creatures (sometimes too much so....) but at least you know where you are with a goat ‐ unlike the meaningless twaddle spewed forth by so‐called PR consultants and DHB spokespeople. But best of all, how about a goat for Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 17
Child: "Grandpa, look at all that sand! We could make lots of sandcastles. Grandfather: "Don't be silly, boy - we haven't any money! (Drawn and contributed by Harry Alchin-Smith, Gisborne)
OBITUARIES Melva Butterfield
‐ a great life, well lived
Melva Butterfield was for nearly forty years the public face and the first point of contact for the Social Credit/Democratic Party in Christchurch. As the office lady at the St Asaph Hall that was both the party’s Regional H.Q and the heart of its very successful fundraising Housie organisation Melva was an essential and pivotal part of the Social Credit movement in its seesaw and sometimes tumultuous political journey. From the depths of the internal mayhem of the ‘Canterbury Affair’, when the party split in two at an acrimonious Conference, and the very ownership of the hall was in dispute to the party’s rise and rise during the late 70s and early 80s under the charismatic leadership of Bruce Beetham, and then through the slow decline in support to the formation of the Alliance and beyond, Melva was the one constant in the Canterbury Region. Her home was her pride and joy. It was always made available for party executives to stay when they were attending meetings and conferences in Christchurch. Dependable, reliable, a dispenser of support, wisdom and chocolate fish to a succession of Leaders, Presidents and candidates, Melva was simply indispensable. Her shorthand and typing skills were of the highest order, and minutes, reports, press statements, and speeches were produced accurately and sometimes late at night, long after any reasonable work day should have ended. Officially Melva was employed by the St Asaph Social & Welfare Club which oversaw and organised the running of seven sessions of Housie a week (two on Fridays) for many years.
Errol James Baird 17th February 1939 – 18th April 2015
‐ a sincere social crediter
The Party and the social credit movement lost another stalwart with the passing of Errol Baird in Hamilton on the eighteenth of April. Errol joined the movement in his home town of Ashburton while at high school and retained his interest and energetic involvement from then onwards. Errol recently shifted to Hamilton with his wife Dasselin and their daughter. His first phone call to me shortly after their arrival in the city was to enquire about the political activity and the Party situation in the area. Unfortunately he did not get the chance to give the help to the local branches here that was always so welcomed in other regions. That help ranged over many years and in many positions; some of which were: 1987 – Candidate for Western Hutt, 2004 – Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 18
Her perk on Fridays was to have first pick of the cream cakes from the caterers providing lunch for the early clients of the afternoon session. Melva became a friend to many of the regular clients, knowing their names and their families as well as their regular orders for housie cards and raffles. She also helped put monetary reform into action in a small way by acting as teller and for a time treasurer of New Era Credit Union, another party initiative. All this work was done without a computer in sight. Her tools were an IBM golf ball typewriter, a large Gestetner and as technology changed, a succession of photocopiers. Not until after her retirement when the Housie was finally closed down, and the Hall handed over freehold to the Democratic Party did Melva finally venture into the world of computing. One of the hardest things Melva had to cope with during her tenure in the St Asaph office was the trauma of being the victim of an armed robbery. While she was alone in the office one afternoon a man entered and put a gun in her face demanding money. He got a small amount, but the experience was a real shock to Melva and the Hall committee, and added security measures were promptly installed. During all this time Melva supported Graham in his business endeavours and political activism and they raised three children doing family things like holidays, caravanning, and boating. Church and community life were in the mix as well, and for many years Melva was a keen and active badminton player. Unfortunately a stroke robbed Melva of some of the pleasures of retirement, but her family and grandchildren were a source of pride and an avenue to still exercise some forthright advice when she deemed it necessary. A great life, well lived by a special lady. Rest in peace Melva. Contributed by John Wright & Craig Butterfield
Secretary Wellington Division, 2005 – Party Candidate, 2006 – Produced an analysis of the ’05 election showing “A way Forward”, 2007 – prepared a very useful discussion paper on Housing Affordability. Errol also served as a Lower Hutt City Councillor for several years from 1983 and various Democrats for Social Credit Executive and regional roles. Errol Baird earned a Masters’ Degree in Chemistry and worked for IBM, in the IT industry, as a Teacher and in insurance. His work and faith took him more than once to Jamaica where he acted as a missionary and a company Vice‐President. Obviously a busy man, Errol still made time for the fellowship of the Reformed Church and his “pass‐times” of writing, reading, cooking, his stamp collection, and travelling. Many of us will have fond memories of Errol Baird; my memories of him go back to the eighties when I moved up to Wellington from the West Coast; a time when we felt we were on the crest of a political wave. When we believed we may even become part of a Social Credit Government. I am sure your memories hold thoughts like that too. Take a time to recall them now in a warm farewell to a sincere social crediter and Democrat – Errol James Baird. Contributed by Murray Belchamber
Whitmill's World Colin J Whitmill reports from the U.K.
UK electoral system corrupt The May 2015 UK general election result provided further evidence of the corrupt nature of the first past the post system. The winning Conservative Party polled 36.9% of the votes to win 50.9% of the 650 seats, Labour won 30.4% of the vote for 35.6% of the seats, the Scottish Nationalists won 4.7% of the poll for 8.6% of the seats, the Liberal Democrats won 7.9% of the poll for 1.2% of the seats, the Greens 3.8% for 0.15% of the seats and UKIP polled 12.6%, four million votes, for only one seat ‐ 0.15%.
How to revive Labour
who had been dead seven years in her flat has raised the question of who looks after whom. The inquisitive Private Eye reported that "Government ministers are refusing to publish findings of 60 internal 'reviews' it has commissioned into deaths where there have been suggestions that they are related to benefit cuts or sanctions". "Employment minister Esther McVey has admitted that when the most vulnerable people face benefit sanctions, no one checks they can feed themselves or heat their homes. She said it was not Government policy to warn the NHS or social services”.
Is political correctness
The disastrous result for Labour in the May representative of the electorate? UK general election has caused its activists to "Out there in cyberspace is a moronic consider how to revive it. For a start, of inferno whipped up by people determined to course, they could seek electoral reform to replace the anti‐democratic first‐past‐the‐post be outraged, legions of single‐issue pressure groups manically insistent upon their cause voting system, but they probably won't. and perpetually angry". (Rod Liddle Sunday
In safe hands
Times 1‐2‐15)
"Political correctness is not a rigorous commitment to social equality so much as a system of left‐wing ideological repression. It makes debate irrelevant and frequently impossible. These pseudo‐left‐wing screeching lunatics have crawled into the vacuum left by the collapse of traditional values". Jonathon Chait quoted in the Sunday Times 1/2/15 (Hillary] "Clinton has always had the backing of Wall Street, viewed as the heir to Bill's pragmatic policies. Several senior executives at Goldman Sachs, including chief executive Lloyd Blankfein, have backed her" [Iain Dey Sunday Times 7/12/14]
Working for billionaires. big corporations, lawyers and lobbyists Senator Elizabeth Warren has not been cosying up to the bankers nor has such close ties to the financiers as has Democratic Party favourite Hillary Clinton. In a senate speech, Elizabeth Warren singled out Citigroup as a bank whose cosy relationship with Washington cheated ordinary Americans, "Washington already works really well for the billionaires and big corporations and lawyers and lobbyists. But what about the families who lost their homes or their jobs or their retirement savings the last time Citi bet big on derivatives and lost?" [Sunday Times 21/12/14]
Let them die The discovery of the remains of a woman
Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 19
The British know their history
In a television quiz, an applicant for a prize was asked "New Zealand was mapped out in the 1770's by which English explorer?" The contestant answered "Robinson Crusoe". (Private Eye)
Oh, for social credit financing "A crucial, but little‐noticed report from the National Audit Office last week on funding schools,hospitals and other infra‐ structure set out how much more expensive the private finance initiative [Public Private Partnerships in NZ] is than paying with public money.
Buried in the small print is information that using PFI equates to borrowing at 7.4 percent, whereas public borrowing costs just 3.4 percent. Since payments under PFI contracts are running at 10 billion a year and of this 4 billion is the cost of servicing the related debt, on this element alone PFI is PS: I have a certificate issued in 1993 stating I have stinging the taxpayer around 2 billion a year." passed all aspects of political correctness. CJW.
The Twitter influence Nowadays some politicians and business people might claim support by responses accumulating on Twitter. A PR agency, Burson‐Marsteller, put out a briefing called "How to measure influence on Twitter". If people are influenced by the number of "followers" on Twitter, the PR agency advises that "Followers can be bought for as little as US$5 for 10,000 followers". [Private Eye 1382] The Sunday Times has also uncovered a [UK] Labour Party candidate who has 20,000 followers largely made up of fake accounts that had been bought and added to his profile". [Sunday Times 8/2/15]
The Facebook influence Author Andrew O'Hagan, who ghost wrote the autobiography of Julian Assange, said that Facebook had 864 million daily users, of whom at least 67 million are believed by the company to be fake.
[Private Eye]
Even under such a scheme, social credit financing would save UK taxpayers much more than 4 billion a year.
How much have Kiwisaver pension contributors lost? "In his best selling book Flash Boys, the author and former Wall Street trader Michael Lewis exposes what he claims to be the dark and corrupt underbelly of international finance. He alleges that the stock markets have been rigged by an elite cabal of investment banks and traders who are ripping off the pensions and savings of everyday people. Their modus operandi centres on ultra‐fast computers hooked up to lightning‐quick internet connections. The "Flash Boys", he claims, have [high frequency trading] systems that are so fast they can get ahead of ordinary investors. They can spot whether (continued on next page)
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other investors are buying or selling and then beat them to the market. The story is much more complicated, but the key thesis is that the modern financial system has evolved into a them‐and‐us society where all but a handful of super‐rich traders are unable to get a fair deal." [from an article by Iain Dey and Ben Laurance in the Sunday Times 26/4/15]
A by product of growing GE crops
"Eighteen‐month‐old Andrea Prete, who was born without a hand, and her mother Magdalena live in the village of Laterza Kue in south east Paraguay. Their home is surrounded by genetically modified soya crops, which are sprayed daily with agrochemicals. Herbicides in the process are believed to be linked to birth defects such as Andrea's, as well as cancer. Soya ‐ often dubbed 'green gold' ‐ has helped Paraguay become one of the fastest‐growing economies in Latin America, such is the world's appetite for soya‐fed cattle and biofuels" [London Sunday Times 29/3/15]
"....Labour's love of the private finance initiative [NZ's PPP] delivered shocking value and unsustainable debt for many hospital building projects and franchising whole services and even hospitals to the private sector is doomed to fail because there is no profit in it". [Private Eye] Water privatisation reaps benefits
‐ but not for consumers
"Only three of Britain's 18 water com‐ panies are left on the public market. The rest have been bought in the main by overseas investors attracted by the predictable returns form the highly regulated businesses. The utilities have also stirred controversy by ramping up household bills while handing out billions in dividends and paying tiny amounts of tax through the use of accounting loop‐ holes and shell companies based in tax havens." [London Sunday Times 26/4/15]
All in favour of the TTIP and the TTPA, get your chauffeurs to raise their hands Irwin Stelzer, a business adviser, writing in the Sunday Times [15/2/15] said, inter alia,"Most Republicans in Congress ... are convinced that freer trade would stimulate economic growth, create high wage jobs, and not, incidentally, please their corporate and financial backers".
"... Brussels has been deluged with complaints that TTIP provisions allowing foreign investors to sue in international rather than national courts would undermine You're right, Jeremy Europe's health, safety and environmental standards. Worse, say Europe's TTIP critics, Jeremy Clarkson in his Sunday Times those provisions involve an unacceptable column [18/1/15] related to small talk of surrender of national sovereignty, something those present at dinner parties. He met a that has not troubled our European trading man who explained that he used money he partners [with the exception of the United didn't have, and which didn't exist, to buy Kingdom Independence Party] when they are companies that had gone bankrupt. This provided him with an income sufficient to run surrendering to Brussels rather than to Washington." a house in the Caribbean. He also related "Another man at the same party said he rents shares from people and sells them. Which sounded to me like a fancy way of saying he was a thief". Jeremy, in the world of finance, that's known as "short‐selling".
Public Private Partnerships ‐ a burden on taxpayers and no value for money The vice president of the British College of Emergency Medicine said "we put less money into our health service, which has fewer beds and staff per population [than many other European countries]. The greatest parasites on the NHS for the last 15 years have been management consultants". The UK Minister of Health said "The £71 billion [$142 billion] of PFI [Private Finance Initiatives] means that more than £1 billion ($2 billion] every year is diverted from the front line". Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 20
and a public bank to extend credit on concessionary terms. The government can create credit on its computer keyboards in the same way that commercial banks do on their keyboards An "independent" central bank (such as the European Central Bank) means one that is controlled by private bankers, preventing governments from financing their own spending and obliging them . and the economy at large . to rely on private interest‐ bearing commercial bank credit. Russia needs a real central bank serving government objectives . to re‐industrialize the economy, and to rebuild it without the heavy financial overhead that has inflated housing costs, infrastructure costs, education costs and the cost of living in the West. Professor Michael Hudson 12/6/15
Red Tories The Scottish Nationalists in the UK general election campaign convincingly called the Labour Party "Red Tories", which, upon reflection, succinctly describes the NZ Labour Party since the 1980's.
Want to "make" some money? In an equity release arrangement, a pensioner in 2002, took a loan on her house, owned outright, to provide her with some cash. Twelve years later, she was concerned that things were getting out of hand. To repay the $162,000 loan, she had to pay the principal,plus $220 in an administrative fee, $298,500 in accumulated interest charges and $127,600 in an early repayment fee, a total of $588,320.
You don't need money to become financially richer When Americans bought Manchester United Football Club some ten years ago, they didn't use their own money, they borrowed it and then put the debt they owed on to the club they acquired. The club borrowed more to enable the Americans to be paid a huge dividend. So, you don't need money to become financially richer, just access to debt and someone else to pay it off. It's called corporate business.
What Russia needs Russia obviously needs to free itself entirely from Western banks. More important, it doesn't need their credit. (Look at how China built up its economy without foreign bank credit!) Russia needs a real central bank to finance government deficits,
An 89 year old widow is wondering how she can repay her 1989 $50,000 equity release loan on her house. Unable to pay the interest, it rolled into the loan. She now owes $450,000 and if she lives until 96, it will be $900,000 she will owe. Her house, even with rising prices, is not worth anything like that. No wonder an equity release provider said "this is fast becoming the runaway success story". An ex Tory MP, also in the business, said he expected more innovative products to be released [Sunday Times Feb.2015] I bet he did, there's plenty of money to be made by lending money! (continued on next page)
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You need money to buy an unpaid job "Desperate young jobseekers are being charged almost £3,000 [$6,000] by an agency to secure unpaid internships at some of Britain's top companies". A Tory MP said "It's dreadful, just another way in which access to opportunity is being denied to everybody but those with independent means".
[Sunday Times 22/2/15]
Not a mention of fluoride India Knight writing in a column in the Sunday Times (22/3/15) commented that "half of British Children have tooth decay, according to an official survey. I was shocked to read these figures, which are attributable to two things: poor hygiene and glugging down fizzy drinks". "All that is required is for children to be shown how to brush their teeth effectively and for pointless, tooth‐rotting, obesity‐
causing fizzy drinks to be banned from all schools".
Not enough money With Britain's armed forces and equipment being drastically cut to save money as well as police forces being decimated to save money, the observation by Dominic Lawson in the Sunday Times [8/3/15] is common sense "The reason given for that unaffordability is that we have a national debt of £1.5 trillion, requiring debt interest payments of £1 billion a week.. .. it will have an inevitable impact on what other spending commitments can be".
NZ MPs pay ‐ is the system corrupt? Luke Johnson, chairman of Risk Capital Partners, writing in the London Sunday Times [15/3/15] reported that the ten highest paid chief executives of companies in the FTSE index earned ‐ or rather were paid ‐ more than 440 times the average annual British
salary and he asked "can their pay packages possibly be justified?" He concluded that "there is almost no proof that there is a limited supply of brilliant leaders for existing institutions. Unfortunately the system is corrupted. Most plc remuneration committees are dominated by non‐executives from similar boards ‐ they are part of the status‐quo, and unlikely to rock the boat. Supposedly independent pay consultants are retained by executives, and it is in the insiders' interest that everyone earns more". In New Zealand, would it not be better in the public interest for MPs' salaries to be determined by supply and demand? Consideration of appropriate remuneration, less the perks, could be given to some middle grade retired public servants, rather than anyone who might benefit eventually from their own recommendations. (END)
ENVIRONMENT
Time for Maggie Barry to come clean on 1080 By David Tranter DSC Health Spokesman (Media Release 26/1/15)
National's new Conservation Minister Maggie Barry appears to have gone into hiding over the raging controversy surrounding New Zealand's continuing use of 1080. While few government ministers are wildly communicative about questions they wish to avoid, two email enquiries last October/November from the Democrats to Maggie Barry asking about her attitude to 1080 have not even been acknowledged whereas most Ministers' offices do at least respond even if it is only with an acknowledgement of the enquiry. One conservation campaigner has suggested to me that perhaps the minister's office staff are shielding her from the embarrassment of their boss having publicly stated that she objects to using chemicals on her own garden, whereas she appears to be completely dodging the appalling situation whereby a poisoning campaign deadly to all forms of life which come under its effect continues unabated under her ministry.
Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 21
For those who may not have seen Maggie Barry's quote regarding the use of poisons it is as follows; “From garden show days...as well as to this day I try not to spray anything. I have been known to use the odd herbicide when I had a bigger garden...but I figured early on in the piece I didn’t really want to grow the things that needed spraying every 10 days”. If the Minister objects to using poisons in her own garden how does she justify spreading vast quantities of 1080 hither and yon all over the country? With growing evidence about the disastrous effects of this poison‐everything campaign it is time she stood up and explained herself. Stop Press! It has just been announced that last year, 9838 possums were killed throughout New Zealand and then checked for tuberculosis. None had the disease. This raises questions over the need for aerial 1080 possum control programmes. (Otago Daily Times 4/6/15)
NEWS BITES - hunting through the media jungle
ECONOMICS LESSON New Zealand's two‐cylinder economy usually fails to generate enough income to pay for what we buy from overseas plus the interest and dividends we pay to overseas. This is reflected in the current account deficit. Lucky for us, overseas people have been willing to keep lending to us. They have also helped fund our lifestyles by buying our businesses, farmland and, more recently, our houses. This has been a very profitable activity for the banks operating here. Peter Lyons, economics teacher at St.Peter's College, Auckland. (Otago Daily Times 23/6/15)
ENSLAVED BORROWERS Some Dunedin residents are drowning in unsustainable debt and it is hoped lenders will help break the “shackles” of “enslaved” borrowers, says a Salvation Army counsellor. Otago Daily Times 28/4/15
SHADOW BANKING The $2,000bn hedge fund industry is not even the largest part of a shadow sector that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York estimates at $16,000bn. It also includes money market funds, clearing houses and special purpose vehicles that hold complex securities. Shadow banking is larger than the $13,000bn assets in banking proper. ‘Sustainable Economics’ August 2014
STAGGERING In the early 90s the Otago Area Health Board carried out an agenda to close small rural hospitals. However, a secret Canterbury Area Health Board report concluded that running rural health services from small local hospitals was a staggering 60% cheaper than running them from centralised locations. David Tranter 5/3/15
CELTIC COMONSENSE 25 councils in Ireland have now voted to reject the Government's mandatory fluoridation policy. There are 31 councils in total and only 2 have voted in agreement with the fluoridation policy. FANNZ Newsletter 21/2/15
MEATY QUESTION Every year, 65 billion animals are raised and slaughtered for their meat. Nearly a third of the planet's ice‐free land surface is devoted to raising the animals we either eat or milk. The latest UN Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates suggest that livestock are responsible for 14.5 per cent of man‐ made greenhouse gas emissions ‐ the same amount produced by all the world's cars, planes, trains and boats put together. ‘The Truth About Meat’ (BBC Knowledge)
A NIGHTMARE Five companies are gearing up to provide high‐speed global WiFi coverage from space within the next three to four years. This would be an ecological and public health nightmare. The companies include: SpaceX, OneWeb, Facebook, Google, and Outernet. Not only the ozone layer and our climate will be adversely affected, but also the well‐being of all life on earth. Dr Gerard J. Hyland, of the University of Warwick, UK, says “the human body can be interfered with by incoming radiation. If a signal can operate a mechanical device, it can disturb every cell in the human body." info@cellphonetaskforce.org 28/3/15
TIRED, GROGGY & IRRITABLE? The Human Resources Institute NZ chief executive, Chris Till, said whenever the clocks change, people needed to adjust their own body clock. “We exist on a 24 hour natural cycle. It’s a circadian rhythm, daylight saving could put body clocks out of whack, making people feel tired, groggy and irritable." John Anthony, Sunday Star‐Times 29/3/15 Footnote: Keith Clapham of Northland proposes that clocks be moved forward 30‐minutes, then left unchanged thereafter. Minister of Internal Affairs, Peter Dunne, said (16/3/15): "there are no plans to alter the current daylight saving provisions”.
ECONOMIC HADES In Greek mythology, Sisyphus, the king of Corinth was condemned to spend his time in Hades pushing a boulder to the top of a hill. Every time Sisyphus neared the summit, the boulder slipped from his hands and rolled to the bottom of the slope, and he had to start all over again. The parallels between the sad story of Sisyphus and the equally sad story of Greece are too obvious to require comment. Burdened with debts that are worth 175% of its national output and rising, Greece faces a vain struggle to escape from the economic Hades in which it has been struggling. Guardian News & Media (UK) 9/2/15
WATER CRIMINALS California is headed for an outright water collapse. For the first time in history, the California government has declared mandatory water restrictions. Discussions are also under way to throw "water wasters" in jail for up to 30 days. Will California soon fill its prisons with "water criminals"? LA Times/Natural News 2/4/15
WORLD RECORD The Demographia International Housing Survey 2014 shows that New Zealand has the least
affordable houses in the world. At present wages and prices it takes 18 years and six months of a household’s entire annual income to pay for a home, based on median house prices compared with median wages.
Dennis Dorney, ERA Review Mar/Apr 2015
A revolutionary Pope calls for rethinking the outdated criteria that rule the World ‐ by Ellen Brown 4/7/15 Pope Francis’ June 2015 encyclical entitled “Praised Be” is addressed to the world. While its main focus is considered to be climate change, its 184 pages cover much more than that. Among other sweeping reforms, it calls for a radical overhaul of the banking system. It states: "Today, in view of the common good, there is urgent need for politics and economics to enter into a frank dialogue in the service of life, especially human life." Saving banks at any cost, making the public pay the price, forgoing a firm commitment to reviewing and reforming the entire system, only reaffirms the absolute power of a financial system, a power which has no future and will only give rise to new crises after a slow, costly and only apparent recovery. The financial crisis of 2007‐08 provided an opportunity to develop a new economy, more attentive to ethical principles, and new ways of regulating speculative financial practices and virtual wealth. But the response to the crisis did not include Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - p.22
rethinking the outdated criteria which continue to rule the world. . . . A strategy for real change calls for rethinking processes in their entirety, for it is not enough to include a few superficial ecological considerations while failing to question the logic which underlies present‐day culture. “Rethinking the outdated criteria which continue to rule the world” is a call to revolution, one that is necessary if the planet and its people are to survive and thrive. Beyond a change in our thinking, we need a strategy for eliminating the financial parasite that is keeping us trapped in a prison of scarcity and debt. Ellen Brown is an attorney and founder of the Public Banking Institute. She is the author of twelve books, including the best‐selling Web of Debt, and her latest book, The Public Bank Solution, which explores successful public banking models historically and globally.
BLAME IT ALL ON BASEL
A WASTE OF TIME
Maybe the astonishing valuations of Auckland houses have nothing to do with supply of housing and demand of incomes. Maybe they're all about the ability to borrow more money to bid up prices. That's the disturbing conclusion of economists from the US Federal Reserve and the Universities of California and Bonn. They argue banks have been lending much more to buyers since 1989, which has contributed to the doubling and trebling of prices since then in most developed countries. It's the "blame it on Basel" theory. This Swiss city is where bankers of the world get together to decide the rules on how much capital banks must put aside to back loans. In 1989, the Basel‐ based Bank for International Settlements (BIS) ruled that mortgages were the least risky form of borrowing and therefore banks had to put aside the least amount of capital for these loans. New Zealand Reserve Bank figures show the proportion of lending linked to mortgages has risen from close to 40 per cent of lending in the early 1980s to nearer to 60 per cent now.
Major Campbell Roberts, director of the Salvation Army’s social policy research and parliamentary affairs unit, said politicians knew the controversial Sky City casino deal was wrong but would not vote against it because of “party politics”, and he said it was the same in respect of alcohol. “Don’t concentrate on the politicians: it’s a waste of time.”
Bernard Hickey, NZ Herald 8/3/15 (See DSC Media Release 10/6/14 @ www.democrats.org.nz)
Almost $200 million of taxpayer money invested through the Kiwi Superannuation Fund has been lost after a Portuguese bank where the money was invested, supposedly as a "risk‐free" loan, collapsed. The Super Fund set up with public money to cover, partly, the retirement costs of baby‐boomers was caught up in the collapse. The investment was a contribution to a Goldman Sachs organised loan to the Portuguese bank. Goldman Sachs was described by Rolling Stone magazine as "the great vampire squid" for its sharp business practices.
WARNING SHOT The NZ Privacy Commissioner fired a warning shot at power companies over the huge amounts of private details that smart meters collect every day. The Office said such meters, which are now installed in more than a million New Zealand homes and businesses, could take electricity readings detailed enough to determine whether customers were using high‐energy appliances, such as ovens or heaters, and when they had left the house. Concerns were also raised about how personal information gathered by smart meters could be used by the rising number of smart appliances, which could connect to each other through the meters. www.stuff.co.nz
Otago Daily Times 2/11/13
THE GREAT VAMPIRE SQUID
operations. Most depart from the coast of Libya, which has descended into anarchy since Western powers backed a 2011 revolt that ousted Muammar Gaddafi. Reuters 1/6/15
FINANCIAL FIREPOWER Three iwi now have assets valued at $2.7 billion and in the next few years 30 to 40 will emerge with that financial firepower, according to Selwyn Hayes who runs EY Tahi, a Maori‐focused advisory service. He said the Maori economy is worth about $10 billion which could grow to more than $100 billion in the next few years. Since 2001 the asset base of the Maori economy has risen from $9.4 billion to at least $36.9 billion. NZ Herald 7/2/15
TANGATA WHENUA
NZ Herald 20/2/15
CAUSE AND EFFECT Migrants escaping war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East this year have been pouring into Italy, which has been bearing the brunt of Mediterranean rescue
Long before the bicentenary of the Treaty of Waitangi the number of New Zealanders with familial connections to China will have easily surpassed the numbers identifying a tangata whenua. Mandarin will be the second language of New Zealand ‐ not Maori. Chris Trotter, Otago Daily Times
THE NEW MANDARINS Since the local government reforms of the early 2000s, we have seen a deteriorating lack of accountability within our local council chambers as the CEOs and their staff have taken control of much of the administration. Unelected officials now determine much of the way our local councils are run. These new mandarins seem to want wondrous salaries without any accountability. Peter Kennedy, Sunday Star‐Times 27/10/14
A FINAL THOUGHT "If you would know the value of money, go and try to borrow some, for he that goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing." Benjamin Franklin 1706‐1790
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N.B. Membership includes all issues of The Guardian Political Review Please complete the following: Name(s).....................................................................................Tel.....................................Email....................................................... Address................................................................................................................................................................................................ Guardian Political Review, Issue 66 - Page 23
social credit, not public debt
Democrats for Social Credit
new economics a just society a healthy planet www.democrats.org.nz