We have won so far because geographical isolation gave us about a week of decision-making space to lock down hard.
The extra week was helpful – but much more important was being prepared to make that decision to lock-down hard. The Tory party would have been incapable of such a decision no matter how many extra weeks they were handed – and that was Ed s point. A National government here would have (most likely) been unable to make that decision. Scomo looked like he wasn t capable of that decision – but fortunately state premiers took it out of his hands. It took some guts to defy the belief of the most powerful sectors of society that they have an unfettered right to ongoing capital accumulation under all circumstances. Ardern had the guts and humanity to do it. However this remarkable effort at kicking business into line looks like it was just a one-off.
Population has always been a critical driver of events and prior to the Industrial Revolution we lived in a zero sum world, with energy and resources effectively limited to that which could be harvested from photosynthesis, one person’s gain was at the limit, always someone else’s loss. Very low density hunter gather populations could thrive (often quite nicely) because they rarely approached their local resource limits, but the invention of agriculture changed this dramatically. The next 10,000 odd years of recorded history is a long story of
local competition for fundamentally constrained opportunities.
There were only three ways to survive and dominate, use what you had more efficiently, take what someone else already had, or move to somewhere not yet occupied. One drove warfare, conquest and empire, the other drove innovation and intensification … yet the diffuse and intermittent nature of sunshine and climate imposed a strict zero sum game on both of these strategies, a
Press Release – Office of the Ombudsman The Chief Ombudsman is calling on the Department of Corrections to urgently introduce more rehabilitation opportunities for people held under Public Protection Orders (PPOs) to avoid the risk of breaching international human rights obligations. Peter …
The Chief Ombudsman is calling on the Department of Corrections to urgently introduce more rehabilitation opportunities for people held under Public Protection Orders (PPOs) to avoid the risk of breaching international human rights obligations.
Peter Boshier today released his first report on New Zealand’s only civil detention facility for PPOs – Matawhāiti – located in the grounds of Christchurch Men’s prison.
The intention is not to impose further punishment, but to protect the public. Boshier said while his review of Matawhāiti revealed no concerns about the quality of accommodation, he was perturbed by the inadequate rehabilitation opportunities offered to residents. The report, written this month, shows rehabilitative treatment for residents decreased from nine sessions in 2017/18 to five sessions in 2018/19. In 2019/20, treatment increased for two of the residents, but this increase is temporary and might not continue into the future, the report found.
Joseph Johnson/Stuff
Judith Collins, in her capacity as Minister of Corrections at the time, visit the construction site of the Matawhāiti facility in 2016, ahead of its opening the following year.
A great read Robert, thanks.
This idea of the gift economy is deeply culturally bound in Asia, where at least twice a year families gather, and gifts, usually of money are exchanged. The head of the family (usually a grandmother) gets the bulk of the serious giving, and status is attached to generosity to her. Children also receive gifts, for which they bow to the responsible relative. One need not give gifts, but if not you lose the opportunity to gain status, and the children will not bow to you. Grandmothers often recycle some of their gifts to the grandchildren or single adolescents. Governments also understand that they are expected to deliver, and a lack of delivery is accompanied by a corresponding lack of respect.