"Having managed New Zealand through difficult times, I understand how important confidence is. Consistency of policy is the only thing that leads to credibility in the Government. In turn, this creates the kind of confidence that New Zealanders need to get through this pain.
Governments must be consistent to ensure that the market can predict what the Government will do. All this talk of bailouts and the like undermine certainty. It suggests to business that the Government may begin to actively pick winners and losers...
...the Government is stuck in the past; wedded to the idea that Governments can actually deliver these services through the monopolies they have set up. To put us back on the path to growth, we need to make several quick changes in policy.
1) We need to immediately abolish those departments that deliver no social benefits. Who has ever heard of an earth-shattering report from the Families Commission? What does the Charities Commission even do? Why do we need a Ministry of Economic Development when we did alright without one until the fifth Labour Government - and that's without even looking at the political correctness that has led to the Ministry of Youth Development or the Ministry of Women's Affairs...
...It is not about whether we have a duty to the poor - ACT agrees that we do. It's about how we make good on that duty."
- Press Release, ACT Party, 26 March 2009
It's good to have Sir Roger back in Parliament.
That is a good article. It is annoying to have Key talking the talk to the Wall Street Journal, then actually setting up counterproductive nonsense like 9-day weeks. Some consistency is sorely needed.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately because of Key's deal with the Maori Party he can just ignore Douglas if he likes.