Great Quote today in the Dom Post “Austerity is yielding diminishing returns”, from the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi. His objective being to make Italians recognise the need for them to change and as the Washington Post points out the need for the new Italian Prime Minister to follow through on the promises of reform.
For those without, austerity fails to address their urgent needs for shelter, food and work for they are in many cases beyond austerity and in penury. One of the many explanations of austerity in my dictionary is that austerity means the severity of life and harshness of life whereas penury is noted as great poverty.
It seems to me that having watched for the second time Mind the Gap produced by Dr Bryan Bruce that in fact it is not austerity we need but a complete makeover if we are to win the failing work market – too much business going overseas – the loss of schooling for many children - apparently not all for many Maori and Pacific Island children – and a health system that cannot meet the needs for surgery for the over 65’s.
So how would that makeover look both in process and as a successful result for all family and working New Zealanders?
100% work for all is unreasonable but perhaps we need to address those areas where there is no work and how to resolve that problem by either starting work in those areas or making it possible for the unemployed to attend work without using too much of their hard earned money on transport.
The Community Centres throughout New Zealand need to be funded either as a Community Hub or as an extended and expanded Community facility that offers support for extended families needs during sickness and for children where both parents work round the clock who require more than after school need care for a few hours. All these things need further research but they might be a start.
We need to return to those community advertisements on television, in the print media, on social media, web sites and mobile phones that show people how to offer a good, flavoursome, healthy, not expensive meal for their families quickly and within their fixed budget.
These are not the best solutions but if New Zealand is serious about addressing the lack of paid work and the poverty of so many families of parents and children, then we have to go back to basics, be united politically as one voice and socially directed in action, being lead by sensible New Zealanders who do not take their eyes and mind off the job in hand for however long it takes, the end goal clearly agreed across the political and social spectrum.
Every New Zealander, no matter what their standing needs to make a commitment to change our country for our people for the long term and for the better of all.