Thank you for your feedback on topics for the months ahead. Our organizing group believe that we need to focus on building a progressive election agenda – and many of you have responded with what you see as the key issues. And some have also commented on how we draw a wider audience into some serious discussion and debate.
- Climate crisis, go hard on methane emissions
- Increasing inequality. 1% own 50% I think.
- Foreign policy. Stand up vs foreign hegemony. (Kit)
Key issue - climate change. How to engage on the denial and desperation which keeps us in arrogance and paralysis. It's not that we can't do what needs to be done. We choose not to do it. National's leader, Luxon, accuses Labour of not being able to do things. Really rich after its performance. How can they overcome their nature as empty-headed desperadoes? (Richard)
One issue that I would like to hear more about is the 3 waters changes. What does it really mean for the average person? Perhaps you could have a supporter of it and a person opposed to it. (Margaret)
I think agenda-setting is key here. To me that looks like having progressive scholars and organisers along to outline what they think should be on the agenda, with discussion and questions to follow. Every Fabians talk I’ve been to has been excellent, so I don’t have any feedback on that. (Ti)
David Parker or Chloe Swarbrick. She would remind us of what “socialism” (could) look/s like and would bring in the punters. (Tom)
Endless growth vs environmental and social sustainability (the colonial approach to economic growth via population growth and foreign investment) from the perspective of international solidarity Thank you for your work. (Daniela)
It is imperative that the Right does not win the election. And the public is being encouraged to by both the media and social media, from what I see. I will vote Labour for my electoral vote, but I am a Green Party member and will give them my party vote. I would like to see Labour win the election, but with a much larger Green presence in Parliament. This is because Labour needs the Greens to keep them from becoming a tame Centrist party and from missing all the opportunities and work required to a) fight climate change and prepare for what we can't reverse and b) put a halt to the runaway profiteering of corporations, while the poor get poorer and their lives more desperate. These topics need intensive discussion and planning for the election.
We also need to find ways to activate young voters to take an interest in the election, perhaps to educate them about the Fabian Society and its past and to inspire them to fight for social justice and the environment.
We also need to find a way to educate people about the forces at work on social media to promote lies and conspiracy theories. People need to be able to discern the difference, to understand that the democratic system is not perfect but is valid and our only hope and that their part in it is crucial to the future. They need to understand the corrupt nature of big business and the Right.
This may mean doing more than holding online talks and discussions amongst members. It may mean getting out to schools, polytechs and universities and anywhere where people gather. It may mean having a presence on social media. It may mean recruiting younger people to help. (Deborah)
Ōtaki Summer Camp is a three day event from 20-23 January for young people with an interest in politics, justice, anti-racism, equality and the environment.
Ōtaki Summer Camp was born in 2017 in an effort to revive the long tradition of political summer camps in New Zealand – from the annual student congresses in the Marlborough Sounds from the 1940s to ‘70s, to a series of influential political youth conferences in Ōtaki in the ‘70s.
With global instability and climate anxiety on the rise, opportunities like this – for young people to connect with others who care about the big issues – are more important than ever. The camp involves three days of politics, discussion, speakers, music, bush, rivers and sea, in the beach community of Ōtaki, north of Wellington – with a focus this year on climate and housing. Last year’s speakers included Behrouz Boochani, John Campbell, and Laura O’Connell Rapira.
Ōtaki Summer Camp is aimed at 17 to 30-year-olds. If you’re interested in attending, or know people who might be, please spread the word. Discounted early bird tickets are available until 20th December. The correct URL for Otaki Summer Camp is https://otakisummercamp.com/
Unemployment is a political choice, says economist Bill Mitchell, and Covid-19 presents us with the opportunity to eliminate it. In this Zoom meetup, Professor Mitchell, a long time proponent of a job guarantee, shows what went wrong when economists began preaching austerity and why a state guarantee of full employment is central to fixing it.
In this recent presentation, Robert highlights the variety of terms used by these institutions to highlight their 'ethical' credentials. These include 'sustainable', 'ESG' (Environment, Social and Governance) and 'responsible'. In the majority of instances, these are not validated and, as a result, the methodologies used to implement these notions result in funds investing in unethical companies. Examples are provided in the slides, dealing with Kiwisaver funds and the NZ Superannuation Fund.
10am–noon, Saturday 20 June 2020
Is it time to completely rethink how we deal with unemployment? We face a tsunami of job losses not seen in generations. The damage could be immense, especially if the devastation of people, regions and entire communities becomes entrenched. Many still haven’t recovered from the 1980s restructuring.
Two ideas — social insurance and a job guarantee — are gaining prominence as ways that could fundamentally change how we deal with the problem. One is intended to provide income protection for those who lose employment, the other aims for something bolder: the elimination of unemployment.
In this Zoom meetup, Dr Michael Fletcher of Victoria University of Wellington and Dr Bill Cochrane of the University of Waikato join us to explain and examine our options for change in these extraordinary times.
