October 19, 2005

A new Government

A list of the posts allocated in the Third Labour-Progressive Coalition Government is here. It's very much a non-leftwing Government with social democracy trying to keep capitalism afloat. Any progressive policies will only get a marginal look-in as the Greens have been sidelined. It'll make the choice in 2008 even harder to distinguish between the (major) parties and their policies. At least they didn't go the German Grand Coalition way, but for all intents and outcomes I think they might as well have. How different things might have been if the Green party got 1250 more votes. Well, that wasn't my fault!
The economic problems remain the same: a low wage economy with low (because unaffordable) savings, high private sector indebtedness, an export sector that is being strangled by high interest rates and currency levels, brain export, and real estate speculation leveraged on overseas borrowing. But there are, of course, some bright sparks: New Zealand is 3rd in the lowest corruption rankings from Transparency International just behind Iceland and Finland; and my island growing the best wine ever.

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