United Future
Since: Aug 2007
Posts: 314

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Posted in Discussion Forum at 03:34PM, 12 Mar 2008 ∞ Permalink

Around the world a mood for positive change is apparent at present. From Australia to the United States, the thirst for change has become apparent. New Zealand is not immune from this, with the prospect of change very much in the wind, as we approach our election later this year. What particularly interests me though is the nature of the changes people are seeking. In almost every case it appears to be a yearning for something better to look forward to, rather than looking to restore a past we have moved on from. UnitedFuture is a party of change - our very name suggests that - and we look forward to playing our part in the changes New Zealand will face. But all change is not always positive - it needs to be built on a sound foundation and with real purpose in mind. As a centre party, UnitedFuture is about moving ahead deliberately and sensibly, rather than lurching from one extreme to the other. That constructive approach has been behind what we have done so far, and will be what guides us in the future... Read the full text of this blog post.

Quentin Todd
Since: Nov 2007
Posts: 68

Posted at 03:34PM, 12 Mar 2008 ∞ Permalink

Peter,
Yes you are right. Change is near high noon. The American presidential elections is about -high change- and people are not necessarily voting for a woman or black President. They are wanting the kind of change the current Adminisration has failed to provide.

This new wave of change as we enter Autumn is ironic, as we change seasons, something happens to people groups around the world in which the notion of change is apparent.

New Zealand? Ummm, apart from election year, I wonder what kind of change people are actually wanting? We live in a global connected century for one thing but how does that kind of change translate domestically? Great news about R and D fund announced yesterday. Competitiveness in a global economy, in foreign relations, in Human Security efforts like East Timor, Afghanistan, etc should make our place in the international and Commonwealth community a respected one as oppsoed to one that is considered offensive.

Perhaps we could look at real time salary levels to keep our graduates leaving, perhaps adopt the Southern Polytechnic model for Student Loans, adopting a kind of sponsorship arrangement. Perhaps we could see GST taken off food and critical services to lower the risk factor in lower income households from getting sick, unable to get to medicial services etc.

In the bigger picture I see a shift towards the kind of political process that will come from refining MMP (as in your population discussion), greater planning for climate change and multicultural policy development.

So, I supposed it will interesting to survey what kind of change in New Zealand are looking for.

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