The New Zealand Herald has started on Monday, October 18, 1999 a review regarding the policies of the political parties under the headline:
> Where they stand: the five major parties on the big issues
[ the next review for the four minor parties has been published a day later on Tuesday, October 19, 1999 ]
You will find this review on page: A 11 News Review (resp. A 9 on Tuesday). At the time of writing this page we were not aware if this review can be found on their web site. We recommend to check out the web site of the NZ Herald regularly.
[ Maybe we are in a position to bring you this review as a scanned page or we retype the review and bring you a link right here in this space later in the week. ]
The problem for most people is to find out what the real policies are, how to assess them (the consequences for the future) and how to compare between the parties to make the best decision on election day. Single impressions on TV, meeting your MP or one of the leading politicians probably cannot give the full picture about what really matters (in this context the News Review in the NZ Herald can really help).
If you can get hold of this NZ Herald issue we want to give you an idea how people have used this page to pin down what really matters for them:
On the left side of the page - similar to the left panel of a web page - are 12 main issues listed (like tax, economy etc.) and on the right you find the policies of the parties.
For each issue/policy you can mark for example the policies of the respective party with :
Y = YES (you can agree with it etc.)
U = UNCERTAIN (unknown, you are not sure, not relevant
for you etc.)
N = NO (you cannot agree at all with this policy)
The rest is self explaining ! You can add up the "Y"s, the "U"s and the "N"s (even calculate the percentages). This might be one way to make up your mind - of course we cannot tell you what is the best decision ( NO one can take this decision from you ! ); but we try to provide you with as much information sources as possible.
Over the coming weeks we will list everyday one or two policies from different parties (printed exactly as they appeared in the review) and bring you more information sources regarding these items (which should be considered in context).
One thing we want to mention - esp. with the information possibilities the Internet is offering us:
We can learn much more and easier about other countries and their history, what policies have been successful and which not !
Also: with the new millennium coming up we should be aware what has happened this century in many other societies and reject any "extreme" from whatever direction. The "left-wing" extreme has decreased with the end of the cold war - the "right-wing" extreme however is still dominant in many dictatorships throughout the world.
Otherwise - and if we don't read between the lines - we will face more hardship then we already have to endure in our society at this stage.
We will list the issues here - so can continue with the subject your are interested in :
( to be continued with the list of issues )
Let start with the first issue : LAW and ORDER and some of the policies presented by the parties.
For more information about the policies visit the web sites of the political parties :
ACT Party
Alliance Party
Christian Heritage Party
Green Party
Labour Party
Natural Law Party
New Zealand First Party
National Party
United Party
Some items from the review (exactly as printed) :
ACT Party: Violent criminals to serve at least 80 per cent of their sentences, which would double the average prison sentence. Spend $ 80 million building more prisons. Tougher bail and parole laws. Overhaul courts system
ALLIANCE: Half crime level by halving unemployment. Compensation rights for victims, more local policing
CHRISTIAN HERITAGE: Death penalty for murder in cases with two reliable eyewitnesses. Prison inmates pay for part of their upkeep. Stronger controls on pornography and prostitution. No more casinos. Drinking age of 20 with no exceptions.
GREENS: Decriminalise cannabis, $ 29 million
extra for community policing. Put non-violent offenders in rehabilitation
centres, not prisons.
We want to encourage you to do further studies on the Internet and get deeper informed about the issues at :
ALTA VISTA - the leading search engine
Search for :
violence, crime fighting, correction, rehabilitation, rape victims, crimes and violence against older people, crime victims, victim support, victim support groups, international crime statistics, crime and society, crime prevention, death penalty, bail laws, parole, penalty reform, policing and crime prevention, cannabis law, Netherlands and cannabis, casinos, drinking age, crime and unemployment, prison conditions, innocent prisoners, compensation for innocent people imprisoned, wrongly convicted people
... and much more keywords you can search for
... also combined with New
Zealand
to retrieve more NZ specific information
[ Comments :
There is no doubt about that with sentencing there is punishment involved and everyone can understand the emotions and the reactions of crime victims and their relatives - esp. if those offenders are released earlier.
Changes are necessary - but in the right direction !
We also have to reduce the true reasons for ever increasing crime - esp. violent crime: poverty, gang connections, drugs and alcohol. This can only be done with a balanced view and requires politicians with vision and foresight.
If workplaces are willingly and
systematically destroyed the level of poverty rises. The policies of the
politcal parties should be judged if they can provide a balanced view with
realistic chances to implement them. The right-wing approach for example
to put business and profit above the needs of society destroys workplaces,
poverty is the seed for crime. Then calling for tougher sentencing because
the crime rate is increasing is a little bit naive (to say the least).
Americas Cup is in town :
What an impression do we give to the world with a huge billboard in Aucklands
Quay
Street erected by a minor party calling for tougher sentencing -
not far away from
the Americas Cup village - these pictures are going around the world !
While everyone with common sense will agree that something has to be done
-
esp. all violent crime needs to be eliminated - such billboards and shows
are not
the best advertisement for New Zealand and don't help the further development
of
our society.
Law and Order is a delicate subject and we should consider - before we say YES to a certain policy and/or direction - the consequences. Often well-meant ideas are developing totally in the wrong direction and do more damage than good.
The WINZ debacle and the actions by the previous department have clearly shown how wrong things can go - leaving a more than ever divided population behind.
People have asked not long ago :
How deep has a society fallen when the children of this country had to absorb daily the message on TV (before or after a McDonalds commercial) that her father or mother is an "outcast" because the family is on a benefit !
How rotten have the moral and ethical values become if the innocent children of this country were unknowingly encouraged on TV more than a dozen times a day to denounce their schoolmates family (who might be a neighbour) !
But never have innocent children been used by the media to give them subliminal messages on TV (and this already at the age of between three to seven years) to teach them that there are people out there which don't fit into society, which are outcasts and are branded as losers.
At the same time their fathers factory had to close down because tariff restrictions etc. have been removed and or similar business mishaps .........
As far as Law and Order is concerned:
It is too easy that things can get out of hand if we are not very, very careful !
Visit the following web sites :
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL - Country List
The HEALTH issue
We start with an item written by Gary Taylor and published in the NZ Herald on Tuesday, October 19, 1999 :
Health Reforms gone to waste
(to be continued)