Sorry says ACT

* Challenge the TINA ( there is no alternative ) syndrome .. ( again not I am not sure )
* Promote informed debate and critique ..
* Promote participatory democracy ..
* Embrace the Treaty of Waitangi as a liberating force ..
* Encourage progressive counter-nationalism ..
* Develop multi-level strategies ..
* Hold the line ..
* Localise politics ..
* Ginger up party politics ..
* Invest in the future ..
* Support those who speak out ..
* Promote ethical investment ..
* Think global, act local ..
* Think local, act global ..
About now I would like to introduce a paragraph from the ACT parties website;
Monday 17 Jun 2002 Press Releases -- Economic Policy
Between 1984 and 1991 New Zealand implemented a total of 100 major economic reforms. These
consisted of selling state owned assets, opening up the economy and imposing economic targets on the
public sector. New Zealand has consequently been transformed from the most regulated economy in
the OECD to one of the most open and unregulated.
In the period between 1984 and 2000 New Zealand suffered the lowest average economic growth rate
in the OECD. This has been despite New Zealand's honest competent judiciary and civil service, secure
property rights, well educated work force and a population responsive to innovation. New Zealand thus
had and continues to boost excellent capitalist institutions. Additionally during this period New
Zealand's terms of trade were good and exports therefore should have boomed.
Neo-Liberalism through the cutting of social services has also had disastrous social effects. Benefit cuts
have seen poverty return with a vengeance to New Zealand as evidenced by the increasing number of
cases of third world diseases. Under funding of education has lead to regular teacher strikes and to a
situation where the majority of tertiary students are now saddled with debt leading many of New
Zealand's brightest to leave the country for good.
After rigorous intellectual thought and debate we have come to accept the unmitigated failure of
these policies and would like to apologise to the 90% of New Zealand's who have seen their
standard of living deteriorate. Our ideology bankrupt we have chosen to campaign in this
election on the populist issues of law and order and lowering taxes.
Many countries around the world (the ex Soviet Union, Latin America) followed our lead in
implementing Neo-Liberal reforms. Every one of these countries has experienced social and economic
disarray. We thus call upon the IMF, the World Bank and other developmental organisations to
overturn the requirement for nations to implement Neo-Liberal reforms before they can receive
development aid.
So have any of the changes suffered by the hardworking people of New Zealand. I feel not, and
as I finish this debate I will leave you with a speech given by Chris Trotter delivered to the New
Zealand University Students Association’s bi-annual conference on 12 July 2003.
It has been more years than I care to remember since I last addressed a meeting of NZUSA, so
long ago, in fact, that many of you in this theatre would not have been born.