hi ya Nicky--- Brunei welcome to the club

Maybe I am making an assumption, but I reckon my friend in Brunei has joined us-- I do hope she makes some comments and tells me off for not sending the book. I am so pleased to welcome you all.

Hello there portugal

Welcome to my world- I'd love to know how you hit on my blog--- Hope you enjoy it and of course read my three books online--- free. Click on the adverts to keep me on line.

Do social workers get performance pay?

Is that a silly question? ---Social worker on performance pay? I come into contact with social workers quite a lot in my job as a school counsellor and they are a great bunch of people to work with to keep our kids safe. Sure there has been a great deal of bad publicity about incidents where the system has not worked in the best way, but I believe that is more about funding than bad practitioners.  Just like teachers, there can always be found a bad apple, but they are not common. Then system has a way of weeding them out.

Now I ask you--- should the Social Working profession be on performance pay? This is where I really do need one of you reading this in NZ (or elsewhere--- just to keep the debate real) to make a comment or two. Would it work? What would it do to the collegiality of the office? How would you measure performance and then reward the ‘winners?’

Transfer that argument to the classrooms in our schools and I think you can find an answer. I do not want to work in a school, where you need to look over your back, and not share resources, because if you did, it may hinder your chances of making the ‘lucky list.’

For those of you who have not worked in a school recently, then don’t’ say you have observed and you know what you are talking about. Being in a classroom, day after day, handling some of the problems that our friends in the Social Worker office also handle, then try to talk to someone who really does know—not a tame lackey of the system but one who is at the chalk face or who is in a position to closely observe and hear the goings on in a classroom.

The Minister of Education must have had someone whispering in her ear, as I said in my last blog on this subject, so it is interesting that she has slowed down and said she is concentrating on ‘appraisal matters.’  I hope her colleagues are listening. If not--- goodbye my dear MS Parata. Your heart is in the right place though.  Do we actually have a Minister of Education who is listening?

The French face the same choice most of the 'democratic nations--

The French face the same choice that most of the democratic nations face. I use that term, knowing that there is of course a great deal of variation about how much and how free elections are in the so called democratic nations. I very much doubt that there is a nation in the world that does not have ‘forces’ acting against true democracy. Yes it is all there on paper, or in the constitution but it is money and pressure groups that have an influence on the final result.

France has some hard choices to make. It has an economy that is at risk and while it is a strong player in the European sphere and indeed in the world, it faces  a similar crisis to that Greece faced and still faces--- debt, debt and still more debt. Some of this has originated from a desire to curry favour with the electorate and keep living standards high--- a subsidized economy and large public service.

I am not saying those things are bad. Indeed, now that we are facing cuts to our public service, I am a strong critic of that road to economic salvation.

 The candidates in the French election could not be more different in style, personality and policy. One wants to spend and one wants to cut. One is flamboyant and the other more demure. One will try to steal the far right vote and appeal to the racists fringes, whilst not admitting it, while the other will present a picture of tolerance and unfortunately he will be fighting a growing trend all over Europe to bring in the race card.

The election this weekend will not solve the underlying problems--- it will just be a changing of the guard, assuming that the polls have correctly picked the winner. I would not want to be in the shoes of the winner. As with NZ, unless politicians can act in a way that is not totally tied to the ballot box, then we will get the same old, same old.

Good luck France.

At least Taiwan can read me--what--

Welcome Taiwan-- at least you can read my blog--- what does that tell you about your big neighbour? If anyone wants to make a comparison of 'freedoms,' then there we have it. I dearly want China to enter a world where their citizens can take for granted the rights that your country has so strongly developed over the last ten years.  Maybe you are headed for a reunification of sorts and it may take the form of the model we see in Hong Kong. Well, I must say that they read my blogs so there is hope yet in 'big brother China.'
I would love to enter inot dialogue with you my new friend(s), so get your fingers going and 'Talk To Me,' ---- hehehe that's the title for one of my books--- read it for free online in my blogs and click on the adverts so that I can continue to publish my books via the internett. I have an enormous way to go yet.

SkyCity thinks we are stupid! ( and Update at bottom of page)

Maybe they are correct--- we are stupid if we believe their latest defence of their non-compliance with the requirement for them to reach out and ban ‘problem gamblers.’

Of course that is not going to happen. Why would they bar money coming through the door? Why would they bite then hand that feeds them? The reports on TV were laughable if it wasn’t for the harm that problem gambling causes. I regularly see the damage it causes to families in NZ.

The Casino says that they have identified more problem gamblers than ever in the last year, but they don’t say that the numbers they have not ‘helped’ has gone up by a far larger number. The numbers quotes are probably far smaller than the real figure--- let’s face it--- how many people are going to be admitting that gambling is a problem for them

The problem gambler is no different to other people who have some sort of compulsion, be it food, drugs, alcohol or any form of addiction. The ‘source’ may differ but similar brain patterns operate. All cause damage to families, but much more is known and accepted as problematic than with gambling. Shame is the key factor. The results for non-gambling are more obvious than the damage gambling inflicts, for a while at least.

As with smoking and alcohol, the Government reaps the tax dollar (in other words the rest of us) and to an extent can then help with the downstream damage; pouring resources into social services. Other non-governmental agencies will probably receive ‘guilt-money from SkyCity and will no doubt make sure we all know.

Imagine what could happen if the Government put massive amounts of money into publicizing the down-side of gambling in all of its forms? There is nothing n new about the comments being made by those who see the ‘evil affects’ of gambling. The same voices have been with us throughout our history.  What is different about the SkyCity fiasco is that the debate is so much more public.

I predict that the furore will bounce around until it dies for a while. That’s what SkyCity wants. Look out for some more crazy and baseless announcements. All aimed at protecting their bottom-line----- PROFIT. Am I against profit--- not---- just the bullshit that goes with it to justify their right to wreak havoc in our community?

Each time I write a piece on SkyCity, amnother article appears in newspapers on or TV. All that does is to make mtore angry at thier cynical, money first, stuff the affects on our clinets approach. Do yu realllt think that a bit of 'blood money' is going to make iota of difference? I think I am talking myslef inot quite a state. The power of the pen is greater than the sword?  Doubt it--- maybe we need a modern day Jesus to go in and smite the money-makers--- just joking--- am I?

New Zealand for sale--- come and get it

In the last fifty years New Zealand has thrust itself forward as an ‘offering’ to the highest bidder. Yes, NZ is for sale. Not just the present Government, but previous ones have also put us on the blocks.

We have a massive public debt and we must pay that off or face dire consequences. The spectre of Greece and other European nations hover just beyond the financial horizon. It seems that the only way out of this dilemma is for us to sell ourselves. New Zealand and its docile labour force is up for grabs.

What will we offer our future masters? Hey, why not put the lot up and then we can sleep at night knowing that our benevolent overlords will take care of us. At least we can rest in peace, because the debt will no longer be ours. That debt itself can be bought and sold; tossed around in a sea of selfishness.

Imagine our power production, fisheries, minerals, prospecting rights and our land--- oh--- go the whole hog. Why not chuck in our hospitals, education services and all of our financial institutions. Oops, I forget--- aren’t they basically already owned by overseas interest? The Trojan horse has been and gone long ago. We have lived for quite a while, thinking that we are a sovereign nation. The old colonial set-up simply changed its name and assumed a different guise.

It seems that the process is way too advanced to respond to public disquiet and by the time we collectively punish the politicians of the day, it will almost be too late. When we attempt to renationalize our assets we will face a different type of enemy in the new war. Those who we thought were our allies will be actively involved in putting down any opposition to their aims to swallow up the remainder of our dwindling assets.

We will be modern day slaves in a low wage economy, where the profits will depart our shores. A new class of local lackeys will arise and serve their foreign masters.

‘But what about our mates across the ditch in Australia?’ you may ask----- Too late my friends. They will also have succumbed to the new order. Do we just give up?

Of course not! That is not the New Zealand way. It means we have to take a long hard look at ourselves and what we want as a nation and how we share our wealth. It may mean a different way of living--- one that is sustainable and one that has entrenched in law that New Zealand is not for sale. We will most definitely need to return to the more caring nation we were once known for around the world.

I am not being simplistically nostalgic. I believe we face many real challenges. We must end the flow of cheap imports and a return to a locally owned manufacturing base. It may mean that we won’t be able to live in the ‘see, need and buy,’ mode that we have made our own.

What I have briefly presented is most surely a naive piece of economic non-reality and one that will be shot to pieces from every quarter, but we cannot shirk our responsibility to keep as much of our economic heritage for those  following and not give in to short-term gains. If we cannot reach across the political divide then we are doomed to a very uncertain future.

Slow down Mr Key and listen to the people! Keep our assets in New Zealand hands.