NZ POLITICS DAILY: Little consensus on youth unemployment

Youth unemployment is clearly the big political issue of the moment, and the larger issue of New Zealand's fragile social cohesion soon will be too.

There seems to be little political party consensus on these subjects, but also very little in the way of convincing solutions being proffered out of parliament.

In a lengthy blog post, Unemployed youth would fill Eden Park, Duncan Garner declares that ‘this government's biggest failure to date is our young people’. With 58,000 youth not in work or education, ‘We are at crisis point. 27.6% of those aged 15-24 are out of work and out of luck. It's even higher for Maori and Pacific youth’. And how has the Government performed on this issue? Garner says ‘there is a yawning gap between Key's rhetoric and the reality’, and asks, ‘So what did Key do in the weekend to target the problem? Very little’. He suggests that ‘Key needs to be bold, he needs to take risks’.

Similarly, Colin James points out in Key's investment approach to "social" action, the gap between the unemployment rate of ‘youth’ and adults is now 20% - much greater than during previous recessions. James suggests that National should be looking to a solution involving much greater investment in the early stages of life (a la Gluckman and the Every Child Counts coalition). In much of the commentary and criticisms of the government’s proposed youth unemployment policies, the key issue seems to be the lack of actual job creation. See, for example, the NZ Herald editorial, Job creation lacking in PM's policy.

The other side of the ‘youth problem’ is that of ‘youth revolt’, which is why this issue is particularly salient at the moment. Citing the Human Rights Commission, Duncan Garner says this now threatens ‘social cohesion’ in New Zealand.

Social cohesion is something that governments and elites take very seriously – it’s one of the mainstay factors in maintaining the status quo and ensuring some sort of foundation exists for life as we know it. In this regard, it’s well worth reading Anthony Hubbard’ column, Don't wash away the scum, John, in which he argues that ‘We stand in the same tinder that flared up in Britain’. Hubbard reckons that ‘We have most of the elements needed for a riot. We also have a conservative government hell-bent on cutting, as Britain has. Key's administration has already signalled it wants to slash welfare spending, and it has a blueprint’. Apparently, according to a major report from the New Zealand Institute think tank, on average, New Zealand's disadvantaged youth ‘are more disadvantaged than youth in other OECD countries’ and ‘there is no convincing sign of improvement’. As Hubbard says, ‘Many are already living lives of quiet desperation. Under certain circumstances, desperation can turn to rage’. Social cohesion then quickly melts away.

Issues of political finance and electoral law will also not go away. On the Standard, ex-General Secretary of Labour, Mike Smith says that ‘the pernicious influence of money in politics is growing across the democracies’ – see: Envy or greed? – follow the money. In some ways its surprising to see Labour – and Smith, in particularly – bringing up issues of political finance and its regulation since they have such bad records in this area.

But as with issues of law and order and youth unemployment, they’re useful electoral weapons to use against your political opponent. Allegations of ‘corruption’ are now the key electoral weapon of modern New Zealand politics, and it used by all sides. But what’s particularly surprising is that parties such as Labour keep falling into the trap of breaking the rules, and therefore allowing their opponents to gain political points – see, for example, the latest alleged transgression overcovered by Whaleoil: A response from the Electoral Commission. Whaleoil also makes some good points in this post: Time to remove backdoor state-funding of political parties.

Other important political items today include: Geoff Simmons’ Holes in Labour's health-by-stealth line, Karyn Scherer’s New party's sights on rugby great, No Right Turn: This will be interesting, and David Beatson’s Radio With Pictures - give it a crack.

Bryce Edwards, NZPD Editor (bryce.edwards@otago.ac.nz)

Today’s content:

National’s conference policy announcements

Colin James (ODT): Key's investment approach to "social" action

Duncan Garner (TV3): Unemployed youth would fill Eden Park – blog

David Farrar (Stuff): More than food stamps

No Right Turn: Pandering to the paedophobes

Imperator Fish: National’s Contempt For The Young

TVNZ: Plan for teen beneficiaries is 'ridiculous' – Goff

Stuff: Focus should be on jobs, Labour says

NZPA: Key rejects 'nanny state' criticism