Courage to Change
Six years ago Les Hunter published ‘Courage to Change’. He asked if we are doomed to drown in our own debt, and said that having the courage to make change may determine the future of democratic society.
The same theme was echoed by John Pemberton, deputy leader of Democrats for social credit,in his speech to Conference 2007: “Anger is mounting throughout New Zealand. Interest rate increases have made housing unaffordable, water and rates increases unbearable, business survival difficult, and inflation that eats away our incomes faster than we can earn them.”(p.27)
There is no doubt that inflation is out of control. In 1874, Charles Dickens estimated that workmen would be earning as much as five guineas a day by the year 2374. In 2008, 366 years earlier, how much does the average person in New Zealand need per day just to survive? (p.20)
The Rev Canon Peter Challen says the choice is ours. “Either policies based on existing choices will suffice to get the world through the deepening crisis or those choices will not suffice. It’s one or the other”(p.5).
Democrats for social credit stand for social and economic justice, offering policies that strengthen communities, reward enterprise and safeguard the environment. They are the policies for today – relevant, forward-looking and unique (p.28).
Party president Neville Aitchison points out that a great movement is lived out in the lives of those who work in its name. He quotes Mother Teresa: “Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway” (p.4).
To John Pemberton, the last word: “The status-quo must continue to be challenged. We will fight to reclaim a real ownership stake in our country. New Zealanders need Courage to Change.”
Guardian Political Review, Issue 54, 2008
Editor: Tony Cardy