We often want governments to fix everything because we collectively aren't up to fixing it ourselves.
On the social media ban for teens, Australia was the pioneer. A chunk of the world followed but Australia, to a degree, was hailed a hero, and yet Albanese has exploded with frustration a few short months after introducing their laws because they don’t work.
Here's the twofold problem:
1) The customer base, i.e. the kids, don’t like the ban and work hard to get around it.
2) The tech companies don’t like the ban and work hard to get around it.
Parents who should have done most of the heavy lifting hoped a government would save the day. They haven't, nor will they.
Then you come to the supermarkets, a problem of much interest here. They have, as of July 1st, a new price gouging tool – the first country in the world to bring in a ban for price gouging.
You will officially not be allowed to price gouge. Obvious question: what is price gouging and who decides?
Funny story, they haven't quite worked that bit out yet, despite the fact July 1st is around the corner.
So you can pretty much bet that in a few months' time you will see the return of a frustrated Albanese, once again having been foiled by the big players who will continue to argue forever just what is meant by price gouging.
Which is not of course to say the broad idea behind these rules is a bad thing.
But it is, to very simply point out, that governments who think they can control everything, can't.
People who rely on governments to control everything will forever be disappointed.
In tech's case, they are global and too big to be contained. Ask the Europeans who must have fined them trillions by now to no great effect.
In the supermarket's case, pricing on goods by the tens of thousands is so varied and so complex, no one-stop-shop of government rules and regulations is ever going to give everyone what they want all the time.
As for New Zealand we have really done little, if anything, about either of these problems.
And you might argue that's the smart move, given those who think they control it all actually control very little.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
2) The tech companies don’t like the ban and work hard to get around it.
Parents who should have done most of the heavy lifting hoped a government would save the day. They haven't, nor will they.
Then you come to the supermarkets, a problem of much interest here. They have, as of July 1st, a new price gouging tool – the first country in the world to bring in a ban for price gouging.
You will officially not be allowed to price gouge. Obvious question: what is price gouging and who decides?
Funny story, they haven't quite worked that bit out yet, despite the fact July 1st is around the corner.
So you can pretty much bet that in a few months' time you will see the return of a frustrated Albanese, once again having been foiled by the big players who will continue to argue forever just what is meant by price gouging.
Which is not of course to say the broad idea behind these rules is a bad thing.
But it is, to very simply point out, that governments who think they can control everything, can't.
People who rely on governments to control everything will forever be disappointed.
In tech's case, they are global and too big to be contained. Ask the Europeans who must have fined them trillions by now to no great effect.
In the supermarket's case, pricing on goods by the tens of thousands is so varied and so complex, no one-stop-shop of government rules and regulations is ever going to give everyone what they want all the time.
As for New Zealand we have really done little, if anything, about either of these problems.
And you might argue that's the smart move, given those who think they control it all actually control very little.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
9 comments:
Most people who vote left wish the government would solve their problems whether they be of individual making or not. Not all, obviously but a larger group than is comprehensible. Others outside that group want just good governance usually combined with what they campaigned upon. Reality is, that really, since Roger Douglas no one government has even tried and now they are worse than useless following almost every SJW niche idea beyond (again) most peoples skill of comprehending why!
This is just wrong. We don't want governments to fix things. We want governments to organize us to fix things.
Well if politicians can’t define what a woman is what chance do you think they have of solving real problems?
Yes. Government keep laying out road cones that we have to keep knocking over to get to our destination.
And why has NZ done little Mike? Because your do nothing mates who you pump up every other week on your show are part of the Great Kiwi Chumocracy who've failed to deliver for decades and should stand aside as they've been proven to be not up to the job. But they wont because they're gouging = like you as well
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help” said by Ronald Reagan to be some of the most dangerous words in the English language.
Why can't this Government fix what they promised 2 and a half years ago ?
Top of the list was sorting out the rampant race issues.
Fix it ? No. They have deliberately made it worse.
If I had known that they were going to renege, I would have abandoned NZ 7 years ago.
Anon @ 10.44: There’s another couple of choruses to that one, I think from Murphy, the guy who wrote the Law:
“The cheque is in the mail”, and,
“Of course I’ll still love you in the morning.”
Do they still do Tui billboards?
Nuff said.
Well said, Anon 12:18! I have argued ad infinitum that the current mishmash known loosely as a coalition may well go out on its ear because of what it hasn't done.
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