Clive Bibby: The wilful destruction of the New Zealand pastoral economy

Waking early to catch up on world and local news is becoming a bit of a habit for old blokes like me with nothing much else to do.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I do find at this time of the day, a useful number of interesting topics that could form the basis of a blog - which others may also enjoy debating.

Clive Bibby: Separatism by Stealth

As a nation, are we sleep walking to self destruction?

At a time when, relative to most other First World countries, our prospects for future prosperity appear guaranteed, why is it that we seem unable to recognise the obvious roadblocks that could derail our plans for a utopian existence.

Clive Bibby: Common Sense, Trust and Vision

Leadership that actually benefits the people of any country is almost always the result of a visionary approach to the problems faced - either those that are self-inflicted by previous governments or ones that are the result of extreme climatic variations over which there is little control.

Clive Bibby: Time passes but real friendships endure

A recent encounter with an old school mate from 1958 has provided the opportunity to share a story which reflects on a bygone era that helped to make us what we are today.

Sadly, due to the selfish and deliberately divisive activities of some modern politicians and community leaders, those days of racial harmony appear lost forever.

Clive Bibby: The Aspirational Element

It would seem like stating the obvious when identifying one human characteristic that sets individuals apart from their contemporaries.

We can talk about “courage, natural sports talent, above average IQ or abnormal leadership qualities” - to name but a few.

Clive Bibby: Politicians and Your Money

As the general election draws nearer, politicians of all persuasions are hitting the streets in an effort to bribe us with our own money.

For the rest of the year, we might as well not exist.

I accept that this appearance on street corners is part of the ritual we must endure in order to get a handle on who is promising value for money but it would be so much easier and a less debilitating process if they all actually did what they promised when in charge of the Treasury Benches.

Clive Bibby: “The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things…”

My ability to quote famous poetry usually amounts to only one line of a piece that has retained relevance for mankind over time. I wish it were better than that.

For this column l have chosen Lewis Carroll’s brilliant poem about “The Walrus and the Carpenter”.

Clive Bibby: There is a price for sovereignty - and we don’t have much left to spend

Previous governments of all colours have from time to time waxed lyrical about the importance of maintaining independent foreign policies in the modern world.

No longer are we so tied to the UK for our very survival that there was no need to be thinking about alternative trading partners - she took everything we could produce and paid us handsomely for the privilege.

Clive Bibby: We allow this madness at our peril!

A recent decision by the Australian Federal Court sets a precedent in Law that will become difficult to overturn but, for the sake of humanity, overcoming it we must.

The ruling by three activist judges is in many ways a battle between “good and evil” or in the modern vernacular, it is a fight between identity ideology and biological science - a situation which, in spite of all the noise, there should be only one argument.

Clive Bibby: A bubble that has burst - will politicians ever learn?

One of the hallmarks of the original “Welfare State” concept was its promise of State funded welfare that would meet the basic needs of every citizen irrespective of race, political affiliations or position on the social ladder. It would be available to all.

Clive Bibby: Kiwis that punch above their weight

Watching Country Calendar each week will introduce you to the growing number of entrepreneurial Kiwi farmers, agricultural scientists plus associate businessmen and women who contribute towards our international reputation for innovation and fiscal integrity in the rural sector.

Clive Bibby: A Betrayal of Trust

MMP was supposed to fix problems associated with political representation at the highest level of decision making. Yet for all its promotion as the most democratic form of government, we still witness examples of remote communities being allowed to fall through the cracks - and in that context, it would appear nothing much has changed from the bad old days.

Clive Bibby: Don’t be afraid to put your hand up

The one thing that helps nations overcome times of real uncertainty and threat to a way of life is the moment when all citizens over the legal age of majority realise that they have a part to play in how we collectively solve the problems we face. 

These times are almost always when the nation’s survival is under economic, pandemic or military threats from a source beyond our borders.

Clive Bibby: United We Stand and Fall

I doubt there is an event anywhere in the world that unites the peoples of a country more than our Anzac Remembrance Day.

And this commemoration doesn’t stop at our shore - it stretches across the ditch embracing our nearest neighbour Australia who fought alongside us in two World Wars hence the name ANZAC - Australia New Zealand Army Corp.

Clive Bibby: All the world’s a stage and men and women merely players

No matter how many times I read Shakespeare’s plays, I marvel at his ability to offer us mere mortals advice that remains timeless in its application to the human condition.

The above opening line taken from “As you like it” is particularly apt in a modern Society riven with conflict and collateral damage from self-serving economic management strategies that have shown little concern for the innocents caught up in situations not of their own making.

Clive Bibby: Special Needs vs Ideological or Race based Entitlement

It is interesting to note how Governments of different political persuasions respond to a crisis by rationing the availability of critical resources.

It doesn’t seem to matter who is in power when an international event forces a prioritising of scarce resources to the areas that are perceived to need it most - the results of the decisions are inevitably the same - for some, ideology or race  almost always takes preference over common sense special needs. 

Clive Bibby: “We don’t know how lucky we are”

In modern democratic societies where economies either steadily grow or collapse under debt, it is noticeable that a few key domestic factors repeatedly feature in the outcome.

And perhaps, on examination, it is no surprise to find that little old New Zealand is blessed more than most other comparable states in the number of natural resources we have at our disposal. The problem is (in Fred Dagg’s assessment) “We don’t know how lucky we are.”

Clive Bibby: Predicting Elections

Predicting General election results is always a difficult task but this time the soothsayers have reason to be confident.

Voting in a general election usually results in a referendum on Incumbent government performance and consequently, the result will more than likely reflect the public mood .in November.

Clive Bibby: The terrible price of freedom

History records the high price of freedom paid by those who opposed evil in all its forms since the beginning of time - almost always that price being in the form of the most precious commodity - losses of innocent human life.

Due to my current age related circumstances I have been able to watch most of the current consequential events in the Middle East as they unfold.

Clive Bibby: Do policies determine elections?

Why is it that transformative policies have rarely determined the outcome of New Zealand elections? This time could be different!

I have voted in over 20 general elections during my adult life and am surprised to see, during that time, few if any party was elected based on policies that had the ability to radically change people’s lives for the better.