Editor
Strange things are happening in our global presentations to the Trans-Tasman conference). The real extent neighbourhood. On the one hand we have just witnessed Great of child poverty, the real effects of a low minimum wage and the Britain take a massively bold step and vote to exit the European real housing crisis are all effects of inequality spun to appear as Union (EU). On the other hand Donald Trump could become temporary glitches in an otherwise smooth road to prosperity. the next President of the United States. Conversations in my We do not hear politicians tell us that most of the income of the inner circle lurch from ‘Has the world gone completely mad?’ poor is spent on debt and we do not hear politicians saying that to ‘The world has become so quite modest percentage income dangerously top heavy the only Here in New Zealand we see the rises for the elite can amount way to get balance again is to take to tens of thousands of dollars, outrageous measures.’ whilst beneficiaries receive an exact same inequalities and We know that the Brexit decision extra $25 per week. was a close one. Amongst those the exact same reluctance by What we learn from Brexit is who did vote to leave the EU there politicians to accept what is driving that sooner or later, there has to were differing views too. There be a stop to the inequalities, and was the group of extreme right those inequalities . . . the new Tory Prime Minister of wing affluent voters who played Great Britain, Theresa May, has on immigration arguments throughout their campaign and recognised that in her first speech to parliament. So consumed argued that Britain was paying huge amounts into the EU for was she by the sentiments of the disenfranchised Brexit voters, little return. There was however another even bigger group of her speech could well have been mistaken for that of a far left Brexits who believed that the ruling elite were completely out of socialist. touch with the common people. They are the ordinary workers ‘The government I lead will be driven, not by the interests of who, after forty years of EU were sick of the broken promises the privileged few but by yours. We will do everything we can that things would get better, that rewards would trickle down, to give you more control over your lives. When we take the big that pay rates would increase and jobs would multiply. In that calls we will think not of the powerful, but you. When we pass sense the decision to leave the EU was a victory for ordinary new laws we will listen not to the mighty, but to you. When it people. Brexit is a statement about the growing inequalities which comes to taxes we will prioritise not the wealthy, but you. When even the far right Brexit lobby conceded was a significant factor. it comes to opportunity we won’t entrench the advantage of the Brexit provided the chance for ordinary people to protest at the fortunate few, we will do everything we can to help anybody, vast gap between the tiny group of decision makers at the top whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take and the rest of the people who have to silently bear the effects you.’ (Theresa May, Prime Minister of Great Britain). of their decisions. It was a courageous act for Great Britain to vote to leave the Then there is Donald Trump. Although not universally viewed EU. In doing so the British people have made a strong call that as the most worthy Presidential candidate, Trump nevertheless inequality must be addressed and the people’s voice must be strikes a chord with the frustrated middle and working class heard. Theresa May has responded to that call. What remains voters with his disdain for Washington insiders and political to be seen is whether New Zealand politicians would be brave correctness. His ideas to make the US great again, stand up to enough to follow in her footsteps. China, build a wall on the Mexican border and deport thousands of illegal immigrants may sound outrageous, but these ideas are expressed with refreshing bluntness, not through a mesh of political spin. Ordinary American people are tired of receiving political messages spun out to ensure that absolutely nobody is taking responsibility for anything. So Trump has appeal for those Americans. Here in New Zealand we see the exact same inequalities and the exact same reluctance by politicians to accept what is driving those inequalities (see p.18 reporting Dr Russel Wills’s