Where is the outcry/defence?
Given the relatively unimportant issues that get wide coverage in the blogsphere I am very surprised not to see many people ranting about the possible “revoking of visas” for temporary workers in New Zealand.
Now, we (well mainly me – I don’t want to put words in the other authors mouths) have ranted a lot – and will rant at least a little bit more – about how this seems wrong headed.
However, when I went across the top 50 blogs according to the Tumeke rankings yesterday there were no posts on the issue. Looking at my regular reading today, I noticed a post by Not PC, and I know Anti-Dismal has covered the issue in the past (Paul, if you have a link to the post where you called this National’s buy NZ made campaign could you tell me so I can link to it 🙂 ).
Does no one else have an opinion on the issue – either for or against? Revoking someones visa on nationality grounds because of a recession is quite a big, loaded, move – it seems like the thing you are either against or for, not neutral about.
If anyone has written on the issue, put a link in the comments and I’ll link here …
Update: Eric Crampton has written about the issue, looking at data to work out the attitude of NZer’s – it is an excellent post, I suggest you read it right now. Brad Taylor comes out as well. Paul Walker discusses here. Nigel Kearney represented his frustration before all of us here. Bill Bennett discusses here.
Update 2: Casey Mulligan on the issue in the US (ht Eric Crampton)
http://offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.com/2009/03/natalism.html
Dr Crampton, you’re a legend 😉
Not legend enough for you to have me on your RSS feed apparently though (snif).
@Eric Crampton
I don’t have an RSS feed – because I’m useless. Also, I only checked the blogs in my NZ blogs this morning – and I’ve got you under Micro. I would have got there after I was finished looking at these balance of payments numbers 🙂
Check also Casey Mulligan, here:
http://caseymulligan.blogspot.com/2009/03/desparate-times-may-lead-to-shameful.html
@Eric Crampton
Super, I’ll put a link to that as well
The whole thing seems so absurd that it’s difficult to say anything interesting in response. You’ve done an admirable job, Matt.
@Brad Taylor
It wasn’t just me here – goonix did a post as well, and the four of us who post here having been discussing it via emails.
Damn popularist politics.
Matt I think I made some comments on this issue but it was as part of another post which even I can’t find right now. I must admit I haven’t written in this recent example since I knew you had it covered and I had assumed, without checking, that the other blogs would have been all over it as well. But now you tell me they aren’t, I feel I should have written on it after all. I will, ex post, try to make amends. When taking to Eric about this yesterday I did point out that if we had a “Buy New Zealand” labour rule for universities, we wouldn’t have any universities!! Most of the economics department, for example, is foreign labour. Having said that I’m sure we could not with out a least one Canadian!!! 🙂
Hi Paul,
I definitely remember your comments – maybe I got them confused for a post 🙂 . Nonetheless, you had put down an opinion, which is why I wanted to mention you in this post.
Apart from Not PC, New Zealand’s top 20 blogs have been surprisingly quiet on the issue – a shock if ever I’ve had one. For me this is a huge issue, and it seems like other people who are thinking in an economics vein feel the same way.
Short comment now here. Hopefully better late than never.
@Matt Nolan
And to think we have been called “deranged sociopaths” before and here we are harping on about human rights!
@Paul Walker
Its hardly late – the statement was only out about 36 hours ago 🙂
@agnitio
If only people knew the sexiness of economics. The deranged sociopaths exist in all disciplines – that isn’t part of economics, that is just the individuals value judgments 😉
It is disgusting and I posted on this a couple of days ago. I’m not on the Tumeke rankings though.
It goes beyond just dislike of foreigners. We don’t even like their money as was shown when Labour blocked that Canadian pension fund investment in Auckland airport. Sadly, this kind of thing is very popular with voters. Politicians mostly know it’s wrong but they don’t care if there are votes at stake.
@Nigel Kearney
Excellent – I see the post, I will link to it here.
@Matt Nolan
I wear it as a badge of pride 🙂
@rauparaha
Well we have to be honest – economics is pretty flippen sexy. They need to make one of those Boston Legal type shows about it …
I’m not in the top 50 NZ blogs, but I did cover it at my Knowledge Workers site as:
New Zealand must protect core skills
http://billbennettnz.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/new-zealand-must-protect-core-skills/
Super duper – linked 🙂