While having a conversation with someone recently about bills that national are rushing through parliament the subject of select committees came up. Much to my surprise this person was unaware of the functions and role that select committees serve. As a result I am going to try and produce a basic introduction to them.
Select committees provide an opportunity for potential policy to be debated and put under scrutiny or existing policy to be evaluated. In a select committee the goals and wording of the potential policy can be decided. It is also quite a pivotal point in our democracy as the general public is also able to make written submissions and/or observe the select committee in action. There will be a few rare examples where the select committee is not open to the public but these are few and far between. After collecting submissions the select committee will decide which (if any) of the submissions meets the requirements of the bill. After selecting a submission it is also quite likely that some modifications will be made to it to prevent things like loop holes.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Ethnocentrism
There are numerous examples of where people have looked at the practices of another culture and questioned their morals. A few easy examples which spring to mind include Seal clubbing, whaling and female genital mutilation. I have no doubts that for some people these activities are extremely immoral and should be stopped ASAP. This is quite a natural response when presented with cultures which differ quite strongly to your own. However such views can have highly negative effects on the people who are being judged. When observing other cultures it is extremely important to look at the cultural significance of the event. By this I mean not only how it relates to other elements of the culture but also to its historical significance.
For instance using the example of female genital mutilation, there will be some who will quickly cry it is an attempt to control and coerce the female population. On the surface it does appear to be a strong indicator of an oppressive patriarchal society. While it is not done for the same reasons everywhere the culture in Africa I am referring to, does this for reasons rooted deep within their colonial history. Originally it was just the men who performed genital mutilation upon themselves. Well the colonizers found this practice to be quite immoral and desired them to desist with the practice. Because of the colonizers distaste for the practice the continuation of it served as a symbolic way of protesting for their independence. As independence was also of equal importance to the females and under their desire for equality they too began to follow the practice. This was not something that the males asked of expected of them but something that the females themselves chose to engage in. As my example here shows, when you begin to learn more about the historical meanings of an event the picture begins to change quite quickly. The same can be true about many other cultural practices.
I do not however claim that eliminating ethnocentrism is possible or desirable. But rather I strongly believe that people should try to understand the context of an idea before they try to decide whether it is appropriate or not. Naturally people will draw the line at different points, but it is much better to have an increased understanding before drawing said line.
For instance using the example of female genital mutilation, there will be some who will quickly cry it is an attempt to control and coerce the female population. On the surface it does appear to be a strong indicator of an oppressive patriarchal society. While it is not done for the same reasons everywhere the culture in Africa I am referring to, does this for reasons rooted deep within their colonial history. Originally it was just the men who performed genital mutilation upon themselves. Well the colonizers found this practice to be quite immoral and desired them to desist with the practice. Because of the colonizers distaste for the practice the continuation of it served as a symbolic way of protesting for their independence. As independence was also of equal importance to the females and under their desire for equality they too began to follow the practice. This was not something that the males asked of expected of them but something that the females themselves chose to engage in. As my example here shows, when you begin to learn more about the historical meanings of an event the picture begins to change quite quickly. The same can be true about many other cultural practices.
I do not however claim that eliminating ethnocentrism is possible or desirable. But rather I strongly believe that people should try to understand the context of an idea before they try to decide whether it is appropriate or not. Naturally people will draw the line at different points, but it is much better to have an increased understanding before drawing said line.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
National launches attack on workers rights.
The Dominion Post has reported that National looks set to rush through their 90day job probation policy.
I am quite wary of the implications of this bill. This is going to pose quite a few problems for workers rights. Not only that but 90 days is a ridiculously long time
Their urgency to avoid a select committee only heightens the threat to workers rights.
The legislation allows employers with fewer than 20 staff to dismiss new workers within a 90-day probation period without fear of being exposed to a personal grievance case.
I am quite wary of the implications of this bill. This is going to pose quite a few problems for workers rights. Not only that but 90 days is a ridiculously long time
The legislation will be pushed through all its stages before Christmas, meaning there will be no chance for the usual public hearings in front of a select committee.
Their urgency to avoid a select committee only heightens the threat to workers rights.
A little thing called communism
A seemingly common trend I have noticed is an extreme misunderstanding in regards to communism. There are even people who believe that the world has seen communism in action. Now this is quite a false belief as there has never been a single communist nation. Communism is after all a classless, stateless society. Although sadly much to my frustration this very clear definition seems to have been hijacked by misinterpretations. The more commonly known meaning for communism, which falsely confuses it with Socialist States. The confusion which is easy enough to do, comes in equal part from propaganda and confusion in regards to communism. I will hopefully cover the propaganda more at a later date, as it is 5:02am here now and I do not feel I can do it justice.
The confusion about communism, comes commonly from people who do not understand the process to communism. I stress here that I am neither proposing that this process is possible nor am I claiming it is desirable. Simplifying it a lot, it was believed by certain people that under a capitalist system the elite upper class or Bourgeois (those who controlled means of production) were heavily exploiting the working class. Eventually the working class would realize the exploitation which was going on. They would then unite and start a revolution where they overthrew the capitalists. After this the Socialist State comes in, at this point they would work to eliminate private ownership. It was their role to eliminate class and as time went on and they were no longer needed they were expected to gradually fade away. Once they had completely gone we would be left with a classless stateless society aka communism.
The confusion about communism, comes commonly from people who do not understand the process to communism. I stress here that I am neither proposing that this process is possible nor am I claiming it is desirable. Simplifying it a lot, it was believed by certain people that under a capitalist system the elite upper class or Bourgeois (those who controlled means of production) were heavily exploiting the working class. Eventually the working class would realize the exploitation which was going on. They would then unite and start a revolution where they overthrew the capitalists. After this the Socialist State comes in, at this point they would work to eliminate private ownership. It was their role to eliminate class and as time went on and they were no longer needed they were expected to gradually fade away. Once they had completely gone we would be left with a classless stateless society aka communism.
A shaky start.
Well it is looking remarkably better now after my first failed attempt at creating a blog for myself. As fascinating as communism may be, it is hardly what I want to see in my Blogs title. Well this is my first attempt to try and keep a serious blog going. I hope to keep a record of my observations and reactions to political issues which catch my eye. As I am only a first year politics major, it should prove quite amusing to look over my blogs as my knowledge of politics grows.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)