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There is a fundamental flaw in the logic of right wing Christian politics which I think is evident here. RW politics in general believe that the market determines the best possible outcomes for the maximum number of people. Basically individual self-interest (a.k.a greed) is the driving force of the whole system. We are supposed to believe that individual self-interest will somehow ‘trickle up’ to form compassionate and caring communities. Now conservative theology is in agreement insomuch as it asserts that human-beings are by nature (or by the fall) basically self-interested, so it seems to make sense to build an economic system on this fundamental principle. But really how can self-interested fallen human beings work for the common good. It has to be by recognizing that self-interest is in fact an evil to be combated not an ally to be worked with.

Institutions based on attempts to harness this basic evil need to be challenged and kept in check.

We need to recognize the bias to sin within each of us and to draw on much deeper and higher principles of self-sacrifice and service in imaginative ways to ‘promote’ (not just protect) the common good.

Steve Thomas talks about the principle of subsidiarity and in so doing hallows local community and civic institutions over and above centralised forms of government. I see no reason to make a clear demarcation between these two forms of social organisation and institutions for delivering social outcomes. Good government will always be the government of the people for the people. By our involvement in the political process we give shape to the government and we demand of it that it promotes the common good. In this way the government is not different from the church board or the school board – it is accountable to the people and the people have the right and responsibility to hold the institutional expression of its common vision to account.

My deep concern however is that this neo-liberal rhetoric is a dangerous ideology that has a proven bad track record we tried it for 15 years from 1984 -1999 under the blitzkrieg reform of Rogernomics and the Ruthenasia of the Bolger/Shipley government.

We now have a government that is working hard to deliver good social outcomes for all kiwis and play a leadership role in the international scene. From my experience on community boards the government does not overly interfere with local expressions of caring and support, schools and social service providers are given a great deal of freedom and resource to provide the needs of their community in ways that are appropriate to them.

I had heard some indication that Maxim was softening its stance but it seems to me that their motto “toward a more just, free and compassionate New Zealand” has yet to be backed up by social policy that is more than just ideology.
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