Contrary to the apparently unfounded assertions made by the National party and echoed their media backers at Fairfax and APN, the Canada-based Fraser Institute has (again) judged New Zealand to be the third most economically free country, after Hong Kong and Singapore.This would appear to yet another example of reality contradicting the propaganda of the Right in NZ.
A separate debate is whether or not every aspect of individual economic freedom is a positive thing for everyone. Enabling the rape of the commons might be freedom, but it won't be good in the end. Society at large should have some understanding of the difference between knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing. At the very least, it is a debate worth having.
The full report can be read here.
Truth Seeker,
ReplyDeleteEconomic freedom is something to which every country should aspire to some degree.
Congratulations to your country. Your third ranking is one which your citizens should be proud to achieve.
Andrew: The unspoken irony in the post (from a local point of view) is that the conservative opposition have successfully painted NZ as a country suffering Stalinist economic oppression under the current government......and their allies at the two (foreign-owned) daily newspaper monopolies (in their own cities) have spared no ink in playing this up.
ReplyDeleteSo it is refreshing to see reality get a small look in amidst the Pro-Right propaganda.