This is Dr Rodney Jones backing New Zealand's Covid elimination strategy:
"When we did elimination we were the first country to pursue elimination. And, you know, in the '30s we were the first to create a welfare state. I think ... we have to be the ones to do this. I don't think there's any examples we can actually look at ... this is very specific to us."
We weren't the first to create a welfare state, and circumstances here - The Great Depression - certainly weren't very specific to NZ.
Even if it was factual I am struggling with relevance of this claim.
The United States led NZ.
The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt on August 14, 1935. In addition to several provisions for general welfare, the new Act created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement...it included unemployment insurance, old-age assistance, aid to dependent children and grants to the states to provide various forms of medical care.
New Zealand borrowed from their thinking. They stole the term 'benefits' to replace 'pensions' which had become demeaning and stigmatising. The 'aid to dependent children' applied regardless of the parent's marital status so in effect ushered in single parent assistance LONG before NZ.
Germany was well ahead adding an unemployment benefit to old-age and disability pensions in 1927.
Then:
[Modern social insurance arose in the 1880s in the German Reich.] It quickly became a model for other countries, including Switzerland.
NZ's system wasn't especially different. It wasn't funded through taxation. It was funded by employees who each compulsarily made dedicated contributions recorded in their social security book. A very elderly neighbour, aware of my interest, once paid a visit to show me his.
Our claim to be the first to give women the vote is also accompanied by numerous riders.
"...a number of other territories enfranchised women before 1893..."
NZ puffs its chest out over world-leading myths. In the scheme of things it doesn't really matter. It's a rather endearing small-country trait.
But when myths are used as reasons why we should pursue a particular strategy, especially one of such moment, it's hard to let it pass without comment.
4 comments:
It's also a myth of course that NZ pursued elimination first. Nope, that would be the Chinese..
Facts, so available in the internet age, can be so pesky and "tricky".
The Hard and early myth really gets my dander up, be assured.
When you think about what he's actually saying, you could paraphrase it as, "we were one of the first in the world to disregard individual rights and introduce state compulsion in other areas, so we shouldn't be shy about the state being one of the most oppressive in the world in response to Covid-19.
It’s a kiwi trait this, chest puffed out nationalism wanting to be first or best at something. I find it annoying and immature.
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