On Saturday I gave a keynote address to the New Zealand Labour Party conference. The picture suggests a receiving of the holy spirit in an act of rapture. Despite this being the "day of the apocalypse", I am in fact gesturing to indicate that the world economy is 500 times bigger than our own. Having berated the centre left and centre right for lack-lustre commitment to government investment in science and innovation, I was followed on the next day of the conference by Party Leader Phil Goff promising, if elected, to commit an extra $160 million per annum (~0.1 % of GDP) to the R&D sector, to be paid for by including agriculture in the Emissions Trading Scheme. Of course, it's a long way between making a promise in opposition and being able to act as government, but the Labour Party proposal now puts serious heat on the government, which has, despite announcing its budget last week, come up with no ideas whatsoever for economic growth.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
How's that for fast?
On Saturday I gave a keynote address to the New Zealand Labour Party conference. The picture suggests a receiving of the holy spirit in an act of rapture. Despite this being the "day of the apocalypse", I am in fact gesturing to indicate that the world economy is 500 times bigger than our own. Having berated the centre left and centre right for lack-lustre commitment to government investment in science and innovation, I was followed on the next day of the conference by Party Leader Phil Goff promising, if elected, to commit an extra $160 million per annum (~0.1 % of GDP) to the R&D sector, to be paid for by including agriculture in the Emissions Trading Scheme. Of course, it's a long way between making a promise in opposition and being able to act as government, but the Labour Party proposal now puts serious heat on the government, which has, despite announcing its budget last week, come up with no ideas whatsoever for economic growth.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"Scientists have an obligation to help fellow citizens make the right decisions." (Quotation by Linus Pauling, next to his portrait by Alice Neel in the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.)
ReplyDeleteKeep forcing them to push the envelope, Paul.