Has anyone seen the 94 minute video put out by CBC called "Who's Counting"?
The video features Marilyn Waring and highlights her criticism of modern
economics particularly the UN system of national accounts --e.g.
housework, child care, etc. would not be counted but a disastrous oil spill
would generate lots of entries as would production of stealth bombers.Countries
must follow the accounting rules to be members of the UN.
Waring was an MP for three terms in New Zealand. From the video it seemed as if
she were more or less retired to a small farm where she appreciates the
lifestyle. She had travelled throughout the world doing time studies of women's
versus men's work. As she points out in many societies the work done by most
women would not be counted since it does not produce income.
In spite of her feminist and anti-nuclear
views she seemed to have the support of and
good rapport with her constituents, many of whom were basically conservative
farmers. She represented the National Party, a basically conservative party
I gather. While many of the points she makes seem to be quite sound, I was also
struck by the fact that she still obviously was a good constituency person
supporting farmers who after all are exporting lambs and producing milk
as cash crops. She saved a mountain area above her constituency from
development by gold mining interests, but I just wonder if the Maoris would be
all that excited that she was protecting those who had removed the land from
the use it originally had for them, and I wonder what she would think if some
of Peter Singer's disciples had suggested that the cute lambs we saw on TV
should not be raised only to be slaughtered and appear on plates around the
globe!
Did she play any role in criticising neo-liberal policies in New
Zealand during the eighties and nineties or has she more or less retired
from the fray? Is she well regarded as a feminist economist? I found her at
times a bit simplistic but then this was a video after all. I now have her
book IF WOMEN COUNTED. Have others opinions on this book?
There is an interesting section near the end of the video
that shows Maoris gathering
enough shellfish to last a couple of days. They did not gather more because
they wanted to leave sufficient for anyone else who might come along and want
to gather them for food. Some had suggested that they could pick lots and go
sell them in the market. Elders pointed out that this would be wrong since
it would not leave shellfish for others to gather free as was now the case.
(Obviously Locke got the Lockean proviso from the Maoris)
Cheers, Ken Hanly
