By: Larry Williams | Tuesday, May 08, 2012

The free birth control offered to beneficiaries is an excellent idea.

It’s targeted at youth and teen parents who are most at risk of staying on benefits long term and having more children on welfare.

This policy makes sense. The less young mums we have on welfare the less risk of a lifetime of dependency.

However according to Sue Bradford, who is now with the Auckland Against Poverty Group the measure borders on state control of reproductive choices.

This is insane. It is not compulsory. It is not mandatory. It is a choice.

It's the stupidest thing Bradford has uttered for some time, and that's saying something.

The Greens are of course against the policy, that's predictable; they're against pretty much everything.

Labour is now calling for all contraception to women and men to be free. It’s funny how they have never mentioned this before.

Labour and the Greens claim that its discrimination against vulnerable young women. They are clearly endorsing a policy of continuing to let women have babies while on the benefit.

This really is irrational thinking. You cannot defend encouraging young women to have more babies when the only means of maintaining them is the state.

It’s just an absurd proposition.

-EPSOM-

The media are working themselves into a lather over the possibility of a by election in Epsom.

First, a by election is most unlikely and even if it did happen would not have any impact on the Governments position because National would win it.

The talk around Colin Craig of the Conservatives being a front runner in Epsom is just nonsense.

I agree with political commentator Mathew Hooten who says that Epsom voters will not vote for a Christian Fundamentalist party.

Mr Craig, with all due respect has no chance of winning Epsom. He will simply be throwing more of his millions away. The Conservatives might have a show at reaching a new threshold target nationally, but he can forget about Epsom.

-EUROPE-

The French have rejected austerity. The Greeks are rejecting austerity. It is the same in the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Portugal. They all want to carry on spending like a drunken sailor.

It’s the austerity v stimulus debate. It’s very difficult to grow GDP when you’re cutting everywhere.

But there is another factor in these Eurozone economies and it’s the 'culture'. They are simply conditioned to living beyond their means.

If this all implodes we will be the loser. Global commodity prices will be weaker and our economy will slow even more.

The best lesson this country can learn is not to get into the debt mountain in the first place.

Photo: NZ Herald

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