Johnny’s Report Card – National Standards Assessment y/e 2012: trade
To Whom It May Concern; the following Report Card detail’s Johnny’s achievements over the last four years.
The following contrasts compare four years, ranging from the end of 2008 to the end of this year, 2012.
Whilst it is acknowledged that the Global Financial Crisis impacted harshly on our society and economy, it is also fair to say that National has had the benefits of starting out with a sound economy (surpluses, low unemployment, etc) in 2008 and four years in office to make good on it’s election promises.
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Trade
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The rhetoric:
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The reality:
In simple terms, we, as a country, have continued to import more than we exported,
2008/09
The trade balance for December 2008/January 2009 was a deficit of $341 million. This compared with a surplus of $38.5 million in December 2007/January 2008. (See: Tradingeconomics – Balance of Trade)
2012
The trade balance for September/October 2012 was a deficit of $718 million. This compared with a deficit of $226 million for September/October 2011. (See: Tradingeconomics – Balance of Trade)
As reported in the NZ Herald on 27 November 2012, the annual deficit increased to $1.37 billion. (See: Trade deficit widens as dairy values fall)
In graph form,
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Source: Tradingeconomics – Balance of Trade
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On top of that, what we did export earned us less with the increasingly high value of the New Zealand dollar,
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Source: Tradingeconomics – New Zealand Dollar
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As Bloomberg wrote in October,
New Zealand’s annual trade deficit swelled to the widest since 2009 as exports fell to a 20-month low amid a decline in dairy shipments and a rising currency.
See: New Zealand’s Annual Trade Deficit Swells to Widest Since 2009 – Bloomberg
The high NZ Dollar not only affects the value of our exports (and thus helps to pay for imports) but has a direct, inescapable impact on our employment,
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Whilst governments around the world were – and still are – manipulating their currencies downward, with several techniques (including “quantitative easing”) National remains wedded to a hands-off policy of allowing the “market” to determine the value of our dollar.
So while we are playing by purist, Market rules – other countries have thrown the rulebook away and doing whatever it takes to boost their economy and create jobs.
The “reward” for National’s obedience to dogma? Massive job losses,
Fears high dollar pushes some firms close to edge
Rakon blames job cuts on high dollar
High dollar blamed for job losses at wool plant
If ever a lesson was needed to illustrate the sheer futility of single-minded perseverance with a failed economic ideology, it is National’s committment to it’s hands-off policy on the New Zealand Dollar.
And yet, when it comes to “sexy” industries, National will climb over broken glass to throw tax-payer subsidies at the likes of “Lord of the Rings“, “The Hobbit“, Rugby World Cup, et al.
Whilst Key will crow about “3,000 people have been employed because of the Hobbit” (see: John Key pushes Hobbit benefit) – meanwhile 40,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost since this Government took office in 2008 (see: Loss of work hits hard).
If, by now you are feeling anxious and upset, don’t panic. It simply confirms you are still sane.
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= fs =
The Nats are “business friendly”? Could’ve fooled me.