MPs should be on a 90 day trial, too

In presenting the 2012 budget, Bill English managed to pull a fiscal rabbit out of a deficit hat. The rabbit had until today been unemployed and in a job search scheme but lacked skills. Being white fluffy and cute was not regarded as potential by prospective employers so this small part-time casual job was at least some measure that the government was taking unemployment seriously.

All the rabbit had to do was to sit quietly until Bill English pulled it out of a hat to represent a token gesture about job creation and employment opportunities. This was cute but it was the only evidence of any plans or policy response to the rising level of unemployment in the budget.

Maybe the government actually don't know how to create more jobs but they don't want to say so. Mind you, they seem to be very good at making people unemployed. The dismantling of hundreds of public service jobs has shifted considerable numbers of people onto the benefit. This is not just rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic but also pretending that the tip of the iceberg is the only danger on the horizon.

Plenty of academics and economists have been pointing out that without investment in the public sector the recession will continue to wreck social and fiscal havoc. The current government clearly feel the path to the brighter future they promised at election time will be paved by unemployed people; restructured public servants, redundant teachers and burned out health and police personnel. This list does not include unemployed politicians - yet. That will be happen at the next election. By then voters will have seen through the skewed logic of declaring that creating jobs by making hundreds of public servants redundant is the way to a brighter future.

We will know that the true meaning of austerity as sunk in when MPs no longer receive an allowance for being present in parliament. No other group of workers gets an extra payment, on top of their salary, for just showing up at their place of work or gets free transport from home to work and back when they live the other side of the country.

We are over-represented for our population by international standards and yet there has been no interest from any of the political parties in pushing for a reduction in the number of MPs. It is worth noting that MPs of all stripes took free tickets to Rugby World Cup games as if these were a perk of the job rather than paying for them out of their substantial salaries like most working people had to do. It is disingenuous of them to think this was an entitlement. It is this kind of double standard - austerity for everyone one but us - that is making voters lose faith in the democratic process. Luckily for them we grumble rather than riot like the Greeks, Spaniards and French but that could change.

The 90 day trial for new employees should be applied to MPs in the same way it has been foisted on workers. If after 90 days in parliament they had achieved nothing then they would be asked to leave and find employment elsewhere. This would bring a sharpened focus to their roles and concentrate their minds.

Terry Sarten is a local musician, writer and social worker. As part of his personal austerity drive you will note this column uses less big words than usual. Email: tgs@inspire.net.nz