P J O’Rourke and Give War a Chance
May 1st, 2009 at 10:58 am by David FarrarI had a superb time at the P J O’Rourke dinner last night, and associated after match entertainment.
The night got off to a good start, when I ran into the Director of the CIS, as I was looking for my name at the table list. I only registered a couple of days ago and wasnt part of a formal group or table, so was not sure who I would be with. I was hoping it wouldn’t be a bunch of boring auditors so had requested on the form to be with some interesting people. I asked Greg if there were any interesting people at my Table – Table 8. He said “Well you’re with me and P J O Rourke, so is that interesting enough”. I managed to restrain myself from hugging Greg – but how seriously cool is that.
The dinner at Sky City was excellent and great conversation at the table. PJ’s speech and then Q&A session was simply stunning. Not only is he the funniest political speaker I have ever heard – he also delivered such a powerful strong message in favour of limited Government. I will blog some quotes from his speech, once I have a copy. It really was superb.
I could not resist in the Q&A asking him if he supported private mercenary armies, as written about by David Shearer, and O’Rourke said that is just about the only area he doesn’t support a private sector role. So I was amused that Labour’s Mt Albert candidate may be to the right of P J O’Rourke when it comes to the role of the private sector. PJ was amused over dinner to find out that one of the chapter headings of Shearer’s paper was “Give War a Chance” – the tile of one of O’Rourke’s best known books.
As I have said before, I think it is excellent Shearer has been willing to advocate that decisions on private sector involvement should be made on the basis of pragmatism, not ideology. Shearer basically says “If they can provide a better outcome, then don’t be put off by the fact they will make a profit from it”. All centrists and rightists should welcome such an outbreak of common sense in Labour, and support him. Matthew Hooton covers this theme in NBR:
What Mr Shearer advocated was that a controlling legal authority – the UN – retain ultimate responsibility for initiating, funding and regulating peace-keeping, but have flexibility in going about it.
If a company like Blackwater, Pathfinder or Executive Outcomes was better placed than soldiers from national armies to undertake a particular operation, then the UN could contract them.
This is a classic funder/provider split model. Admittedly, Mr Shearer went one step further in proposing it be applied to military operations, but his idea is no different in principle to the New Zealand Ministry of Education funding Kura Kaupapa Maori or other private schools, the Department of Corrections contracting out prison services or rehabilitation programmes, or employers choosing approved alternative insurers within the framework of a national ACC.
In each case, the state would remain responsible, being the initiator, funder and regulator, but its agencies would be able to choose the best provider of the service.
Instead of crying “privatisation”, our leaders should be expected to debate such ideas more intelligently than was evident this week.
Absolutely. Privatisation has been a hysterical catchcry from Labour for too often. We need a sensible rational debate on increased utilisation of the private sector, without the kneejerk backlash. Hooton continues:
His selection will mean Labour will never again be able to cry “privatisation” when contestability of service delivery is suggested, and will open the possibility of a more sensible debate about the current structure of the SOE portfolio. New Zealanders can only gain, both as consumers of public services and investors in state assets.
Indeed National would welcome David Shearer into the Labour Caucus. It will largely nullify the privatisation issue for National. If Shearer is confirmed as the candidate (which is highly likely as Head Office control 3/7 votes) I will not be surprised if some National Party members vote for him tactically – knowing the huge boost it will be to have in the Labour Caucus one of the world’s leading proponents (his articles have been cited in scores of other research in this area) of legitimising private sector involvement in military operations.
Anyway once again big thanks to CIS for organising the P J O’Rourke dinner and to all those who went out on the town afterwards. It did mean I was late filing my NBR column, but 3 am is a very bad time to try and start writing it.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:22 am
Expecting sensible reasoned debate from the Socilaists and Communists in a bridge to far, Neither have the will capacity or capability to engage without launching into the ‘privitisation is a dirty word” slanging match.
rather than weigh up the pros and cons in a balanced manner and decide on the basis of what is best for the the citizens these slefish selfcentred morons prefer to dismiss any opportunity to get the best result.
All they want is THEIR result and to hell with the consequences.
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 11:28 am
Being a fan of PJ O’Rourke since seeing him interviewed semi-frequently on Clive James’ Show, and owning a couple of his books… I was looking forward to hearing some more about the evening….
But no, it seems instead, you’ve just used it as an excuse to take another shot at a potential Labour Nominee, over the same point you’ve already had a go at…
[DPF: If you read what I said, I am waiting for a copy of the speech so I can blog it in more detail]
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 11:28 am
One thing that just came to my mind. Lets follow Shearer’s publications one step further, NZ should start contracting is Armed forces to the UN for peace keeping operations (obviously after a huge resource upgrade). Theres two benefits, first the fees coming from the UN can go straight to funding our armed forces giving their funding a much needed boost, and NZ gets a chance to have a world class defense force again with decent hardware for all three arms!
I think I’m going to like this Shearer fellow! Cunners & Little may have to put their Prime Ministerial ambitions on hold and let this chap have a go after John Key.
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 11:30 am
DPF, I am really pleased at the P.J. O’Rourke exposure; I look forward to further.
But regarding David Shearer, I have only just started to sit up and take notice of this man and his ideas. I fear that everyone is reading this very very wrong.
Though I agree with you on privatisation, a whole series of alarm bells are ringing in my mind, concerning just why a longterm United Nations and NZ Labour Party aparatchik would be advocating such ideas.
Consider the sort of stuff that Ian Wishart has been reporting lately about the desire of the UN “One-world-socialist-government” advocates for the UN to have its own sources of global taxation, perhaps carbon taxes; AND its own standing armies to enforce its policy without recourse to units on loan from sovereign nations. Does this thought not send a chill up your spine?
You know this David Shearer guy: where does he stand on that?
I agree also with the “French Foreign Legion” concept; it makes sense for a power that has to police other parts of the world. But I am deeply uneasy about trusting the actual defence of a realm to paid mercenaries rather than patriotic citizens who have enlisted or even been conscripted in a time of crisis. Given the track record of the international Left on infiltrating and subverting institutions, I think that defence forces of paid mercenaries would be easier subverted than the other.
Do I have a point?
I have always thought the next best thing to our own strike wing, would be to pay the Aussies to base a squadron here – I trust them. Heck, I trust the Yanks, but sadly many NZ-ers do not.
I certainly do not trust the U.N.
And I am dubious about the trustworthiness of a mixed bunch of pilots from Russia, China, Pakistan, Egypt, Bolivia, Malaysia, Turkey, Germany, Sweden, wherever; when it comes to the defence of New Zealand, no matter how well they are paid. I am especially dubious about the trustworthiness of armed forces of this type all over the world in the event of a showdown between sovereign nations and the U.N. OneWorld socialist government.
A mercenary military might happily defend, say, Greece, against Turkish invasion; but I can just imagine mercenaries all over the world laying down their arms when it comes to fighting off the new, mercenary “U.N.” – in fact I can imagine clauses in their contracts about this.
I very much doubt that David Shearer’s ideas really are “to the right of P.J. O’Rourke” at all; I suspect that in their motive, they are about as far to the Left as they can be. I think P.J. O’Rourke’s instincts are impeccable. This whole thing just reeks of socialist One world government power grabbing. Sorry.
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
PhilBest makes a good point. An army totally under the control of the UN is not a great idea. BTW, I’d trust the Aussies and the USA as well. Can’t think, off hand, of any others…
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 12:38 pm
“We need a sensible rational debate on increased utilisation of the private sector”
Vote:So stating “he wants to privatise the army” and mocking up Soldier of Fortune magazine covers constitutes a sensible rational debate huh? =P
May 1st, 2009 at 12:56 pm
I am deeply uneasy about trusting the actual defence of a realm to paid mercenaries rather than patriotic citizens who have enlisted or even been conscripted in a time of crisis.
You’d rather I was forced to fight and die rather than potentially be offered money to do it voluntarily?
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 2:06 pm
>>This whole thing just reeks of socialist One world government power grabbing. Sorry.
I think we all know that but it is fun turning the scary P word hysteria on the Labour Party
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Luke H, that is not what I said. What I said, is that I would trust Kiwis conscripted in a time of crisis, to defend THEIR COUNTRY, ahead of a motley collection of mercenaries from all over the place, with allegiances to a whole host of other things besides their pay check.
For example, could you trust Turks and Egyptians and Pakistanis in a private military force, to defend a country against invasion by Indonesia? Notice that Saudi pilots with the 1990 coalition against Iraq almost all “failed to find their targets”. And one of the problems in France in 1940 was the size of outright support for Fascist ideals among the French. (Heck, there still is today…..).
You might assure me that you would make a bad conscript for the defence of New Zealand. But on balance, I would trust a much higher percentage of such conscripts than I would trust mercenaries.
And if you’d make a good soldier, even if you have allegiances other than defending NZ, you’d probably be OK in the French Foreign Legion. But notice what the French used the Foreign legion for – it sure ain’t for defending France itself, (there have always been a lot of Germans in it) but for hanging onto colonies and in other interventions.
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 2:28 pm
I should have asked earlier, does this Shearer guy advocate the privatisation of anything else? That would tell us a lot. If he is pro-privatisation per se, why is he in the Labour Party at all, and why would he be a UN Aid aparatchik given how much more effective the private sector is when it comes to aid?
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 3:11 pm
You’d rather I was forced to fight and die rather than potentially be offered money to do it voluntarily?
I highly doubt you’d be conscripted to be sent on a peace keeping operation. Even more unlikely you would be killed on such a mission.
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 3:21 pm
If he is pro-privatisation per se, why is he in the Labour Party at all,
Maybe no one has told him Roger Douglas is in Act now….
and why would he be a UN Aid aparatchik given how much more effective the private sector is when it comes to aid?
Here I’d like to think that maybe he is not your typical Socialist loony who thinks welfare is the answer. But then I think if that was the case then he wouldnt have a shit show in hell of getting near the ballot paper with Labour next to his name.
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 5:06 pm
“I should have asked earlier, does this Shearer guy advocate the privatisation of anything else?”
That is the real question here. And if not, why not?
Well said PB
Vote:May 1st, 2009 at 11:57 pm
On sale in mount Albert ? Ravi Mususku ?
Vote: