The Lucky Culture

The NZ Initiative writes:

Nick Cater, Chief Opinion Editor at The Australian newspaper, thinks that a new ruling class is threatening New Zealand’s tradition of egalitarianism.

The New Zealand Initiative is bringing Nick Cater to New Zealand to launch his book The Lucky Culture on 15 July in Wellington, 16 July in Auckland and 17 July in Christchurch.

The Lucky Culture and the rise of an Australian ruling class, published by Harper Collins, is a bold and provocative book about Australia’s national identity and how it is threatened by the rise of an aspiring ruling class.

This controversial book has been launched by former Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, Australian Labor Treasurer Chris Brown, and is being launched in Queensland by Australian Prime Minister, The Hon Kevin Rudd, on Friday.

Being launched by both John Howard and Kevin Rudd – that is impressive!

The controversial new book argues that since the 1970s a new tertiary-educated class of people have emerged. Cater claims that they form ‘a new ruling class’ who genuinely believe that they are better equipped, intellectually and morally, to tackle the problems facing society. Their views are now shaping public debates from climate change to poverty alleviation, genetic engineering, aspiration and even the notion of progress itself.

Though his book is written in an Australian context, many of Cater’s observations have resonance in other countries, including New Zealand. And his questions are as relevant here as they are on the other side of the Tasman: Are we witnessing the emergence of an exclusive political class with little experience outside of university and politics? What does this mean for our social and political debates? And are we losing our egalitarian spirit?

I think this is very relevant for NZ. We are seeing more and more MPs who have no life experience outside student politics, working in Parliament and then becoming an MP.

The book launch details are here.