UNITED NATIONS
Sir-If, as your correspondent Norman Walwyn writes, world government is an ugly obsession of the master mind (which master mind?), what would we term its opposite, world anarchy, which breeds war, degradation and poverty, and makes a joke of human values and rights? We wouldn’t counter a plot to gain control ‘of the New Zealand Government by destroying that Government, so why would it make sense to counter a plot to gain world control by opposing world government? The present world anarchy would better serve the interests of an international tyranny than would a world government with limited powers and a democratically designed constitution. Mr Walwyn’s proposition that "corruption grows with the size of the office" doesn’t stand up to reason or the facts. Britain is not more corrupt because it is larger than New Zealand, nor is the Dominican Republic less corrupt because it is smaller. The larger the office the more aspirants for it, and thus the public has a wider field from which to select its representatives. The larger the electorate the more people a corrupt politician must deceive and the more subject he will be to scrutiny and criticism. Mr Walwyn has not examined every "international invention for keeping the peace," as the most important of these will come from a world constitutional convention which has yet to be called. He could not know that they would bear little resemblance to our own
Police force, but in stating that they would he reveals an inclination to prejudge the matter. International law will take generations to evolve, as Mr Walwyn writes, if we do nothing to speed that evolution. If an effective and enforced system of international law is necessary to prevent war then it is the task of this generation to create that law lest there be no future generations. We have reached an ultimate stage in history, and if world government is the solution to the problems of our interdépendent world, then that which we must do ultimately we must do now.
G. C.
TITMAN
(Auckland).
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19570607.2.22.5
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 930, 7 June 1957, Page 11
Word count
Tapeke kupu
343UNITED NATIONS New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 930, 7 June 1957, Page 11
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in