Watch full video below
A call for a temporary one world government to tackle Covid-19 makes sense, Professor Robert Patman says.
The University of Otago international relations specialist says the call by former United Kingdom prime minister Gordon Brown cuts across the populist message that states can go it alone.
"Governments have to accept that this is a global emergency. And that a global challenge, like Covid-19, requires by definition a global response," Professor Patman told Global Insight.
Related Stories
Comments
Do you really believe all global governments would agree to ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT? The insanity of politians and political acedemics is becoming ridiculous.
Mr Patman, think, just for a moment, what you are proposing, and, the future of such a proposal based on the fact we are not entirely clear on what we are dealing with in regard to COVID-19.
Over Easter, I would suggest you indulge in a wee Dram and a wee nap. Your ilk need to calm down and stop instilling fright into the population. As we look forward to a positive message that we can all go back to work, back to school, back to our businesses, the likes of you wish to tighten the noose. Have a great Easter.
Problematically, the message of Back to Normal is the only one acceptable to your ilk. Try to be objective. Where you are is not necessarily where it's At.
Hill, who said anything about 'back to normal'? We'll slowly go back to work, our schools will open, and most business's will be back in business. Yes, things will have changed, and many things will change. I've seen enough historical global crisis in my time here to know that things are never the same after these events. I think we're all quite aware there will be no 'Back to Normal'.
Long before any thoughts of 'World Government', as a CURE, attention needs to be paid to exactly why we are in this situation, the CAUSE.
One fundamental need is required. Shut down the wet markets around the globe. Stop trading in wild life. The resourses we pour into our current crisis far out strips any that would be spent in dealing with the actual cause.
You're asking me to be objective Hill. It's hard to be comfortable with, or even entertain the suggestion of a 'World Government" when we already have the tools for dealing with global disease outbreaks in the WHO. The WHO may indeed need some refining, and governments need to be honest with their health emergencies. Look how long China was in denial. A 'World Government' would be nothing more than a controlling 'bandaid'. CURE the CAUSE.
Totally agree with Buzz
Who holds the one world government accountable? Who creates checks on their authority, power and control? Who prevents their army from abusing the population, should they choose to do so? And who can force a "temporary" world government to step down if they decide they like absolute power just a little too much?
The thought of an entity with such power and potential for corruption is absolutely chilling.
Once the One Worlders got their grubby hands on the world there would be no letting go!
Mr Patman, please keep your leftist views in check.
Part of the cancer in our universities, "der lange Marsch durch die Institutionen"(Rudi Dutschke)
If a global government is focused on Covid19 only, - this is an outstanding idea. Various countries are pulling different directions on resources like face masks etc and the dollars dictate rather than the countries with the most needs and working together gets things produces faster. A global government (Covid only) could pool resources to produce ventilators for example much faster. They can also oversee as governing body the approaches to vaccines. Buzz is incorrect in saying all governments wouldn't agree. There could be one government official from every country wishing to participate working together for the world not just their country (leading off united nations, commonwealth, G5 etc). Buzz points out we don't know what we are dealing with with Covid19 (true) so that comment absolutely justifies why its so important to work together. Buzz a wee education on this virus - its not a country vs the virus or a business vs the virus its "humankind vs the virus". The global community of "Humans" is in this all together like it or not
Big Al, we're learning about the Covid 19, e.g. that it is far more contagious than the 'Flu, but far, far less deadly. Look up NZ figures for the 'flu, you know that yearly sickness which annually accounts for 400-550 Kiwis.
Hey Pete - I think you need to do some more research on Covid as you are ill informed. I have done a lot of reseach and Covid is way more deadly than the flu. Flu deaths in NZ would be minor compared to Covid if it takes hold. I hope your not one of the guys not staying at home because it’s fake news??
Big Al Fri - Who would you prefer to lead this one world government? President Trump, Xi Jinping, or should we just let the Germans have another go as Angela Merkel seems keen on your globalist idea?
Take your pick. But good or bad, I prefer New Zealanders governing New Zealand.
Trump is a die-hard nationalist. He is vehemently opposed to Globalism. He couldn't give a toss about New Zealand or any other country and isn't interested in leading any other country than the US.
Hi J Mon -why would you want one of those world leaders leading a global Covid response? Who in there right mind would want Trump or Merkel, Jinping? You need to re read my post. It would be a rep from each country eg could be Bloomfield here and also WHO and an appointed leader who is seen as the best of the best by majority voted by all countries involved. What a fantastic idea to get all those including NZ fighting this together while each country still has its own govt. J mon you need to understand we are all human and need to combine to fight this not taking a individual selfesh response. Don’t treat it like a minor virus this is serious
I agree with your suggestion that IF a global government is focussed on COVID 19 only, however, do we not already have this governing mechanism? World Health Organisation? Government is centred around 'politics'. Are you suggesting that we allow 'politics' to control infectious diseases?
And I agree whole heartedly, as a global community, we must and need to work together. Collaberation of knowledge and resources is fundamental in attacking pandemics/epidemics.
I would suggest we need more collaberation, we have the knowledge and resources, I don't think another 'Government' would be ideal at all.
If only we applied this same level of urgency to our environment and wildlife. In view of that, we probably wouldn't be facing this situation, because there would be no 'wet markets'. We wouldn't allow wildlife to be stored, are even transported in such a way to begin with. The Chinese government, for a start, should close down ALL wet markets and stop the trade in exotic animals.
Maybe Big Al, we would be better to focus on our 'global behaviour' rather than applying bandaid remedies to problems we wouldn't ordinarily have?
I don't want COVID 19 used to apply more social control.
Patman is a really nice guy BUT he is a die-hard globalist. What he fails to acknowledge in his article is that globalism is what caused this pandemic and all of the subsequent problems that followed with its spread. Ardern's actions were not based on globalism, she took action as a nationalist and defended the New Zealand people and their interests. Unfortunately, New Zealand has been a huge proponent of globalism and jumped headfirst supporting the globalist agenda. This has worked well up until the pandemic which highlights the dangers this ideology puts our country in. Embracing globalism has made NZ a highly dependent nation. We are an agrarian society that is incapable of manufacturing anything for our domestic consumption. We make basic food items and other commodities that any 2nd or 3rd world economy makes for survival. The things that make us a 1st world economy are all imported. Globalism means countries like China gets to import their own workers when they build dairy plants in New Zealand. Spain and Italy had similar deals with China which explains the high infection rates there and here in the Southland. Globalism is bad and this pandemic proves it.
This is backward. We have just witnessed what happens when you have one global interconnected system. When it makes a mistake, everyone suffers. Having all your eggs in one global system is a disaster. Having the future of the human race in one inept governments control would mean the end of the human race. The lesson of covid is decentralise, not more globalise.
Despite the fear being pumped out over the airwaves, I have never seen families more happy. Out walking together, friendly greetings. Our neighbourhood has come alive. It feels like the streets when i was a child. Localism is far more powerful.
Wow....A "New World Order"..... Just temporarily of course!
Now, which member of the global elite should be tasked with running our lives?...Jeff Bezos? Warren Buffet? or perhaps Mark Zuckerberg?
George Orwell, take a bow!
Have you ever noticed that Patman never has a bad thing to say about totalitarian socialist states but disparages countries where the people vote out a government they don't like by belittling the people that voted them out.
One minute he praises diversity, then he advocates centralised control.
Nation states are doing what they think is best for their country, given the culture within it. Look at Pakistan, Sweden, Twain, South Korea, India, to name a few.
Open societies will always get hardest hit by pandemics but they are also the most likely source of vaccines and therapeutics because these nations utilise the expertise, brain power and explorative nature of their populations to solve problems NOT the limited capacity of the political elite who are always constrained by protecting the privilege of those above them in the hierarchy.
Elitism and the absence of freedom of speech started this pandemic.
We should never forget that. !!!
The silent majority will NOT have a bar of this globalist nonsense! It's a slow walk of lose of liberty one step at a time. What government has EVER been able to be completely trusted??? How many examples does history show us that absolute power, absolutely corrupts! One would HAVE to be either insane, naive & or suitably distracted to not see this coming! Welcome to the beginning of the end. 1984
Fake and very old news yet again !!!
I would have thought by now, everyone would be aware that Prez’dent Trump is already leader of the world and unfortunately; Billy Connelly can't even trump that ... ;-)
Unfortunatley when you have a "President of USA" who can't think about anything except himself a one world Govt. is never going to happen unless of course Trump is the leader.
I hate to burst your anti-Trump bubble, but US President's are allowed a maximum of two, 4 year terms.
As stated above, Trump has one goal..To make AMERICA great again....Not the world. His is an isolationist view.
Now, if you were looking for a leader who had 'global aspirations', you simply couldn't go past Barack Obama.
To even suggest a one world government proves this guy a fool, or does he have other motives? Why even give him airtime?
A few myths here from Patman; The U.K didn't really implement a controlled form of herd immunity. Instead, the U.K Government heeded the advice of the Imperial College and went into lock down although the modelling predictions of that college turned out to be grossly exaggerated like the very questionable modelling used by the NZ government (see Ian Harrison Tail Risk Economics paper). Sweden, Latvia and Australia didn't practice severe lock down measures and proved to be more successful than New Zealand. In some countries parts of the population were already infected before they were forced into lock down. Many epidemiologists such as Knut Wittkowski, David Katz and John Ioannidis have stated lock down measures only delay the epidemic and that a CONTROLLED form of herd immunity is the most effective way to stop the transmission of the virus.
