Below the Parapet

Professor MacCulloch Leaves the Room

There is a large measure of irony in the sign-off to the final post on Robert MacCulloch’s blog “Down to Earth Kiwi”

“Good luck and good night”

This in a slightly different order was the sign-off of the American broadcaster Ed Murrow who always concluded his broadcasts with the catchphrase “Good night and good luck”.

That catchphrase became the title of a Broadway play and a movie written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov. In an unusual turn-around the movie came first. It portrays the conflict between veteran journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, especially relating to the anti-communist Senator's actions with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In an interesting story-telling style the story begins and ends with a speech that Murrow made in 1958. The rest of the story is a flashback.

The movie explores themes of journalistic integrity, government overreach, and the dangers of fear-driven politics. The journalist Murrow displays considerable courage as he challenges Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-Communist crusade. The film highlights the importance of a free press in holding those in power accountable and warns against the consequences of unchecked political persecution.

It also serves as a commentary on modern media, urging journalists to prioritize truth over sensationalism

Murrow’s speech, which is the real message of the drama, is the importance of ideas and information, and that television's potential of informing and enlightening its audience shouldn't be discounted, or else it will become "merely wires and lights in a box." Murrow concludes his speech with his iconic catchphrase "Good night, and good luck." Which reinforces the film’s message which is a call for vigilance and responsibility in reporting.

To provide some context U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, led a campaign against alleged communists in government, media, academia, and other sectors in the early 1950’s.

Through congressional hearings (notably the House Un-American Activities Committee, or HUAC) and aggressive public accusations, individuals were interrogated about their political beliefs, associations, and past affiliations—often without clear evidence.

McCarthy’s campaign had a chilling effect on freedom of speech. People feared expressing dissenting, contrarian or unpopular political views. Discussions of socialism, labour rights, civil rights, or criticisms of U.S. foreign policy were often interpreted as suspicious or subversive.

Artists, writers, and entertainers accused of communist ties were blacklisted, losing jobs and careers. Hollywood in particular was heavily impacted—many screenwriters and actors were unable to work for years.

Teachers, academics and professors were dismissed or pressured to resign for past political affiliations or for refusing to testify before congressional committees and intellectual freedom in universities suffered. Loyalty oaths were often required.

Accused individuals often had no chance to defend themselves adequately and merely being named—rightly or wrongly—was often enough to ruin reputations.

Finally, and most ironically from Robert MacCulloch’s perspective during the McCarthy period many people began to self-censor and creative work, journalism and scholarly writing were constrained for fear of reprisal.

This miasma of fear emphasised Ed Murrow’s courage in speaking out as he did.

The term “McCarthyism” has since become synonymous with unfounded accusations, guilt by association, and the suppression of dissent.

So what does this have to do with Robert MacCulloch who is a Professor at Auckland University. He holds the Matthew S. Abel Chair of Macroeconomics at Auckland University. A native of New Zealand, he worked at the Reserve Bank of NZ, before he travelled to the UK to complete a PhD in Economics at Oxford University. MacCulloch was awarded a Royal Economic Society Junior Fellowship and pursued research interests at London School of Economics and Princeton University. He joined Imperial College London Business School as Director of their PhD Program, where he was awarded Best Teacher Prizes and the Rector’s Award for Distinguished Research Excellence. MacCulloch subsequently returned to his alma mater in NZ. He has published in journals including American Economic Review, Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Economic Perspectives and Brookings Papers in Economic Activity.

He has for some time published a blog entitled “Down to Earth Kiwi” which he has used as a means of critiquing what he sees as problems and issues in New Zealand society. As may be expected the emphasis has been on economics.

On 12 May Professor MacCulloch published what he said was to be his last post on the blog. He stated that the blog was the only economic commentary source that regularly pointed out how the huge fiscal expansion, and money printing program, of the Covid years would end in high inflation and subsequently economic stagnation.

Before the Blog started, he urged National in the 2010's to sort out the nation's ailing infrastructure when it had the chance & provided a plan. He begged National & Labour many years ago to pre-empt the looming fiscal blow-outs on health-care and pensions due to the ageing population.

Although offering a fully-costed solution to that challenge, with the Budgets completed by a former Finance Minister, both main parties threw it back in his and laughed it off. He pushed for a new Ministry of Regulation a long while ago - that would subject rules to the discipline of cost-benefit analysis. That has come to pass.

The blog exposed

“the cosy inbred club made up of people promoted way beyond their abilities that is running NZ, both in the public and private spheres. In spite of the top classes in … schools having a majority of Asian students, there is not one Indian Member of Parliament representing the National Party and the only Asian Cabinet Minister, Melissa Lee, got shafted, demoted & replaced in the Media portfolio by Choir Boy Paul Goldsmith. She has much experience in media - he has none.”

“Meritocracy does not exist in NZ, wherever you look. We exposed the links between the Big Banks, Supermarkets & Building Firms with our Minister of Finance and PM. It has all been too much for the establishment to bear.”

MacCulloch reports that

“National, Labour and Big Business NZ have begun to complain & threaten me at the highest levels about my writings. The game has become clear. Continue doing so and it will mean the end of your future in this country. DownToEarth.Kiwi has been told in no uncertain terms that for me, as principal writer, due to this commentary, I've been wiped for consideration from top public & private appointments.”

If indeed that is the case then MacCulloch, for all his expertise and qualifications has been cancelled. Perhaps not as brutally as the Senator from Wisconsin was wont to do but the effect and the methodology is the same.

The “Establishment” prefers orthodoxy in the messaging. Any contrarian view will be crushed. If one of the characteristics of McCarthyism is the suppression of dissent, then it is alive and well and living in New Zealand.

MacCulloch makes it clear that it is unwise to put one’s head above the parapet if what has happened to him is to be the outcome. It is disturbing and distressing that he states:

“As for me, taking a fresh perspective & offering different solutions to the tired old, failed approaches of the past - the ones our two main political parties & their buddies in corporate NZ promote to protect their territories - is something I no longer wish to do.”

We will be the poorer for the absence of MacCulloch’s insights and commentary. But we will also be poorer – indeed impoverished – if the “Establishment” is able to silence critiques by threats and innuendo. That is a threat to the freedom of expression and open debate that is critical in a free and open democratic society.

One can only hope that a Mainstream Media outlet – perhaps a revitalised NZ Herald – will take MacCulloch on as a commentator, remembering the message of Ed Murrow from 1958. The times may have changed but the message remains the same.