Predictions For 1990
General Predictions For 1990
- 1990 will be a year of earthquakes and of increased seismic activity, worldwide.
- 'Greenhouse' effects become more apparent, with major alterations in weather patterns, causing droughts, floods, etc.
- Economic problems, and the 'Greenhouse' effects, cause food shortages in many countries.
- Increases in ultra-violet radiation, due to the Ozone depletion effect, damage micro-life forms (plankton, bacteria etc) and human immune systems, with consequent increases in Aids and other diseases.
- 1990 will be a year of political liberation, worldwide: many authoritarian regimes will be replaced by liberal, democratic regimes.
- The Tokyo sharemarket will crash, followed by sharemarket crashes worldwide.
- There will be many bank failures and a major drop in investor confidence, worldwide.
- Worldwide, the rate of social, political and economic change increases exponentially.
- We enter the era of 'Claytons' government. worldwide, governments fail to cope with a succession of natural and social crises: governments have less and less control over events.
- As the liberalisation movement continues, Russia will shed many of its satellite states.
- Russia's internal economic and political difficulties will force her to reduce her international military stance, drastically.
- A further downturn in the U.S. balance of payments will result in a reduction of U.S. military expenditure, and a reduction of the U.S. international military stance.
- The strategic balance of world power will change, from one of dominance by a few major states, to a much wider distribution of power among many states.
- There will be a number of armed conflicts between nations during 1990, but no major power conflicts. The threat of a nuclear holocaust is greatly reduced.
- Communism ceases to be a threat to democracy and capitalism.
- Inflation will be rampant in many countries and, in two or three cases, runaway inflation will result in replacement of virtually valueless old currency units with the issue of new currency units.
- Levels of unemployment will increase, worldwide.
- With the general economic downturn, world trade will decline.
- 1990 will see gold prices increasing: gold will become popular as a safe investment of last resort.
- Worldwide, liberal and laissez-faire forces will prevail over forces of control and conservatism.
- Crime and lawlessness increase, worldwide. Some of the more wealthy, organise their own security by moving into secure enclaves.
N.Z. Predictions For 1990
- Capital will continue to flow overseas, as NZ investors see greater profit opportunities abroad than at home. As jobs go where capital goes, the level of unemployment rises.
- Laissez-faire economic policies become further discredited, in the eyes of most New Zealanders.
- Government budgetary deficits continue and, with them, tight monetary policies and high interest rates.
- Following on overseas sharemarket crashes, the NZ sharemarket will be depressed.
- Food shortages overseas will result in buoyant prices for our -export foodstuffs. Our terms of trade index will move favourably.
- The number of immigrant applications will increase substantially.
- N.Z. will gain the America's Cup, by court ruling.
- The Commonwealth Games will be a success and the Sesqui celebrations will be only a moderate success.
- Rural land values will edge upwards in the second half of the year.
- 1990 will be a difficult year for local businesses, particularly in the manufacturing sector. The number of business failures will remain high. Prices in the farming sector will be good, generally, but orchardists will gain only moderate returns. The National Party will regain government in the general elections.
- In spite of sports successes, New Zealanders will continue to lose their sense of one-tribe, national identity. Divisiveness will continue to flow from the issues of Maori v Pakeha; haves v havenots; pragmatists v greenies; town v country; feminists v male chauvinists; unions v employers; unions v consumers; abortionists v anti-abortionists; religious idealists v materialists.
- As the threat of a major nuclear war becomes greatly reduced, our anti-nuclear stance becomes less rigid and U.S.-N.Z. relations improve markedly.
- N.Z. will continue to lack sound overall strategic planning, sense of purpose and direction.
- Increasingly, parliamentarians are seen to be self-seeking and lacking in sincere, effective leadership and statesmanship.
- Political union and/or common currency with Australia will be proposed but will be rejected by the majority of New Zealanders.
- Rather than going positively and purposefully into the new decade, New Zealand drifts into the 1990's.