My father, a quiet, self-contained man, would have been 100 this year. He had a habit of giving advice with a pithy saying: “Don’t get married until you are 30” and “always take a good look at your prospective mother-in-law, because that’s what your fiancée will turn into”.
“Never discuss politics, sex or religion,” was another one. He wasn’t always right and I haven’t always followed his advice as the following will show.
So I come to the general election which is dominating the mainstream media (MSM) with an avalanche of bias, trivialities and downright BS. Take the social media ban as one example. If you bother to read what is actually proposed, it is nothing of the sort.
The leaders have attracted way too much attention. This is not a presidential race. Our current crop is a mixed bag, and none of them inspire a great deal of confidence. There certainly isn’t a Helen Clark or a John Key among them. Sadly, a large number of voters choose the least offensive option.
The Greens
The Greens need to sort out their vetting procedures. From this parliamentary term, they broke records by farewelling a thief, an exploiter of immigrants, one with a dodgy social media profile and with Effeso Collin’s untimely death and the axing of James Shaw, lost two good men who could have broadened their appeal.
The Swarbrick-Davidson duo
consists of a zealot and a cynic. Their “watermelon” tag is deserved, and I wish the truly green MPs in the Greens were permitted to express the core values of Donald and Fitzsimmons. At least they haven’t all adopted the practice of wearing colonial headgear in the House except Doyle who insulted every one of us who wore a beret in the service of New Zealand. If National ran a high-profile candidate in the mould of Nikki Kaye, Swarbrick would get a run for her money.
Te Pāti Māori
Where to start? The Māori people I know regularly ask, “Is this the best we can do?” If we apply the test of racism to their leaders, they come uncomfortably close. Their policies are highly divisive and are lost on the general electorate. If their level of organisation and unity in the party room is anything to go by, what hope does a coalition agreement have? Their manipulation of MMP is cynical and will ultimately backfire – though they are not the first. And then there is my old school mate, John Tamihere, pulling the strings.
Labour
The general voting population is still reeling from its handling of the Covid emergency, and the backlash against Ardern remains strong. They don’t appear to have any real, pragmatic policies beyond some window dressing and “anything but National”. Don’t be fooled by Hipkins’s cherubic appearance. I have it on good authority that he led the push to remove Ardern in a desperate attempt to stave off defeat at the last election. Sound familiar?
New Zealand First
Most people have a grudging respect for Winston – certainly he is the most experienced and one of the cleverest politicians we have – who is a great Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Its MPs roster has little depth. Shane Jones is one of the best orators in the House, and his sense of humour and command of the vernacular are admirable. But his strong support for populist causes and sections of the commercial sector could cost the party votes.
ACT
In Seymour, you have the cleverest and most capable politician in the bunch. There is depth in his well-disciplined party, and Brooke van der Velden will be sorely missed. McKee is a top performer. A serious debate about race relations is overdue, and race-based policies and law are not the Kiwi way. Their libertarian policies will always consign them to a small but consistent tally of votes, but they are a dependable coalition partner for National.
National
Luxon has several hard-working, capable ministers, but he has been underwhelming – a manager, not a leader. His inability to commit, and his penchant for turning everything vanilla, is uninspiring. The constant MSM campaign against him must be like water torture, and a lesser person would have run screaming from the room. A lack of internal discipline and clear policy priorities will cost them.
What I have liked is their focus on public sector bosses, who have long led most politicians by the nose and, as in local government, are the real villains. The reform of the RMA and the attempt to strip petty bureaucracy from process are to be admired. Working with Winston is no easy task. Elections are nearly always won or lost on the economy, but we need to face the fact we are at the mercy of international factors such as American tariffs and the price of oil.
The Opportunities Party
TOP is attracting the protest vote, but their economic policies don’t stack up and would lead to financial ruin. Who would suffer the most? Beneficiaries and pensioners. I encourage you to take a hard look at the characters behind the scenes – they are well to the left of Labour and a natural coalition partner for Hipkins, should they get over the 5% threshold. Labour won’t do a deal with TOP in Mt Albert, and I believe that once voters realise the impact of their financial policies, their support will melt away.
If only we had a party that showed real leadership, did some straight talking, was inclusive rather than divisive, and did what’s best for the country as a whole.
Choose carefully – and don’t forget, no matter who you vote for, you still end up with a politician.
