In my opinion the problem in NZ politics began with coalition governments....'twas the thin edge of the wedge, and started with Rabid Rogernomics, and ends with Smirky Seymour. It allowed ideological wingnut fanatical yes-men (Ruth Richardson, at least, planned to bring in a Financial Transactions Tax to compensate for her austerity meas…
In my opinion the problem in NZ politics began with coalition governments....'twas the thin edge of the wedge, and started with Rabid Rogernomics, and ends with Smirky Seymour. It allowed ideological wingnut fanatical yes-men (Ruth Richardson, at least, planned to bring in a Financial Transactions Tax to compensate for her austerity measures, but the Bolger Govt. immediately booted her out before she could do so) and upwardly aspirational ass-licking social climbers like Roger Douglas and David Seymour to be used by corporate lobbyists and capitalist overseas think-tanks to subvert the politics of other countries. We should demand to go back to the old system, which evolved exceedingly slowly, but at least had its natural ideological checks and balances. As Kirsty says, "These clowns are REALLY dangerous"....and I would add, they always have been....
All of the elections I've voted in prior to 2023 have been first past the post. I sure feel disenfranchised under that system. It's terrible when you know your vote matters not at all because you are in a non swing riding.
Did not know that...but I do remember that a lot of older Canadians had that 'true north strong and free fuck voting, governments always win' attitude...also just found out from my son that I was technically wrong about the infamous Lange/Douglas government: it was purveyed as a Coalition in political parlance and freely owned up to in public discussions before the election, between ACT and Labour, but was not yet MMP. Sorry about that silly senior moment....but anyway the memory came back to me that I was working at fruit-picking with a fellow ex-student traveller from Leeds University in the UK (from a staunch Union family) and I was crowing about how Lange had just gone anti-nuke.....he said "They are just softening you NZ Lefties/Greenies up mate, now they are going to really fuck you over." The discussion went on for the whole picking season...as whenever we were picking in the same tree he described what had been happening under Thatcher in the UK. By the end of the season he had me convinced, and I told him so.
So checked it out, and discovered the first official MMP election was in 1996...which was when Whimsical Winston had the power and decided to support Bolger and Ruthless Ruth!!!! No wonder I could not remember, simply did not want to....and now he has just done it again!!!! God help us all.....he is the worst yes sir/three bags full sir of the bloody lot of them! And yet he is the only member of the Trio of Treaty Twisters that could conceivably be still induced to pull the plug on this Neoliberal Nihilism we are facing....but then all his supporters would actually have to get their shit together, ignore tribal loyalties, and collectively push him into it....or any little smidgeon of power is better than none when obsessed with tribal history, maybe?
In my opinion the problem in NZ politics began with coalition governments....'twas the thin edge of the wedge, and started with Rabid Rogernomics, and ends with Smirky Seymour. It allowed ideological wingnut fanatical yes-men (Ruth Richardson, at least, planned to bring in a Financial Transactions Tax to compensate for her austerity measures, but the Bolger Govt. immediately booted her out before she could do so) and upwardly aspirational ass-licking social climbers like Roger Douglas and David Seymour to be used by corporate lobbyists and capitalist overseas think-tanks to subvert the politics of other countries. We should demand to go back to the old system, which evolved exceedingly slowly, but at least had its natural ideological checks and balances. As Kirsty says, "These clowns are REALLY dangerous"....and I would add, they always have been....
All of the elections I've voted in prior to 2023 have been first past the post. I sure feel disenfranchised under that system. It's terrible when you know your vote matters not at all because you are in a non swing riding.
You will also see that voter turnout is a lot higher in NZ than in Canada, though I don't know how much of that is the voting system.
Did not know that...but I do remember that a lot of older Canadians had that 'true north strong and free fuck voting, governments always win' attitude...also just found out from my son that I was technically wrong about the infamous Lange/Douglas government: it was purveyed as a Coalition in political parlance and freely owned up to in public discussions before the election, between ACT and Labour, but was not yet MMP. Sorry about that silly senior moment....but anyway the memory came back to me that I was working at fruit-picking with a fellow ex-student traveller from Leeds University in the UK (from a staunch Union family) and I was crowing about how Lange had just gone anti-nuke.....he said "They are just softening you NZ Lefties/Greenies up mate, now they are going to really fuck you over." The discussion went on for the whole picking season...as whenever we were picking in the same tree he described what had been happening under Thatcher in the UK. By the end of the season he had me convinced, and I told him so.
So checked it out, and discovered the first official MMP election was in 1996...which was when Whimsical Winston had the power and decided to support Bolger and Ruthless Ruth!!!! No wonder I could not remember, simply did not want to....and now he has just done it again!!!! God help us all.....he is the worst yes sir/three bags full sir of the bloody lot of them! And yet he is the only member of the Trio of Treaty Twisters that could conceivably be still induced to pull the plug on this Neoliberal Nihilism we are facing....but then all his supporters would actually have to get their shit together, ignore tribal loyalties, and collectively push him into it....or any little smidgeon of power is better than none when obsessed with tribal history, maybe?
Sorry, that last quip might be too bleak and cynical.....I certainly hope so....and hey, what can an old immigrant Canadian actually know....