December 15, 2023.
There's no newsletter this morning but I thought I'd share this one that came up in my 'memories', from a year ago today. It reads quite differently than it did at the time and I hope it makes a good read for those who didn't see it then, or those who feel like a revisit. Back tomorrow 🙂
Our guest arrived on Tuesday, and she was ready for coffee. My wife had told me she was vegan so I’d popped to the supermarket that morning and bought soy milk and almond milk. But when I asked which she’d prefer - she said she had it black. Which made us both laugh.
I was feeling a bit self conscious having someone come to stay. Last week I had an abscess and had to go to an emergency dentist and have a tooth yanked, and it doesn’t look flash. Not that my teeth have for quite a while, well ever. Still I’d figured - something to worry about in the New Year.
That was a bit of a rigmarole. I’d had toothache for a couple of days and it wasn’t getting any better. I’d also lent my daughter my phone because hers wasn’t working, one kid had taken the credit card and another my EFTPOS card. So bad toothache, no phone, and no method of payment - yay.
I sent my darling wife an SOS saying “here is the number for my dentist can you call them and see if they could possibly get me in?” They couldn’t but then she messaged back - “I’ve talked to the emergency dentist, they’ll see you in an hour and they’ll phone me to transfer money afterwards.” I felt very grateful and more than a little helpless. Fortunately I had enough petrol in the car - that would’ve really topped things off!
So our guest, who we haven’t seen in 18 years, arrives and I mumble an apology about the state of me teeth but she says “it’s me!”, comes over and gives me the biggest hug and says “I love you”. So I didn’t worry about the sorry state of my smile after that. Which was just as well.
Anyway, so I’m making the coffee and we’re doing the whole - “what have you been up to for the last two decades?” and I mention I’m writing this mostly political blog. She looked a bit nervous for a moment and asked “left or right?” I laughed “definitely left”, she was mighty relieved.
She said she’d been shocked in the two weeks she’d been in New Zealand at the negativity and criticisms levelled at Jacinda. Yep, tell me about it!
”People overseas thinks she is fantastic”, she said. We talked about what Covid was like over there and here, she despaired of the political leaders in the UK, how awful the Tories were and yet people there kept electing them.
Inevitably I thought of the election next year. I can remember only too well despairing about the leadership of this country - I certainly felt like that when Key was PM here.
I thought of the wonderful people in my life. Our friend just arrived talking so comfortably as if we’d just seen each other the day before. Family and friends, including many of you lovely people reading this that I have gotten to know a bit about - your lives and families.
Of how hard the last few years have been and how much better our lives have been here because we have a leader that genuinely cares about people. Not a revolving door of revolting leaders driven by their own personal ambitions like the UK.
Of how devastating it’d be if we lost Jacinda and had “him” in charge instead. Him - that guy. Who is that guy anyway? What does he believe in? Who does he stand for?
We’re starting to get a pretty clear picture who he doesn’t stand for.
This week it is people in South Auckland garages. He doesn’t stand for them - couldn’t give a toss. His only use for them is to say “people in South Auckland garages” rather than just saying “brown people”. Everyone knows that is what he means but apparently even for a National leader being that honest about the racism you’re playing to is not acceptable.
We talked about Thee Waters and how absurd it was that that could have been turned into such a contentious issue. Of how racist New Zealand is, and how blatantly obvious it is.
I mentioned how furious some people get if you say the “A” word. She looked a bit mystified so I explained the word was “Aotearoa”. We laughed at how pathetic that was and then were a bit quiet thinking how sad it was that there were still so many people with attitudes that should have died out decades ago.
My wife got home from work and asked our guest what she’d been doing the last two decades, the guest and I both laughed. So she began the tale again and I zoned out a bit as they drank wine and laughed together - it could have been 25 years ago.
I thought of the precious people in my life and the things they’ve been through in the last few years. I thought of our PM and the things she has been through. And I thought of Him - that guy who might win next year and how we’d feel, myself, my friends, and all the people like us, next year if he was leading the country.
I would feel ashamed, as I did when my city elected Wayne Brown, but much worse.
Not because I think some of the fundamental things will be dramatically different than under the current government. The health service, housing, support for those who need it, will all be worse if that happens but still roughly in the same ball park. The economy will be much the same.
What I’d feel ashamed about is having a leader who not only doesn’t care about the things, or hold values, that I believe are very important. The rights and worth of all people, in all their fabulous diversity, in this beautiful land of ours. But a leader that cynically exploits prejudices in order to gain votes.
The blatant racism implicit in their statements on Law and Order, Three Waters, co-governance, or even in the government Ministers they choose to target.
The covering up of their internal investigation into Sam Uffindell so that the only thing clear is that there are no consequences for him.
This year senior National MP Simon O’Connor had to be told to take down a post celebrating the US Supreme Court decision to make it harder for women there to access abortion services.
The National Party have some really fundamentalist MPs - Chris Penk, Simeon Brown, and O'Connor - all of whom think their personal beliefs outweigh a woman's right to choose. Leader Christopher Luxon voted against safe spaces for women around abortion clinics.
I would be ashamed if our country takes a step backwards, be it around racism, or women’s rights, or support for LGBT rights, by electing them. These people do not represent the values of most kiwis, even if many of those kiwis quite like the idea of a tax cut.
Our dear friend left this morning and even though I’d only seen her for a couple of days in almost twenty years I felt very sad seeing her go. We’ll make sure it isn’t that long the next time.
This song is about human beings and abortion. Have a listen, it’s a really good song.
What a lovely write up about your friend and our lovely Prime Minister. I despair at some of the nastiness I see written about her. Still hoping people will wake up in time.
Beautiful Nick . My wife and I just rolled our eyes tonight at the massive screw up by wayne dinosaur brown , what was his comment ' maybe I am so well known' jeez what a complete fucktard .. We desrve better in Auckland...