Cowpats and Colonials.
Unwise words and warning shots.
Dumbtown, is how my friend Gerard refers to people like ZB listeners - he’s not wrong.
Normally on a Friday I start by looking at Mike Hosking’s moronic reckons of the week which he vomits down the throats of his audience like helpless baby birds in a nest, grateful for the sustenance, unappealing as it may appear to the more discerning. But they were so depressingly stupid this week that I’ll offer just one, as an example.
“The Māori wards submissions: 3/10 Yet more angsting around race. We already have the best system and it's called democracy, and anyone can run, and everyone gets a free and fair go. Try it. It works.”
Ahh the age old argument of privileged white people everywhere. We don’t need affirmative action, we have a level playing field, stop complaining and get on with it. In their view if our politicians, or our CEOs, are mostly white then that’s just a coincidence, they must have all been selected on merit.
So too say the government, as they busily undo anything designed to foster fairer representation. All the while appointing their mates, like Bill English and Steven Joyce, into lucrative consulting roles. Ahh, can you smell the meritocracy?
Seriously, if you think some of our politicians, especially those representing parties that are not exactly flush with diversity, are there on merit, let me offer you exhibit ‘A’.
Andrew Hoggard, the former president of Federated Farmers, who astonishingly didn’t stand for National but went with ACT. That party seeking to lure away the votes of farmers who didn’t want to clean up their practices, preferring a libertarian view that they should be able to do whatever they want.
It’s their land, their predecessors cheated the Māori out of it fair and square, and if they want to let their cows enjoy a nice cool paddle while having a piddle then it’s nobody’s business but theirs.
Rather unwisely Andrew appeared on 7 Days last night, looking about as out of place as Greta Thunberg at a Groundswell rally. Asked what his worst mistake had been he said “standing for parliament”. A bit of a slap in the face to those who voted for him, but never fear, Andrew had a plan to win back whatever the ACT Party equivalents are of hearts and minds.
And so it was that Andrew Hoggard, Minister of Biosecurity, was asked if he’d ever watched Border Patrol and thought, “look at my little minions working for me?” He said he had watched but he wondered why they didn’t - “just shoot some of these people. They’re too soft”.
Hilarious. So our Biosecurity Minister reckons we should shoot some people, as a deterrent - that’s normal, right? I suppose we should be glad that unlike his leader he wasn’t saying he wanted to blow anybody up.
At least he probably got the ACT voters back on side. I imagine some of them were cheering the idea of shooting people as a warning. On the one hand I’m using exaggeration for comedic effect, on the other hand… you know it’s true.
On to something completely different, that I'd been looking forward to.
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