Statesmanship

Contributions from former leaders.

In our democracy, former leaders usually fade into the background after they lose power. Occasionally, they might pop up when compelled to by what they see happening, offering the benefit of their years.

Usually, this occurs after a couple of changes in government, when they’re no longer closely associated with the current crop of MPs and can offer non-partisan advice that’s not necessarily aligned with the current position of their former party.

Mostly, they let the next generation get on with things.

However, since this government came to power, there has been a marked increase in these former leaders speaking out, including key former National Party figures who look aghast at the current lot and say, “That's not what my party stood for.”

In the absence of a Head of State, they provide some check on those now in power, if only by speaking up.

Please note, this is no criticism of our Governor General, who I’m sure is a lovely person, but if she simply smiles and waves as Seymour turns Aotearoa into a libertarian hellhole for many, then what’s the point? Christopher Luxon is already doing that job.

Today, I’m going to look back at our previous governments and those who are speaking out or still involved in government. Starting with…

The Ardern Government.

Realistically, it’s far too early for Jacinda to be involved in our politics, having essentially gone into exile to put some distance between herself and the deranged mob still frothing at the mouth in anger over her message of kindness.

Sadly, the self-researchers won’t let things go, and so we have the current witch-hunt of a Covid Inquiry, which seems driven by revenge rather than a desire to learn lessons.

I often receive lengthy emails from people who feel I’m unfair to those who thought they knew better than the scientific advice the government used to base its work on. For clarity, this is the calibre of individuals who insist they knew more than people like Ashley Bloomfield.

Here you see Voices for Freedom founders Claire Deeks and Alia Bland, flanked by their legal counsel Katie Ashby-Koppens. My apologies for the audio cutting out in the following clip, although there are subtitles. If you'd like, you can view it intact here on Twitter.

On their site, Voices for Freedom has listed pretty much everyone involved in Covid, from Siouxsie Wiles to Michael Baker as perpetrators, and this is the image they’ve chosen for their webpage:

Real subtle.

So while we still have deranged fantasists like Claire Deeks and Alia Bland spreading disinformation and hatred from the pulpit of the Covid Inquiry, I’m sure Jacinda is in no hurry to return.

It is a shame not to utilise the talents of the previous administration, as Nicola Willis could really benefit from some remedial economic lessons with Grant Robertson.

The Key Government.

Bill "Double Dipper" English has shown he still knows his way to the trough with his highly lucrative Kāinga Ora review.

Meanwhile, Steven Joyce cooled his heels between National Party governments, “earning” $1.1 million in public funds between 2019 and 2023.

Now Joyce chairs NZME, having picked up a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit along the way.

On the face of it, you might think it wildly inappropriate for someone so tightly bound to the National Party to be in such a role, but really, how much worse can he make it?

The Herald is such a blue publication that there ought to be a law against it.

As for Key himself, the only thing I can think of him doing, other than spruiking for the banks, has been to declare that it would be better if Trump won the US election, rather than Harris.

A remark so stupid that if a left-wing politician had made it, they would’ve been mocked endlessly.

Clark, Bolger, and Palmer.

Three very honourable mentions here.

In a world where complex arguments are distilled down to meaningless bullet points and the language of Social Media has entered the political lexicon, Helen Clark consistently says it as it is—clearly expressing what many of us think, not in partisan attacks but simply by saying it as it is.

I don’t know what we did to deserve Helen Clark, but we’re so lucky to have her. A former PM willing to speak out about Israel’s ethnic cleansing doesn’t sound like it should be something rare, but it is clearly beyond anyone in our current government to do similar.

Jim Bolger has been willing to say what many in this country are thinking - Luxon should tell David Seymour to shut up.

Where Key said he thought it would be better if Trump won, Bolger said, “What in God’s name did America think they were voting for?”

He even managed to be on the right side of events in Gaza, saying, “Starving kids to death – how barbaric can you get?”

On Seymour, he said:

“We have one party in Government called the Act Party and their leader Seymour, who seems determined to be anti-Māori, and I’ve no idea what their ambition is.”

Bolger said he was not sure if the aim was to gain the support of racists, which he estimated to be about 10% of New Zealanders.

“But he always seems to have a sharp edge when he’s dealing with Māori issues.”

His advice to Luxon, “I think the Prime Minister, the leader of by far the largest party, should be much firmer in pushing Seymour back. He shouldn’t just sit there and take it. He should actually speak up and tell him to shut up.”

Then there is Geoffrey Palmer, who has been outstanding in speaking honestly about the Regulatory Standards Bill. It is hard to think of another politician who has so much knowledge about constitutional matters in this country, and again, we’re bloody lucky to have his advocacy.

Sir Geoffrey Palmer says a trio of Act-sponsored bills are signs of policy and political incompetence. Photo: Getty Images.

The Muldoon Government.

Surprisingly, some of the harshest criticism for our current government has come from those who were involved in the end of the Muldoon government.

As the legend goes, Marilyn Waring was responsible for forcing the 1984 snap election by supporting the nuclear-free legislation, an act of incredible courage at the time.

Waring’s people’s select committee on pay equity has been an absolute inspiration. It doesn’t matter what her former party was; she, along with so many others, could see that the cancellation of pay equity claims was a vicious attack on working women, and she wasn’t going to stand by.

The contrast between this brave woman, who brought a government down by doing the right thing, and who could see the great unfairness in Brooke van Velden’s and Nicola Willis’ heartless scheme to balance the budget, comes as an ugly contrast to every single coalition MP who remained silent and voted for it.

This weekend, former National Party President, Sue Wood, the young lady standing beside Muldoon as he slurred his way through the announcement of the Schnapps Election, has also spoken out against the cancellation of pay equity claims.

Former National Party president Sue Wood has described the Government’s retrospective repeal of pay equity claims as an affront to democracy, calling it a “dastardly deed done in the dead of night”.

Luxon’s Government.

So, who will be the future statesmen and stateswomen from our current government?

Will Nicola Willis hang around like Ruth Richardson, the nightmare of Christmas Past, urging from the sidelines that there be more austerity, more cuts?

Perhaps Chris Bishop will mature from the obnoxious prat he is into someone capable of honest thoughts and ideas - maybe don’t hold your breath on that one.

And what of Luxon, what will future generations make of him other than - what the hell were people thinking?

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That’s me for today. No doubt I’ve missed a few people; who comes to mind for you when it comes to statesmanship?

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Roger McGuinn of the Byrds is 83 today. To end, here he is with Tom Petty and King of the Hill.