The 2023 election will be the most pivotal this country has held in living memory. A further term of Labour and the Greens will see the country become unrecognisable in terms of how a democratic country should operate. Jacinda Ardern, as she has proven on Mike Hosking’s programme, might be all volume and no content but not so when it comes to implementing her Marxist agenda.
Her experience with the International Union of Socialist Youth provided the framework for turning New Zealand into the next Venezuela. The main tenet is involving the government as much as possible in people’s everyday lives.
In her first term Winston’s handbrake stood in the way. With that impediment gone she can now go full throttle with a programme aimed at stripping away individual rights and making it as difficult as possible for businesses in the private sector to operate successfully.
Ardern and her government neither understand nor care about the consequences of their actions. From an economic perspective, they don’t see a downside because in their view there isn’t one. If you’re short of money then print some more. Keep the welfare cheques flowing. Balancing the books is anathema to them.
Grant Robertson, as Finance Minister, is wanting a greater say in the day to day operations of Air New Zealand. He is also looking at involvement with the Reserve Bank, a move that could threaten the Bank’s independence.
In housing, landlords are being continually saddled with burdensome regulations designed to get them out of the housing market. To a degree, this is working and eventually the government could be the only landlord. The same is happening with agriculture where red tape is being foisted upon farmers. When will they decide to start buying up farms?
In education, charter schools have been closed or brought under the government’s umbrella. A very politically correct history curriculum is being introduced as is the compulsory learning of te reo maori. Teachers will have to show a degree of competency in the language as part of their registration process.
The government wants to control how we travel with an emphasis on public transport in a move designed to get us out of our cars. Will they bring back carless days? The reality is that most people in New Zealand find cars the most convenient means of getting around. No amount of trains and buses will change that.
Then there are the more basic issues of our human rights such as the right to free speech. The danger in this area is the so called Hate Speech laws the government wants to introduce. It will be interesting to see how they walk the tightrope of hate speech versus freedom of speech. I’m guessing freedom of speech will be the loser which will put the country on a very dangerous path. This is all part of how a dictatorship works. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the penalties for hate speech turn out to be more severe than for most other offences.
We should all be very concerned with the hitherto hidden and extraordinarily divisive document, He Puapua. While there may be some debate over the use and meaning of the word separatism, there is no doubt what the recommendations in the document are designed to do. My own thought is that this is a divide and rule strategy being introduced under the guise of helping Maori. Using a UN policy regarding the rights of indigenous peoples (that we should never have signed up to) as an excuse for He Puapua doesn’t make it a legitimate piece of legislation.
When advice contrary to government thinking is received, it is largely ignored. It is becoming more and more evident that in select and other committee hearings, the government is doing everything it can to shut down dissenting views. Opposition parties are finding it increasingly difficult to hold the government to account. The hearings are run in such a way as to obstruct opposition members and fill the time with patsy questions to government ministers. They don’t want the Covid-19 committee reconvened. At one point Trevor Mallard had to intervene and reprimand the government for its conduct.
Speaking of Mallard: his behaviour is nothing short of disgraceful. He gives the appearance of thinking he’s above the law. He has cost the taxpayers $330,000 so far, which would have been avoided had he behaved appropriately. He runs Question Time in a biased and dictatorial fashion. He is constantly protecting Ardern and her ministers. If he had an ounce of responsibility in his body he would do the decent thing and resign. He is now only there at the behest of the woman he protects. As Speaker, he is supposed to uphold the principles of good behaviour yet it is he who has brought Parliament into disrepute.
The situation the country now finds itself in has been in the making since Labour came to power. This government’s lack of talent and resultant lack of delivery is the reason why it behaves as it does. They work on the principle that attack is the best form of defence.
He Puapua though could well be their downfall.
National and Act, your time has come. The message of where this country is being taken must be communicated in every way possible. Judith and David now have matters of real concern to debate and take to the country. This is a fight that must be won. The future of this country’s democracy is at stake. The 2023 election needs to be about dictatorship versus democracy.
I know which I’ll be voting for.
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