Information
Opinion
Let’s start by defining the word democracy.
the belief and freedom of equality between people, or a system of government based on this belief, in which power is either held by elected representatives or directly by the people themselves.
The Cambridge Dictionary
How do you think that definition fits with how this country has been governed over the last five years? My answer is it doesn’t; in fact, this country has been governed in a manner that is the complete opposite.
While the Labour Government must shoulder the lion’s share of the blame, all politicians must be held to account for democracy. In my opinion, all parties in Parliament have become too inward-looking. They look at policies based on protecting their own backsides (i.e. getting reelected) or favouring their own ideology. Neither of those two reasons represents the good of the country. Politicians in all parties need to reverse their thinking, put their personal views to one side on matters of party policy and start putting the country first.
I deliberately used the words ‘on matters of party policy’ because I want to start this piece on democracy with the very contentious issue of Simon O’Connor and his post. There are lessons here for Simon, his leader, the party and Parliament as a whole. First and foremost I defend Simon’s right to make his view publicly known. The lesson for Simon is that it came across as the view of the party, so he should have made it clear it was his personal view.
Christopher Luxon exacerbated the situation with his comments by saying the view Simon expressed was not the view of the party. He was half right but putting it in those terms had the media sharks in a feeding frenzy. All of a sudden National was divided, in disarray. In jumped Grant Robertson, only too eager to find a distraction from the misery he and his Government are inflicting on the public. What Luxon should have said was, “Simon is expressing his own views as National as a party does not hold a view on this issue.”
And it shouldn’t. No political party should. That’s why issues concerning abortion are decided by a conscience vote.
MPs can vote to reflect the majority view of their electorate if they wish, but such a vote must never be (compelled) along party lines. I have a view not entirely in line with Simon’s but I’ll defend his democratic right to let the public know his. It’s not difficult for the public to find out how he votes on these issues if they want. It’s a matter of public record. Where’s the difference?
It’s on issues such as abortion and euthanasia where safeguards are required that politicians have to be involved to pass the relevant laws defining the boundaries.
What we certainly can’t have is a leader telling an MP to remove a post as it is not party policy when the party, quite rightly, doesn’t have a policy on the matter.
To top it off Simeon Brown issued a wimpish apology on television for liking the post.
There are some MPs in National who are doing a good job, but on matters of this type, the party might be better off without them. This is a far cry from the National Party I grew up with. The only redeeming factor is that Labour is even worse, very much worse. They certainly don’t believe in the freedom and equality of all people or a system based on that belief. They accept the tail wagging the dog. They believe in sham undemocratic consultation. They believe in undemocratic passing of laws under urgency. They believe in undemocratic ramming through of laws based purely on their ideology.
As Willie Jackson so eloquently stated, “Democracy has changed.” Three words that could only have come out of Willie’s mouth. Three words laced with arrogance and idiocy. Unfortunately, he can get away with it because Willie has the other Wallys where he wants them. Willie has told us that we have nothing to fear. I suppose that includes Nanaia Mahuta relieving Councils of infrastructure belonging to ratepayers, helping her family members get Government positions, and operating in a sneaky underhand way so that the Maori elite can benefit, if not eventually take control.
The Maori Health Authority is another case in point. So is He Puapua, where the ‘rights’ of the indigenous peoples appear to hold sway. None of this is democracy. This is apartheid in the making. This is a road the country cannot possibly countenance going down. This is a road to economic ruin.
We need a policy of one nation, one people, a country working for the benefit of all.
It won’t happen under this Government. To give National their due they have committed to repealing Three Waters and removing the Maori Health Authority. That’s a start but they have still got an awful lot of work to do to convince the large pool of ‘homeless’ voters that National is their home.
Be that as it may, of one thing you can be sure, my vote won’t be going anywhere that might risk three more years of the current rabble. Any alternative is preferable to this lot of undemocratic incompetent wrongdoers.
Two World Wars were fought and many lost their lives, above all in support of this one word. DEMOCRACY. Lest we forget.
