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The most boring and irritating election in the history of New Zealand is finally coming to an end and we can get on with our lives without being subjected to a daily stream of hysterical nonsense from politicians. Never in my lifetime can I remember such a boring bunch of no-hopers standing for parliament. Even the younger ones who not all that long ago would have been seen as a potential ray of light in a dark sky have turned out to be no better than the establishment hacks, towing the party line or worse, towing the lame political line. It was bad enough to go along with party policy notwithstanding what the electorate might want but several thousand times worse to go along with the overall political position (as we witnessed during Covid and the Wellington protests) when our entire parliamentary representation became a tyrannical one-party dictatorship.
Sure, there are some new faces in the various party lineups but time will see to it that they either toe the line or move on. There’s no room in New Zealand politics for independence, integrity or principle. If you manage to get past the party censors and are selected to stand, you either parrot the party line, or you’ll be sent home with some books to read (and a clear message that reading a different book means the end of your job).
It matters not which of the main parties (and I include all four of them) you sign up for. They are all mini dictatorships in which dissent is terminal and what the hierarchy decides is how it will be. So much for democratic electoral representation.
While on the surface it looks ever so equal and democratic (because of course we call it a democracy), the reality is quite the opposite. Government by the people – Rule by the majority (Merriam-Webster). How can it be a democracy when there is a caveat that requires a minimum of 5% of the vote to qualify? Doesn’t that completely eliminate a significant group from their democratic right to representation?
A cynical caveat delivered to an apathetic electorate some years ago by politicians cunningly protecting their patch and boy, has that come at a cost. It’s time for a change. It’s time we became a true democracy. And what if we do end up with a three or more party coalition government? Who cares? That’s how true representation works. No party should ever again have total control of government. We should fear a repeat of that, not a potential three-party coalition. What pathetic and dishonest politicking that was.
Now here’s a thought – how about turning it around on them: 50% of the seats plus 5% to form a government. Nah – make em sweat – make it 70% plus 5%. See how they like that! (Satire – I know it’s not democratic – don’t be pedantic – you get the drift).
Most of us probably don’t much like some of what would best be described as the idiot brigade political parties that rear up at election time every three years, but in a true democracy, shouldn’t the votes even for these minor lunatic parties count for something?
Granted, we don’t want our parliament to be cluttered by jokes (although it could be argued that even jokes have a democratic right), however, a 5% threshold means that if 2,919,086 votes are cast, as was the case in 2020, the threshold is 145,954 votes.
Why not simply opt for a reasonable numeric rather than a percentage? Why not say if 20,000 (random number) New Zealanders see fit to cast a vote for a party (or individual) we should respect their democratic rights?
Yes, I know – where do you draw the line? Well, consider this: 20,000 is 0.6% of 2,919,086.
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it”
(Albert Einstein).
Without change, we are destined to more of the same and more of the same…
And democracy is merely a word.
