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Forty years ago, almost to the day, we moved to Southland where we spent several pleasant years I remember very fondly. In those days the local newspaper The Southland Times, along with the two radio stations, took an editorial stance that reflected the general viewpoint of their audience. This was also reflected in many other areas of life, not always in a good way. One example was the unfortunately commonplace occurrence of local communities getting rid of lefty school principals; if they didn’t like your b/s (what today would be called “wokeness”) then you were outski and the local education board – and later Ministry – would back a community.
One presumes this sort of thing – all institutions in a region reflecting and catering to the views of the people living there – was repeated across the nation; I can only speak for Southland but doubt it was an outlier.
Then things changed during the Helen Clark Government. In response to the sophisticates chortling at the redneck hicks and rubes living outside of the Auckland Isthmus and Thorndon, suddenly the Ministry of Education was backing principals brainwashing 8-year-old children. The Southland Times became more left-wing than Beijing Daily. Oh, and handwringing self-loathing National MPs (of the Sarah Dowie variety) got elected, got constantly scolded by Labour party staffers (“Aren’t you disgusted you’re elected on the votes of racists and rednecks?”), and crawled around on their knees apologising for the wickedness of even existing.
I remember talking to another Southland-based MP whom I was good friends with when Fidel Castro died. I explained to them what an evil monster Castro was and suggested that this MP use their General Debate speaking slot the following day to denounce this monster. They turned white at the thought of – firstly, taking a stand on something, and secondly, going against the left-wing ‘received wisdom’. This is a glaring contrast to the attitude of, say, Norman Jones a generation earlier.
It was all intentional. A plan was instituted to change the opinions of conservative New Zealand and this was undertaken at the behest of left-wingers. Normal people were certainly not entitled to their opinions – regardless of the untrue twaddle left-wingers trot out – and by golly, only the left-wing opinion was ever going to be acceptable in the new socialist paradise.
Anybody who lived in Southland forty years ago would tell you how odd it seems today that decent, respectable non-Maori children are required to mainline stone-age Maori culture and language. How unthinkable such nonsense would have been back then.
I have never quite managed to ascertain precisely what is wrong with people travelling from Scotland to a wilderness, establishing farms under difficult circumstances, and establishing a lucrative meat, wool, and dairy industry. Oh, and enjoying a culture and lifestyle based on capitalism, western civilisation, a work ethic, and the rule of law.
But it had to be destroyed, and Helen did a remarkable job which Jacinda carried on. Aided and abetted by John and Bill.
The trouble is it didn’t work. They never won ‘hearts and minds’. They never won the argument. Most views haven’t changed and I am firmly convinced the exodus to Australia has been conservative people escaping all the Maori stuff, and has little to do with “bright lights, big city”.
Chris Luxon should remember this and govern accordingly. Something as simple as Chris Luxon demanding that Simon Dallow stop saying “Aotearoa” would ensure victory in the next four elections.
