I’m referring to the excessive number of overpaid and mostly not very bright MPs that we vote for every three years to supposedly, in Donald Trump’s language, “Make New Zealand Great Again”. If you used the word Aotearoa, which would be a total misnomer, we could create our own MAGA movement in this country. I think we need to but first you’ve got to find the person fit for the job to lead it. That leader is not currently in any party today. There are a few MPs who are trying to make a difference but, on the whole and most notably on the left, they are a sorry lot.
The election is around the corner and I would hazard a guess that most politically minded voters are very unimpressed with what they have heard and read. Which makes the motivation to get to the polling booth is extremely low. Those of us on the right have an indisputable duty to do so, purely to keep the communists out. Let them in and we’ll all be a sorry lot. Putting parties and policies on offer aside, why should we bother to exercise our right to vote? It’s a thing called democracy. It’s what so many of our fellow citizens have given their lives for, in two world wars in particular, so we can enjoy the freedom we have today.
That freedom was hard fought and hard won. It was won due to the heroism of the soldiers, sailors and airmen who were backed up by strong military leadership, namely Montgomery, and strong political leadership, Churchill. What did the freedom these men of stature and dogged determination give us? They gave us the opportunity to create wealth to the degree that people could create their own through building or acquiring businesses. If enough wealth was created by these entrepreneurs, then it would ensure that those working for them got a wage that allowed them a comfortable lifestyle, including buying a home.
We had that once. Certainly when I was growing up one wage was sufficient to support a family of a mother and a father and two children. Wealth is what Winston is banging on about and saying we must get back to. He’s right. (Not so sure about buying back the BNZ, though). Shane Jones is hammering the same thing – we must create wealth. There is no other way for bettering people’s lives or to balance the government’s books.
Where is that wealth? It’s both above and below ground. It’s above in the form of farmers, industrialists, innovators and entrepreneurs. It’s below in terms of coal and mineral production through mining. It does not come from a Wellington train packed with an excessive number of overpaid and underworked civil servants. Big government does not create wealth. A myriad of mostly unproductive government departments does not create wealth. Neither does taxing the lifeblood out of people who have created their own wealth or workers who can ill afford to pay.
New Zealand, the most efficient agriculture producing country in the world and with some of the world’s best innovators, is still far from wealthy. We are, in fact, drowning in debt. Why? Where has it all gone wrong? I’ll tell you. It has gone wrong at both the political and societal level. One contributes to the other. Weak, woke politicians of all colours, red, green, brown and now, to my disgust, we can add blue. These parties are causing the horrific economic and societal situation this country now finds itself in.
In the case of Labour it has weak leadership and policies that will further our economic malaise. They are ignorant on all matters to do with wealth creation. They think you can tax and spend your way to prosperity. They bow to the will of the Trade Unions. The Greens are simply a bunch of loopy activists. The Māori Party are a dangerous divided bunch of racial activists: the Tamihere family versus the rest. National is now a party of Social Democrats who have essentially lost their way and failed to implement many of their key promises made at the last election. Some good things have happened, e.g. in education but overall it’s not a pretty picture, is it?
Let’s deal with the economy first. The bulk of our wealth is generated by what we export, largely in the form of agriculture products. There are other industrial exports, but where could the big exporting increase come from? It’s from mineral resources and that, shock and horror, means mining. To the Greens, (probably add in Labour and the Māori Party) Forest and Bird and a plethora of other environmental groups and people, this is the equivalent of giving someone arsenic in their cup of tea. It means death.
So we are introduced to Freddy the Frog, Sammy the Snail and, only this week, Larry the Lizard has once again reared his ugly head. We have probably yet to meet Tommy the Tuatara, Incy Wincy Spider, Barry the Bat, Maurice the Mouse and Roger the Rat. No doubt they are all endangered species that need protecting, especially if Dave arrives with his digger. They, 10,000 of them in the case of lizards alone, must all be relocated, or so we are told. It is precisely this sort of obsessive thinking that is stopping wealth creation in this country. I’m sure some of these species can and will be relocated where they can reproduce as they always have.
There is more than a touch of irony in all of this. The Greens, probably the most vociferous in this area, are the first to wail if there is not enough money going into welfare, conservation, housing, health and the like. Have they ever asked why? The answer is simple – we don’t have it because the likes of them and their equally determined associates are preventing the means by which we can make it. We cannot have wealth creation stymied by a frog, lizard or any other creature inhabiting the place. As Shane Jones famously said “If a frog gets in the way then it’s goodbye Freddie”. He’s got the priorities right.
Problems with the economy created by lack of wealth inevitably spill over into society, with the resultant consequences of lack of sufficient money to meet poorer people’s daily needs. It is easy to put the blame on these persons, by saying they spend wrongly or lack budgeting skills. There is an element of truth in that but I’m sure in many cases it is tough with rent to pay before anything else. The short answer to this problem is, again, wealth creation through industries like mining, where well-paid jobs are available. This should be a government priority.
There are certain other societal areas MPs should support legislation against, including transgender issues such as men in women’s bathrooms, boys in girls’ sports and DEI being removed as a qualification for job appointments. The priority of any government should be to support the nuclear family, ones where children are given a safe and normal start in life. There should be an emphasis on stopping family violence which is something occurring notably in Māori households but the Māori Party seems to have little interest in the issue. Perhaps there’s no money to be had in that area.
All the things that are wrong with the economy and society are supported by those on the left. The right have not done nearly enough to ensure suitable outcomes. The country is sorely in need of a leader who will grab these problems by the scruff of the neck and sort them without fear or favour. That person needs to come forward but he or she probably won’t, because no sane person would want to waste time in the bear pit of parliament.
A good start would be to implement the Danish system whereby, if none of those elected are qualified for the finance role, an expert from outside is brought in with non-voting rights. I would recommend Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers’ Union. If you didn’t see his interview last Sunday on Q+A you should watch it. Jordan spells out precisely what the economic situation is and how to fix it. That sort of expertise has been sorely missed in this parliament. Willis has proven she’s not the answer and Edmonds would no doubt be worse.
PS: Nothing written here changes the need for tactical voting and the choice remains either ACT or NZ First. MPs in those two parties are far more united in what they stand for and are more in tune with voters on the right.
