What Did We Vote For?

It’s a legitimate question. It could be taken in two ways – what sort of things did we vote for or, alternatively, why did we bother. Both are equally valid. I have been observing the angst on Backchat recently regarding Christopher Luxon and National. I share that angst.

It is my view that Luxon and National are not only letting themselves down but, consequently, their supporters and the wider majority of voting public occupying the centre-right. There is a very real risk of voter trust being eroded and I fear its already begun.

Last month’s Curia poll had National at just under 30 per cent. The Roy Morgan poll was not much better with with National at 31 per cent. This is far too low for a lead party in a coalition Government approaching nearly halfway through its term. National appears to be misrepresenting its voters on a number of fronts.

The first is the broader issue of the economy. The government is banging on about growth, and rightly so. We, as a country, are desperate for it. The loudest beater of this drum is Shane Jones. He is the minister for regional development and minister for resources, which includes such areas as mining, oil and gas exploration. He is pushing these areas with dedication and enthusiasm and does not buy in to the climate agenda.

Meanwhile National, courtesy of Minister for Climate Change and Energy Simon Watts, appears to worship the Climate Cult. He is giving away our hard-earned taxpayer dollars to the Paris Climate Accord. Evidently we are committed to an amount totalling, over time, 24 billion dollars. How can we afford to pay this? Why should we give our money to an institution that has no hope of meeting its unrealistic goals?

I don’t see how this, in any way, helps to balance the books. This is the side of National we did not vote for and is the side of National we despise. This sort of behaviour is what we expect from the left of politics: “We know best and you can like it or lump it”.

Donald Trump has just made the climate goals even more unrealistic by sensibly getting out of the scam. The Paris Accord is nothing more than a plaything of the left, run by leftist elites and oligarchs simply feathering their nests for their own ends.

I have yet to hear where this money goes or what it is used for. For all we know some elites’ fat wallets are getting even fatter. We, thanks largely to National, are getting sucked into a fool’s game because the world’s biggest emitters of carbon are not paying any attention to it. How is this in any way helping our growth?

China and India are continually opening new coal mines. Trump, like Jones, is going to ‘dig baby dig’. Why? Because that’s what gives you growth. Increasing productivity in areas that lead to more jobs and increasing exports. This is money earned to give everyone a better standard of living, not money frittered away on some pipe dream that has every chance of becoming a global fiscal nightmare.

The other big disappointment is in the area of race relations. National made a big play of this prior to the election but, again, due to their wokeness, have come up short. Co-governance has by no means gone and, as for the haka in parliament, it appears the lunatics have been allowed to take over the asylum.

Waitangi Day has once again become nothing more than an occasion where racists can have a field day throwing insults, verbal and otherwise. It is anything but a celebration; rather it is a national disgrace. It should be done away with and a day more suited to the unity of the country should be put in its place. National is doing far too much pandering to these people. Strong leadership is nowhere to be seen. What we are watching is a potential powder keg getting way out of hand. The minority are being allowed to dictate to the majority and this must stop.

Evidence of this appeared in an article on Kiwiblog headlined “Te Pāti Māori says ending democracy is non-negotiable”. This is a bottom line for any coalition partner: there must be a parliamentary commissioner for the Treaty and that commissioner would have the power to audit bills and issue a ‘Tiriti veto’ if policy and bills did not comply with the Treaty. This is outrageous.

The government needs to shut this down quick smart. But will it? Actions to date do not inspire any sort of confidence. We are opening ourselves up to all sorts of mayhem because these types know weakness when they see it. Non action on this front is just asking for trouble.

The next piece of wokeness is Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith seeking advice from the Law Commission on ‘hate speech’ laws. Why? This is, again, more akin to something coming from the left of politics.

Then we have the real estate woman losing her licence for refusing to engage in a cultural course imposed on her. I heard Nicole McKee say it was a “bit harsh”. But that’s not good enough. This wouldn’t last a day under a Trump leadership.

The National Party need to know we did not vote for any of this woke idiocy. I won’t go so far as to say we were misled, although it is tempting, but we certainly did not expect the extent to which the country would be saddled with the types of dilemmas I have outlined here. The polls reflect the level of dissatisfaction that is out there.

We did not vote National in to impose their will on us: we voted for them to represent us. That means that for every policy decision they make they must ask themselves ‘what is in the best interests of our supporters’. When it comes to economic matters there might be some wriggle room, but on all other matters the voters’ concerns must be paramount.

While not absolving ACT or NZ First completely, my view is that overall they are acceding to our wishes more closely than National. National needs to urgently rethink its strategy. We are here to hold them accountable for how much they are taking into consideration our views: at this point in time, not much.

National could learn some valuable lessons from the Trump presidency: listen to what the people want, campaign on it and, when elected, get on with enacting it. That is how you win the trust of the people. It also goes a long way to improving your popularity and re-election chances.