My own ideal government does not believe the state should run the economy. Nor is it one that believes the market should solve every social problem.
I want a right-of-centre government – but with a social conscience.
I want business to have room to create wealth.
I want individuals to have responsibility for their own lives.
I want the government to live within its means.
But I also believe a decent society has an obligation to those who genuinely need help.
So perhaps the argument isn’t about whether National and NZ First are secretly left-wing. It is about recognising that they are pragmatic parties, prepared to cross ideological boundaries when they believe it serves their purposes.
ACT, by contrast, occupies a much more clearly defined ideological position on the economic right.
