With the New Zealand General Election looming in a few days time, I am amazed at the lack of depth in political commentator’s columns. There seems to be a complete disconnection between the economic woes of the western world and the likelihood of massive political change.
In an atmosphere where it is clear that capitalism has failed us so badly the stage is ready set for lunatic socialist groups to make massive advances in the political vote catching circus. In New Zealand the most radical socialists are the New Zealand Green Party, many in that party having extremely socialist and even communist backgrounds. The New Zealand Greens adopted the most recognizable political brand in history and are easily able to hoodwink many unsuspecting voters to cast a vote their way. They have taken the place of the old Socialist Unity Party (“SUP”), but were clever to dress themselves up in the “Green” brand. At least the SUP was honest enough to acknowledge their communist leanings.
Powerful pictorial images of young children standing at the seashore in the last election and fishing in a green verdant stream this election contrasts strangely in my view with a party who is 100% dedicated to abortion, drug taking and euthanasia. Carefully avoiding all of those issues means that the Greens can concentrate on vote catching issues like stopping nasty oil companies from drilling, and attacking the rich and successful with more taxes every which way. It was with some relief that I saw this week the Spanish people vote a Centrist Government back into power when many of us were probably holding our breath thinking here we go with the socialists making political hay out of capitalisms defeat in Spain. I am not so sure that Italy will do the same thing when presented with a General Election as the socialists there are very strong and organized.
New Zealand electioneering has been reduced to a few buzz words and pretty pictures. Although Don Brash took a week off to talk to economic experts at the Bank of England, the IMF and brought back the most in-depth and economic news for us to be discussed at our election, all we got locally from my local paper were questions to the candidates like “what is their dress code”?
“The Government can not give to anybody anything that the Government does not first take from somebody else”.
