Clive Bibby: Letter from the Provinces

Open letter to David Seymour, Christopher Luxon and all potential candidates from both the Act and National parties offering themselves to the electorate at the next general election. 

It is becoming common place for those of us here in the provinces who are suffering under the dictatorial whims of the current administration to hear that the cavalry is about to come over the hill and wipe away any trace of this disastrous spell on the treasury benches - almost as if we would be able to blot it out of memory like a bad dream.

Let’s examine whether this confidence in the alternative might be misplaced. 

It is true that we have benefitted from the sage assessment of the state of politics in this country from those who should know, people like Bob Jones and Richard Prebble - two of this country’s most successful and respected politicians. 

It is interesting to note that these guys are both prepared to put their reputations on the line suggesting that the next election will be a “rout” (landslide defeat) for the incumbents. 

Other reputable journalists and commentators (Karl Du Fresne, David Farrar et al) have backed up these predictions with detailed analysis of the reasons why it has all come to this - possibly predicting the most dramatic turnaround in voter preference in such a short time ever. 

The deceptions (some call them criminal intentions) knowingly withheld by Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party at the last election are exposed for all to see. 

These transformational plans in the form of the He Puapua report clearly show the government’s intention to hand over control of health and local authority services (3 waters oversight and the introduction of race based representation) to Maoridom  without consultation. 

So, one would imagine that the issues that will determine the outcome of the next general election are already set in stone and the result will be as Jones and Prebble suggest, a forgone conclusion. 

Much as l would hope they are right, l believe there are a number of commitments, still not made at this stage, that are required before we can be confident our votes will be cast in the areas where they can make a difference on polling day. 

You see, for my money, it will not be enough for the incoming government to have promised to consider overturning the draconian laws being introduced. 

As a bare minimum, in order to get my vote, Act, National and any support party must go to the electorate guaranteeing to change the law involving those undemocratic changes back to the position we had prior to the 2017 general election. 

That means the abandonment of any race based ratepayer funded institution such as a separate Maori Health Authority, the re-establishment of local authority representation based on regional voting preference, a return to the old laws that determined the makeup of the controlling management of natural resources, and the rewriting of the latest history curriculum based on facts based evidence - warts and all. 

Put simply, a cast iron commitment to restore the nation to the cornerstones supporting our earlier democracy will be the only justification for me voting to support a change of government - without it, there is no incentive to even bother making the effort to enter the polling booth. 

Believe me when l say to my traditional ideological bed mates, that you doubt my resolve at your peril. 

I am old enough to know what will influence the majority of us provincial voters to trust the promises made in the published manifestos. 

We might be simple folk, but we are not simpletons. You have to earn our confidence. 

Clear unambiguous commitments will be the only way you can do this. 

We await your response. 

Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.