Pages

Friday, August 26, 2022

Mike Hosking: Political opinions aside, it's been a good week for democracy


It's potentially been a good week for democracy.

The Brian Tamaki march -come-party launch gave us one more option to vote for next year.

I personally don’t think it will go anywhere. On day one, one of the parties that allegedly signed up said they didn’t sign up, so if that’s the opening shot they have trouble.

But in an MMP environment choice is always good, even if the choice won’t appeal to many.

Then came Winston, as in Peters. He gave a speech last weekend about democracy. It got no coverage so I got it off his website.

It’s a mixture of history and pithy one liners; co-governance he calls bro-governance.

He talks of cultural entitleists and treaty entitleists.

He outlines Three Waters and its many pitfalls, he lambastes, and justifiably so, Willie Jackson and his reinterpretation of democracy.

Essentially, he warns that what is happening in this country right now is dangerous and we need to wake up.

That message sounds to me like he will be back next year chasing, as he has done so many times before, a place in the Parliament. After all, if you are retired why are you wandering around provincial New Zealand making political speeches?

So if I am right then he is choice number two.

The difference with this choice is, unlike other elections I actually give them a decent chance at getting 5 percent.

And before you go, "no way, I'd never vote for him again, he gave us Labour", all that is true. I won’t be voting for him because I've been alert to his modus operandi for years.

He picks a bandwagon and milks it.

The Asian population, that went well for him. Now its co-governance, but that too will work well for him.

5 percent support is one in 20. It's not that hard.

It may be a crowded field too. ACT will certainly be looking for the same territory, and if National are smart, so will they.

But of all the things that gets voters exercised beyond the economy, co-governance and the Government's obsession with Māori-fying everything will be next years; 1) issue of the year and, 2) ultimately the Government's undoing.

This is a country where most of us have to vote for representation but if you are Māori you bypass that and you get your people appointed. That is not democracy and whether its councils or Three Waters or health authorities - it is racist, it’s unethical and it’s unfair.

For what it's worth, in the interests of being better informed, look up Peters’ speech. It's pretty good - in that old Winston Peters "I am back and I am angry" kind of fashion.

The point being is he's onto something and as a result will be part of a growing field looking for you to tick his box next year.

Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings

1 comment:

MC said...

Ah Winnie the charismatic shyster. Back for another meal at the trough. I'm still not over the shock of 2017 when a capable Government lost out to the current motley crew of discontents and zealots.