Replacing left leaning elected representatives with right
leaning elected representatives, may slow down and even temporarily stop
the rot, but changing the politicians is only part of the plan, if New Zealand
is going to avoid becoming another Zimbabwe or South Africa.
Reassuringly, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has already delivered
a powerful message as to who’s in command of Auckland (1) which hopefully debunks the following
opinion.
Who rules? Elected Representative or Permanent Bureaucrats.
My master’s thesis (completed while I was also a Member of
the Executive of Government) focused on this topic, identifying
that:
“In contemporary western society there is no permanent
governing elite in the Executive Branch of Governance – anywhere in the
British Commonwealth or USA.” (2)
President Reagan appeared to have captured the essence
of relationship between bureaucrat and politician when he said:
“As every present and past political appointee knows without
(bureaucrats), policy change would be impossible.” (3)
What does this mean?
It means, that elected representatives come and go
(that’s democracy) but career bureaucrats hang about – some for a
lifetime and that ensures that over time, the culture of the bureaucracy will
prevail.
No need to be a rocket scientist to work out that the
bureaucrats, infected with the culture of, “we know best”, handed down from one
generation to the next, tend to consider that “their” policies and plans for
“their” ministry, are much better for the nation than the policies of a newly democratically
elected government.
Therefore, it’s not the elected MPs or councillors who wield
the power. It’s the Mandarins!
Define Mandarin?
Career bureaucrat. Promotion enhanced by obsequious conduct.
[Been subject to this when I was a rising star in the police.]
Why do Mandarin’s rule?
Review the curriculum vitae of the current cabal in Labour’s
caucus, and make up your own mind about the level of experience and level of intelligence
many bring to the Hallowed Halls of Power. Conclusion?
Easy to manipulate.
However, sometimes, elections do produce outstanding
politicians. Men/women with the acuity to understand the
problems a country faces and to present solutions.
Hon Sir Roger Douglas, Hon Michael Bassett and Hon
David Caygill are some who shone like beacons during my time in the House. They
understood the cause of the economic catastrophe Rt Hon Sir Rob Muldoon delivered
to our doorstep 1984.
In my view Rt Hon Helen Clark was also in this
category – though a little to the left of the economic solution of the others.
PS Right now we have “expert journalists” advocating shades
of Muldoonism e.g., freeze interest rates!
Next it will be freeze prices.
Then wages. Culminating in “Bring
back Roger Douglas?”
On my side of the House – not so easy to find MPs who were
leaders – not followers. Dennis Marshall,
Hon John Fallon, and Hon Wyatt Creech were competent - in my
view, but as in any Cabinet (as I assess the situation), rank has little to do
with ability. Agreeing with the contemporaneous
ruling cabal is important. Hon Ruth Richardson and Hon Maurice
Williamson may have been the exceptions.
Some elected representatives ruled the bureaucrats.
In fact, some cabinet ministers took control by bringing
into their cabinet offices, experts who could challenge the “departmental”
experts. Hon Koro Wetere was the
first to install “his own office experts” to ensure he could compete with state
department bureaucrats. Hon Sir Roger Douglas was the next to engage “in
office experts” – for the same reason.
But! Reality of
politics is (in my assessment) that, there are too many new MP’s who suddenly
find themselves earning three times what they may have earned before being
brought into parliament, content to act as cannon fodder for the ruling
elite of a political party. [Excommunicated former Labour MP Dr Sharma
being a recent exception to this trend. (4)]
Disease lurks in Bowels of the Behemoth.
That Main Stream Media (MSM) by my assessment, scurried to
mitigate the damage with snide snipes and other banality, for the arrival of “right
leaning” democratically elected representatives at Local
Level, does suggest that danger is nigh for Jacinda and her in-house Maori
battalion at the next Central Government election.
Local right leaning democratically elected council
representatives, may be able to block some Maorification (5), but in my view, the incumbent Mandarins by
majority, will be inclined to follow their preference rather than the
instructions of the new democratically elected representatives.
Whether the Prime Minister is actually intimidated by her in
house Maori battalion, is a moot point, but the menace this minority group of “elitist”
Maori (some of whom Rt Hon Helen Clark historically condemned as “Wreckers and
Haters” (6)), continues
to present, is a massive threat to the democratic process of New Zealand.
Footnotes:
(2) I did a Victoria Master’s paper on this topic – and got a pass - while I was an MP (i.e I did not spend my spare time in Bellamy’s bar).
(3) ibid
(4) https://indiannewslink.co.nz/labour-party-caucus-expels-rebel-mp-gaurav-sharma/
(5) https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2021/11/hugh-perrett-open-letter-to-prime.html
(6) https://www.nzcpr.com/the-big-lie/
Ross Meurant, graduate in politics both at university and
as a Member of Parliament; formerly police inspector in charge of Auckland
spies & V.I.P. security; currently Honorary Consul for an African state,
Trustee and CEO of Russian owned commercial assets in New Zealand and has
international business interests.
3 comments:
Good one Ross - let’s hope the pendulum continues its momentum to the right come the national election and your prediction for the demise of Ardern and the end for Māorification come true.
A technique of Council bureaucrats seems to be to prepare vast and obscure wordy documentsin modern tertiary non Churchillian "English" to so occupy and confound councillors that they cannot effectively influence. And with so much co governance about it only takes one to side with maori and they carry the day. Others realise this so see no point in devoting time and effort to topics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHaIuDnkHpU
Is this what you'd consider a Mandarin or a rotten lemon, Ross? Is LGNZ trying to manipulate, control and influence newly-elected Councillors? #defundlgnz may prove a worthy hashtag, as this video illustrates. We, residents and ratepayers, have elected our Councillors. Now, let's watch as professional, experienced Mayors (Board chairs) communicate with their Councillors and develop high-performance governance teams. In contrast, how is a Councillor to respond if contacted by unelected, unaccountable management during this initial period, be it for a, "cultural training Sunday session", "weekend induction" or any similar activity? Prudent directors will recognise there is a real risk at this time of bullying or unwarranted interference to a Council boardroom. Surely LGNZ would not want to be tagged with having created that Risk?
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