The above opening line taken from “As you like it” is particularly apt in a modern Society riven with conflict and collateral damage from self-serving economic management strategies that have shown little concern for the innocents caught up in situations not of their own making.
Irrespective of who is or has been at fault for our current problems, the fact remains - in order to find a solution to this ongoing societal decline, we must recognise that individual leaders of different factions will sooner or later get their just deserts for the parts they played while in charge of events.
You only have to look back to the last general election in this country in order to see what happens to a leader who hoodwinked the voters into thinking she was a “modern day Mother Teresa” when in reality she was Lady McBeth operating a clandestine strategy that would have given control of the nation’s fresh water reserves to Maori.
Fortunately this unprecedented act of betrayal was discovered just in time with unprecedented consequences at the ballot box. Who would have thought that the first government elected under the MMP system with more than 50 percent of the vote would be thrown out within three years after discovery of who they really were. Thankfully this can only happen in a democracy such as ours - let’s hope it continues to be the case.
However, it would appear the Coalition Government and its leadership have learned nothing from our great escape.
For reasons known only to themselves, they too appear willing to lead us down the same ruinous path by proposing legislation that would have the same effect on the management of our most vital natural resource - handing it over to Local Authorities mainly controlled by (non-elected) appointed groups of Maori advocates.
Herein lies my personal dilemma.
As a lifelong supporter of “Right Wing” governments I am drawn to the only credible option available to me at the ballot box.
This year I am seriously thinking about spitting my vote between Act and NZ First in protest but current polling suggests this would only ensure the return of a mob who have a track record of being even better at these Machiavellian antics.
So, let’s hope that my threat (which l believe is a common feeling amongst fellow National Party supporters) will force a change of heart amongst the current Government legislators with the abandonment of these repulsive ideas. It isn’t too late and if it were to happen, my guess is that the current Government would be returned - if it doesn’t, they are history!
Getting back to Shakespeare.
Surely it would pay us all to refresh our memory of Shakespeare’s masterly understanding of human nature, by reading further into those famous lines he wrote so long ago.
The quoted passage from “As you like it” goes on to say - “They have their exits and entrances.” - inferring that mini demagogs like Ardern and control freaks like Luxon will have their time in the Sun followed by an exit commensurate with their guilt and betrayal.
Time will finally deliver them to their rightful place in history but my guess is that politicians will never learn from their mistakes or the reasons for their ignominious downfall - it is always someone else’s fault.
After all, they like the rest of us, are merely players and we will all be remembered only for the parts we played on the world stage when we had our chance to make a difference.
In the meantime, we all have a choice to make between the devil we know and the pretender masquerading as the saviour of mankind but our future will depend on how wisely we use it. Time is short.
Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.
10 comments:
Why stop at Adern and Luxon Mr Bibby. Your Shakespearian reflections apply squarely to your demagog and control freak of choice, Donald Trump. That particular player on the world stage will make his exit in the November midterms, in a manner commensurate with his guilt and betrayal of the American people and the rule of law. That will amply demonstrate the timeless insight of the Bard you have helpfully drawn to our attention. Looking forward to reading your column then.
No need to wait until then Jonesy
I’ll tell you now what l’ll be commenting on in November.
I have always based my assessment of world leaders abilities based on what they do as opposed to what they say.. in Trump’s case he uses hyperbole as part of his strategy of keeping the opposition guessing while often planning to do exactly the opposite.
The results of that strategy have shown him to be a pretty competent manager of his resources
- a million times better than all those 7 previous Presidents who didn’t have the guts to deal with the Iranian problem . Your words will come back to haunt you - not mine .
Well thank you for confirming your underlying philosophy is that the ends justify the means Mr Bibby. Trouble is, leaders adopting that strategy only last as long as their support base allows. Some, like Orban go quietly. Others like Mussolini wind up hanging from lamposts upside down. As somebody famous once said,"You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. The opinion polls show the third option has well and truly materialised for Trump and just in time for the mid-terms. The only question now is whether he will go quietly?
Clive, you say that Trump “uses hyperbole as part of his strategy of keeping the opposition guessing while often planning to do exactly the opposite”. Of course, that’s straight out lying, something Trump, as is well established, does all the time. Most of his supporters overlook, or at least excuse, it. You seem to be celebrating it. You say that all the previous presidents going back to Reagan “didn’t have the guts to deal with the Iranian problem”. Trump 2 sure is fixing the Iranian problem. Ask anyone who puts a fuel hose into their vehicle, which is pretty much anyone in the developed world.
The tag team are at it again!
This is what TDS does for you.
But the question that should be asked is not who will be proven right come November but whether or not these two crusaders are brave enough to submit an opinion piece under their real names ( Ewan, to his credit, already does with his responses to my columns ) and by so doing, exposing themselves to the sort of criticism they dish out to me but to few others
I’m flattered to think that, in their eyes, my comments deserve such undivided attention but we all know the real reason is because of my support for the Trump policies that have proven to be so successful.
They are so obsessed with the possibility Trump might fail, that they will say anything in order to build confidence in their own nonsensical, hateful utterings yet so far, it hasn’t been enough to support putting pen to paper. .
We’ll see .
So define "success" Mr Bibby. I don't see a lot of success in the Strait of Hormuz. But I guess if you don't define your objectives you can claim success whatever the outcome. Doesn't avoid the fact that Iran currently has Trump over a barrel (to coin a phrase).
Jonesy, Ewan, who cares? Have you ever actually thought about why Trump is there? Trump is there because he's better than the alternative (on election day). I laugh at everyone getting hot under the collar, we just have to find ways to make the situation work in our interests. Trump has been great for me, when he parked that aircraft carrier off the coast, I knew there was going to be a war. I added to my oil and energy positions prior to the first shots. Im now taking some profits. Thank you muchly.
Success is when your strategies for bringing peace to the world result in one war after another being ended and even the threat of war being eliminated.
And not even the Trump haters can argue, as you continue to do Jonesy, that Trump’s strategies have not been successful in spite of the cowardly response from his so called NATO allies.
My guess is that it is only a matter of time before we see a settlement of the Ukraine War as well - all thanks to Trump.
It's hard to know where to start on Mr Bibby's latest contribution. I will be succinct. If Trump's success is measured by his ability to eliminate the threat of war, it would be difficult to reconcile that with Trump's own threat of war, widely reported and condemned, namely “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again". A new low by any standards of decency. Yet Mr Bibby thinks that's what success looks like. Enough said.
I say again - l base my assessment of decency on what people do rather than what they say.because it is the former that will avert the threat of war - all the rest is just noise.
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