. "You can't dance with the devil without surrendering your soul." Whilst the date the country will know which direction we’re heading is fast approaching, we already know who is holding us to ransom, and who will be paying for whatever is being extracted at the negotiating table. Regardless of who promises the most, and whether National or Labour/Greens become the successful suitor, the taxpayer will foot the bill and pay the price for the vanity and avarice of an old man, leader of a party of misfits and no-names. Much has been made of the ability of a minor player, one rejected and deemed unworthy to hold their sole electorate seat, to dictate terms to the 93% of voters who preferred other options at the ballot box, but such is MMP, and to quote ex-Prime Minister David Lange, “It is not the tail wagging the dog, it is the flea on the tail wagging the dog”. Perhaps not his most eloquent line, but poignant none the less. Whilst a coalition of Labour, Greens and NZ First would provide plenty of grist to the mill of commentators everywhere, and like an impending car wreck, irresistible to watch, it would have the merits of using $20 notes to light a bonfire made of $100 notes, incredibly foolish, incredibly expensive, inevitably short lived, and with absolutely no benefit to anyone except those selfish few close enough to the fire. To misquote JFK, “We will not prematurely or unnecessarily risk the costs of a bastard coalition when even the fruits of victory would be ashes in our mouth”. In any such coalition, as a matter of expediency the Greens must again be consigned to the wilderness and anonymity of the Back Benches, excluded as a pawn to accommodate the demands of the kingmaker, unable to effect any traction other than carrying the taint of a party who condone fraud, and whom perpetual failure is the accepted and expected norm. It is apparent by the sneers and vitriol of the vanquished that many “Die Hard Greens” place their extreme socialist views well above any desire to protect the environment, unwilling to even consider an arrangement that may offer them a seat at the table, and the genuine opportunity to really effect change in a positive and powerful manner. The trendsetters, the true environmentalists, and the doctors wives in Remuera who voted Green typically don’t espouse, share or intentionally vote for these socialist ideals, and would gladly make some practical and pragmatic accommodation. If for no other reason than to see the Kingmaker thwarted and again consigned ignominiously to obscurity, I’d really enjoy a coalition of National and the “Green” faction of the Greens. Alas, we’ll get what we’re given, we’ll survive the consequences whatever the outcome, and three years hence we’ll have the opportunity to reassess and address the matter once more. Comments are closed.
|
Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
|