I was going to do a retrospective, but changed my mind – the message of Christmas is one of hope.
Some indicators of better times in 2013 came in the Herald, today and earlier in the week: long-time leftie Matt McCarten (disguised as editorial on the website) makes Shearer his politician of the year, long-time righties Bob Jones and Rodney Hide go hard at Judith Collins for her unconscionable treatment of Justice Binnie, and in the middle Kerre Woodham winds up on Key’s failure to deliver:
National was voted in because they promised voters they had the answers. They’d be a breath of fresh air. They were business people who knew a thing or two about making money, not academics who’d spent most of their lives in ivory towers.Well, they may know how to make money for themselves but they don’t seem to have any answers when it comes to making the country richer. If, after four years of government, the best strategy they can come up with to produce a surplus is to raise the fuel tax, they are devoid of initiative and bereft of imagination.
Woodham’s piece drew plenty of supportive comments. Reading them and comparing them with comments on this site, I thought back to when we started the Standard. I was in the room too; our aim was to set up a labour movement blog and offer a counter to Kiwiblog’s pro-National line; not to join Farrar in making the prospect of Labour government the principal target for attack.
I would not like to see the Standard become just another echo-chamber for political pessimists. I’m inclined to agree with some of the recent commenters here who are drawing attention to this in various ways. Perhaps in 2013 it will be time for a bit more balance.
But then I’m biased.
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