Dame Anne Salmond’s final, brief election thought

Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, September 21st, 2017 - 39 comments
Categories: election 2017, jacinda ardern, labour, leadership - Tags: , , ,

Newsroom has a short, powerful piece by Dame Anne Salmond. It’s hard to abridge because it’s so compact. You should read the whole piece on Newsroom, but this is how it ends:

Dame Anne Salmond: A final, brief election thought
…
Jacindamania isn’t about personality at all – it’s a collective sigh of relief that we might finally have a kind of leadership that reflects our core values as New Zealanders. A chance for a country that’s truly ‘clean and green;’ for honesty, decency and kindness in our public as well as our private lives.

National have run a classically neo-liberal campaign, based on cynical self-interest. It was sad watching Bill English in the last leader’s debate – a fundamentally decent man lying through his teeth to try and win the election.

We deserve better from our leaders than this kind of Faustian bargain.

The choice in this election is stark. Neo-liberalism has failed. It’s time to hand over the reins to a new generation, and let them shape the future.

39 comments on “Dame Anne Salmond’s final, brief election thought ”

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  1. WILD KATIPO 1
    21 September 2017 at 12:54 pm

    Latest UMR Poll: National 43 Labour 38 NZF 8 Green 7 TOP 2.7 « The …
    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/…/latest-umr-poll-national-43-labour-38-nzf-8-green-7-top-…

    And yes , – neo liberalism HAS failed , – it always has .

    … ” Neo-liberalism has failed. It’s time to hand over the reins to a new generation, and let them shape the future ” …

  2. Roy 2
    21 September 2017 at 1:18 pm

    Newsroom, no Newshub – nearly got me there!

  3. Heather Grimwood 3
    21 September 2017 at 1:29 pm

    Wise words from a wise woman. Thank you Anne.

  4. greywarshark 4
    21 September 2017 at 1:57 pm

    a kind of leadership that reflects our core values as New Zealanders.

    Dame Anne Salmond (a title that is well earned and meaningful for a great NZr) said the above. If enough New Zealanders can’t find enough courage, determination and principles to vote out National then we will know that we are rotten to the core.

  5. eco Maori/kiwi 5
    21 September 2017 at 2:01 pm

    A great article from a wise Lady who is assisting the fight in a return to OUR Kiwi Values and principle’s of respecting everyone and everything in OUR Environment.

  6. Lara 6
    21 September 2017 at 2:05 pm

    True. Except that generation needs to take up the reins and engage. It’s right there guys… right in front of you for the taking.

    If they don’t go and bloody well vote then they’ll get more of the same.

    If Jacinda Ardern with all her youth and positivity can’t get them out to vote… I don’t know what can.

  7. simonm 7
    21 September 2017 at 2:14 pm

    I agree with most of it except this:

    “It was sad watching Bill English in the last leader’s debate – a fundamentally decent man lying through his teeth to try and win the election.”

    What’s ‘fundamentally decent’ about lying about where you live in order to commit housing benefit fraud like English did in 2009?

    • ianmac 7.1
      21 September 2017 at 2:36 pm

      Bill English has always painted as a decent honest fellow.
      For political gain he has chosen to lie. Maybe he was always dishonest but now we know for sure. That is sad in a Prime Minister.

      • AB 7.1.1
        21 September 2017 at 2:55 pm

        Rotten Bill

        • aj 7.1.1.1
          21 September 2017 at 8:38 pm

          It is very sad that there is such a large number of voters prepared to elect that fraudster to the top office. It’s as if they don’t care. I know Labour has sat on the high ground in this election but somebody loudly needed to remind the public of that man’s history.
          A wealthy man, didn’t need the money, lied about his residence because he could thought he could get away with it.

    • Matt 7.2
      21 September 2017 at 3:20 pm

      I have never thought that Bill was the worst of them. We can forgive him for his conservative views as a Catholic farmer from the deep South.

      He has obviously spent too much time with Key and company where he has come to the decision that lying to the electorate to win is ok.

      I really don’t know how people can not see through the lies about the financial hole and the taxes and how he can keep a straight face while talking about it. If they win on Saturday this will be another sad step of our proud democracy being moved towards the American way of doing things where there is a effective civil war between republicans and democrats because there is no trust between them.

      I doubt anyone in the labour party could work effectively to advance mutual interests with their National counterparts when they have effectively gone along with the lies. Agreement by silence is still agreement. Or maybe they are the “everyone” that Bill talks about believing in the hole.

  8. marty mars 8
    21 September 2017 at 2:57 pm

    Yep totally agree with her. Pity some didn’t understand the Jacinda effect and I have high hopes for Saturday no matter what the naysayers have said.

    • adam 8.1
      21 September 2017 at 4:54 pm

      See me I’m a bit uncomfortable, we had a articulate Maori women – a few actually. But for this argument, one, in the form of Materia Turei make these points against an economic system that does not work, and she was hounded out of parliament.

      It is not to much of a stretch to say Jacinda Ardern was not exactly supportive of her. A case can be put that knives were used by the same Jacinda Ardern. So me I’m uncomfortable, Jacinda Ardern came to power via a coup, then (in all probability) back-stabbed a well liked figure on the left. Pretty sure that’s not the values I support.

      I know many here are comfortable with that, but I’m not. Nor am I so Machiavellian, nor am I so bloke orientated, to appreciate and support such things. Does beg the question, does the public need a white face to convey this message? If so, that’s a very sad indictment on this country.

      • JanM 8.1.1
        21 September 2017 at 5:05 pm

        Metiria was not hounded out by Jacinda – she threw herself under a bus by confessing to ‘criminal activity’, no matter how minor or how long ago. She was seriously naive not to realise that the hounds of hell would be baying immediately, and it would have done none of us any good if Jacinda had gone under after her, which is what would have happened had she overtly supported her. Metiria placed a lot of good people in a very precarious position, sadly. It was well intentioned, honest, and heartfelt, but not clever politics in a narrow-minded society like NZ

        • adam 8.1.1.1
          21 September 2017 at 5:55 pm

          I did not say Materia Turei was hounded out Jacinda Ardern. I said the case can be made she was stabbed in the back by Jacinda Ardern, at worst, and at best she was not supportive. Either of the positions make me uncomfortable. Especially the former.

          As for “in a narrow minded society like NZ” does that not contradict what Professor Salmond was trying to say?

          • marty mars 8.1.1.1.1
            22 September 2017 at 9:57 am

            that case is bullshit – she wasn’t stabbed in the back by anyone – what a load of rubbish.

            • adam 8.1.1.1.1.1
              22 September 2017 at 12:38 pm

              So saying she would not get a cabinet position was not a stab in the back?

              Do we need to talk about Jacinda Ardern helping feed the media frenzy?

              • marty mars …
                22 September 2017 at 12:51 pm

                no it wasn’t – it was smart politics – I love/laugh how you want to make Metiria fragile as if she can’t make her own decisions and stand by them

                • adam …
                  22 September 2017 at 3:05 pm

                  Nice twist, not buying it. Metiria is not fragile, but she was subject to a hit job, if you can’t see that, then sorry for you.

                  So smart politics is being as Machiavellian as possible.

                  You know the left had moral compass once, and saw that approach to politics as reprehensible and somthing they wanted to change. But as many are so unthinkingly in bed with liberalism, they have given up on the project of a better world for working people. I’m not surprised that Machiavellian, or macho politics is the winner on the day.

      • patricia bremner 8.1.2
        21 September 2017 at 5:52 pm

        Adam, you appear to embellish events with a spin that suits your interpretation.

        Jacinda did not take over through a coup.

        Andrew Little asked her to.

        Their hug on stage at the Auckland Rally is up on Andrew’s Facebook page.

        Andrew was then made number 3 on the List.

        Strange coup!!!

        Metiria was ruled out because she broke the law.

        In spite of Joyce’s beliefs you can’t be “pretty Legal”

        • adam 8.1.2.1
          21 September 2017 at 6:00 pm

          So where was the labour patty membership in the vote for the new leader? Or indeed the unions, if I remember their rules correctly.

          So feeding you kids is a capital offence now? Why don’t we just elect Judge Dredd and be done with it, if that is the attitude. You know we use to think owning slaves was ‘pretty legal’ as well.

        • DoublePlusGood 8.1.2.2
          22 September 2017 at 1:08 am

          Broke the law 20 years ago, while not remotely in parliament.
          That’s a pretty ridiculous absurd standard to hold elected officials to.

  9. Philj 9
    21 September 2017 at 6:57 pm

    Thank you Dame Anne. I wonder whether the next generation does realise the neo-liberal connection as they have known nothing else. Student loans being a good example.

  10. mosa 10
    21 September 2017 at 7:23 pm

    It’s all over bar the shouting and the New Zealand electorate decided in 2011 that it preferred corruption and deceit over everything else even sanity and common sense and this election campaign has been no different.

    It is going to be a long three years but we have got Jacinda the Natz don’t even come close to her and she will be unstoppable and when the current regime falls she will be ready.

  11. WILD KATIPO 11
    21 September 2017 at 9:37 pm

    In light of Dame Anne Salmond’s excellent analysis and truthful words on neo liberalism , … and in particular under this National party after 9 long years , … I posted this song after listening to my 21 year old son play it….

    This how so many young people genuinely feel about things currently and how disenchanted with the greed of this neo liberal ideology they have become …

    Home Brew – ‘LISTEN TO US’ – YouTube

  12. mosa 12
    22 September 2017 at 12:11 am

    Bloody brilliant and pretty much sums everything up for the last 33 years.

    Socialism for the rich and Capitalisim for the poor in Aotearoa.

  13. Sparky 13
    22 September 2017 at 11:33 am

    Yes but why do people seem to think Labour are all that different? This to me is so reminiscent of what happened in the US. Two main parties that really look more like one. Lets remember people the Nats want the TPPA and Labour are not definitively saying no to it.

    Want real change in my view steer well clear of them both come election day.