The coalition government is already showing strong (and stable) anti-democratic tendencies. Democracy, by definition, is a collective and deliberative system of actions by the people, with the people, for the people. Ideologies and parties that favour and prioritise personal freedom and choice, and the corresponding one-size-fits-all attitude and approach, over anything and anybody else always have and always will have a strained relationship with the pluralistic foundational principles and aspects of democracy.
While some neo-authoritarians tout themselves as defenders of democracy, in reality they exploit the system to police every area of their subjects’ lives and maintain their powerbase. In doing so they create a phantom democracy. What makes their behaviour so sinister is their ability to frame their agenda as a product of “freedom of choice”. For example, elections appear to be a legitimate expression of the people’s will, yet results are manipulated or even pre-determined by convoluted political frameworks.
People wanted Labour out. I get that. People were seduced by promises. I get that too. However, the NACTF coalition government still hasn’t found the money to pay for its over-hyped tax cuts. One would think that after the promise was first made on the campaign trail they would have been able to come up with a cunning plan by now. The ‘best’ so far is encouraging smokers to cough up [pun intended] an extra billion or so. But this is not nearly enough. So, show us the money! And despite many repeated promises, the Mini-Budget was a charade of smoke & mirrors, after desperate last minute attempts to downplay it. It was so predictable, so sad, and so shambolic.
The coalition government claims that because they (i.e. the three parties) campaigned on things, they don’t have to consult with anybody on anything or take advice from anybody on anything. The people have spoken; we have a mandate; end of. First, this was somewhat implicit and quite possibly irrelevant to people except a very few. For example, the discarding of the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) aka Regulatory Impact Analyses (RIA) (covered here and here).
Then it became more obvious, or blatant rather, when Brooke van Velden attempted to redefine the meaning of consultation (covered here and here).
The contempt for due process and disregard for its duty & responsibility is further emphasised by the refusal of the coalition government to consult with the main stakeholders, and its Treaty partner, on the scrapping of Te Aka Whai Ora – Māori Health Authority (covered here and here).
In the eyes of the coalition government, this all may seem justified and ‘pretty legal’. After all, they chose to rush through a lot of stuff before people (and journalists) are going on a much-needed break, and avoid having to do any of it in the New Year – people do have short memories.
However, the pattern that always was going to emerge is an authoritarian streak covered in a corporate managerial style from the 80s, underscoring its true regressive credentials. This coalition government sees consultation and oversight in general in the affairs of some elected officials and office-holders as an evil handbrake that must be released – the Minister for Regulation is a deliberate misnomer, as he’s all about deregulation but he’s not honest and brave enough to don that titular mantle. It has already convinced enough people, through persuasive rhetoric and demagoguery, and it shows all the signs of continuing with this campaigning approach for as long as its term will last, likely because they don’t know any better – performative leadership and management is the name for it.
All of this [councils must redraw those plans to include 10 years of investment in water assets, many of which are coming up for new resource consents and expensive renewals] adds up to big rewrites of council plans and longterm budgets. So Simeon Brown has told them they don’t have to reconsult on the changes, they needn’t get their consultation documents audited, and they have an extra three months to adopt their new plans. [behind subscription wall]
You would think that the Auditor-General will be twiddling thumbs for the next wee while [I don’t believe this coalition will last the full distance], but you might be wrong. Depending on the coalition’s ideology and political bias, it will weaponise the AG’s reports and findings in a war of self-entitlement, self-righteousness, and self-serving personal advancement ahead of others – shine the light on one spot and the background goes black. Such is the nature of this coalition government that embodies all and everything I do not support and wish upon others and this country.
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