We Need Better Politicians!

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, August 2nd, 2021 - 24 comments
Categories: uncategorized - Tags:

Many argue that the current crop of politicians are self-serving troughers whose property portfolios earn more than the average Kiwi and more than enough to make them feel comfortable and relaxed about the problems that the average Kiwi is facing. As the narrative goes, politicians don’t really care one iota about the plight of the poor, et cetera. It doesn’t matter which politicians, Left or Right, past or present; they’re all the same and equally bad – they don’t deserve our vote and most certainly won’t get our vote again, ever. And right they are.

There seems to be a firm belief that politicians have the means if not the power to change things, to make things better. This is what they promised us on the hustings, this is what we believed because during a brief window in time once every three years or so (soon to be four?), we are gullible enough to believe what election candidates and their Party spin doctors are telling us, ably helped by the self-serving media, of course. They con us with their cunning tricks and spin and with their empty promises of tax cuts or no tax cuts, with their lipstick pork barrelling. We vote for them, we elect them to their highly paid positions with all those super-perks, to do the things that need to be done. So much is clear.

As we all know, we have many problems in society that need fixing. Without exception, these problems are not as complicated as they are made out to be. Just build more houses, more prisons, more hospitals, build more and better. Just employ more Police, nurses & doctors, teachers, skilled anythings and cheap labour, and pay them all more and most problems are more than half-fixed already and will disappear automatically and GDP will go up and we will have more. It is that simple. We all know how the world works and goes around – money makes the world go around. And we want more of it because we are worth it.

So, when the current crop of politicians doesn’t do those things, the things that we all want them to do, unanimously, when they fall short of their duty & responsibility – hiding behind the OIA and shying away from hard interviews – and when they don’t meet our expectations, we have the right to feel aggrieved. And aggrieved we feel.

The solution is, of course, to demand more of our representatives, to tell them exactly how bad they are and when & where they are failing. And we tell them, loud and clear – there’s no voter apathy because we love to tell them how they much they suck – but they don’t hear our screams. Clearly, we must shout louder and more often, because if something doesn’t work, we must double down and dig in. Einstein said as much.

Here is a fine example of our spokespersons and opinion leaders reminding politicians of their duties and shortcomings. Duncan Garner interviewed the Prime Minister this morning on The AM Show, which is, BTW, a must for self-respecting Kiwis who want to confirm and reaffirm their low opinion of politicians – eternal vigilance is vital in democracy. But I digress. Duncan’s interview was about the 40,000 ghost houses in Auckland, which the PM doesn’t seem to believe in. Come on! This is like not believing in Santa, WMDs, or UFOs. Anyway, here is the best part:

“The second question becomes, OK, if people have got vacant houses, what do you then do? So Duncan, what are you proposing, that we tell people they can’t own a second home and then not use it?” Ardern said.

Garner said as Prime Minister, she should have the solutions, not him.

Brilliant! Bingo! Well done, Duncan, who speaks power to truth. Remind the PM that she is the Prime Fixer-Upper and that he is the Prime Inquisitor. Life is good when there is natural order and clarity, without which we would descend into chaos and confusion. Nobody likes chaos and confusion unless they vote for deregistered fringe parties.

The few among us who have some experience in politics, be it in the local club, at the school, in a community or neighbourhood group, local body politics, et cetera, know it is as easy as moving a few chickens out of one area into another area and Bob’s your uncle. Anybody can do it even when your name is not Bob.

It is like coaching a sports team in which your child is playing. At the beginning of the season, very few (AKA one or none) volunteer as coach. Very few (ibidem) help out at and with training – we’re all very busy. At games, very few parents want to referee a match. Most seem to prefer to shout advice to the children, coach, and referee from the side-line or watch YouTube clips on their smart phone while the game is on. Sometimes, the advice gets a bit too pointy and the children, including their own, the coach, the referee and parents of the opponents get to hear the well-intended advice and criticism in well-versed prose with the appropriate facial expressions and body language. The ones who cannot handle this critique should not be there or playing in the first place, the wet snowflakes they are. All that is needed and demanded is that they do better, they must work harder and deliver, because that is what they have chosen. You want to win then you’ll have to work for it an make your parents proud. If only they would listen to the well-meant and sound advice from the side-lines. The loveable little shites.

National politics is no different. It is as simple as that.

24 comments on “We Need Better Politicians! ”

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  1. gsays 1
    2 August 2021 at 7:26 pm

    As uncategorized rants got, that's a goodie, Incognito.

    Cheers.

  2. pat 2
    2 August 2021 at 7:41 pm

    Yes…we do

    And the adage we get the ones we deserve holds true

    • Stuart Munro 2.1
      4 August 2021 at 3:39 pm

      The Germans did not deserve Hitler, nor the Cambodians Pol Pot.

      NZ deserved Kirk, not Douglas & Prebble. And we still do.

      • pat 2.1.1
        4 August 2021 at 4:54 pm

        I will not address Hitler…i wasnt around then, but NZ voted twice for Douglas and Prebble….and they maintained support when they formed ACT

  3. Patricia Bremner 3
    3 August 2021 at 12:28 am

    Laughed out loud. We don't know how lucky we are. and.. we don't know what we've got till it's gone.

  4. Herodotus 4
    3 August 2021 at 6:51 am

    😱really

    They take the glory at photo shoots and feel so self important then fail to deliver. I am reminded of Phil tywford and all those houses to be built at Mt. Albert. On the land sold by the tech. And nothing . But don’t worry a few lies is ok it’s not about the plebs they can suffer at the governments mis management. Excuses are fast coming out as to why the government is failing us, how about the same accountability that we expect when other parties are in power .

    • Drowsy M. Kram 4.1
      3 August 2021 at 2:00 pm

      Politicians are generally dreadful, but sometimes they do deliver. All I expected from nine hairy years of Key/English-led governments was:

      • Mining in National parks
      • Enabling the expansion of dairy farming (bye bye Environment Canterbury)
      • Tax cuts for the rich
      • Setting up NZ as a tax haven
      • Selling public assets (energy company share floats; flogging off state houses)
      • Hand wringing over poverty/inequality/housing
      • Running down public health and education
      • A Sky City convention centre
      • Keeping an 'eye' on Nicky Hager et al.
      • Making sure MPs Collins, Sabin, Baclay et al. 'behaved'
      • A new flag

      Buy and large they delivered (fibre rollout was a plus) – shame about the flag though.

  5. Patricia Bremner 5
    3 August 2021 at 7:58 am

    So Herodotus… Megan Woods is Minister of Housing now, and the biggest building programme since 1970 is underway. Unfortunately NIMBYS are everywhere, and Councils need infrastructure and planning to be able to advance housing. Some are more proactive at preventing housing density, so central government is having to over rule that where it has occurred. That takes time.

    What mismanagement? Having to delay some projects because of a pandemic is hardly mismanagement. Four years, eighteen months of which have been coping with the fallout from covid.

    How are "plebs" suffering? ( a rather derogatory term with class connotations) If you are referring to rents and housing costs, look at some greedy Landlords, though most are working with their tenants, a few persist with hiking rents in a tight market.

    Food costs are up, but that is also shortages and our duopoly of supermarket ownership which the government is investigating.

    If you are unhappy, have you approached or contacted those not meeting your expectations?

    The PM was obviously disappointed with Minister Twyford's progress as she demoted and replaced him.

    If you are a regular reader of some newspapers, you could over time get a jaundiced view, as seldom do they write unbiased reports of government programmes or actions.

    “Photo shoots” not sure what you are meaning there. Perhaps you are alluding to the magazine shots of Jacinda Ardern before she became PM?

    I compare what is happening here with Australia and Britain, as we have family in both places telling us their problems. I would rather have our problems and our present government any day.

    • Herodotus 5.1
      3 August 2021 at 8:42 am

      Trying to sourncenbuilding materials so hat Megan can turn her massive building program from being consents to actual houses that people live in, not easy to find product. And will Megan be able to decrease building times it use to take in 2996 3 mths to build a 190m2 home at $859/m2 now 9 months and approaching $3k/m2

      perhaps we should ask for our MPs to visit the real world other than time for a photo shot

      • Herodotus 5.1.1
        3 August 2021 at 9:10 am

        Photo shots I was referring to that our polled are happy to front a policy announcement with all the fanfare that entails yet then go missing when lack of detail, delivery or expectations that were hinted out fail to materialise.

        and regarding your comments regards cost we have been informed of low inflation and that flows onto low wage increases. So these cost increases cannot be true the statistics don’t hold that to be so ( if you believe these officalial stats which some of us don’t belief that is the case as day to day experiences give a different view 🤭

      • GreenBus 5.1.2
        3 August 2021 at 11:50 am

        Stretching the truth a bit aren't you. 1996 was $1500 m2, now $2200 m2 average. Build times not much different about 4-6 months. Quicker now with better technology. Consents slow and always have been.

        • Herodotus 5.1.2.1
          3 August 2021 at 1:56 pm

          In 2002 you could by a package deal section and all for $320 for a 195m2 house and that was after everyone had taken their share of the profit. So you are saying a 200m2 house in 1996 cost $300k just to build ? Before land and now it ihas a cost of $440k I question your numbers there a 47% cost increase over 25 years that is less than an annual 2% increase .

  6. pat 6
    3 August 2021 at 9:17 am

    What do we think would happen if a political candidate ran for office on a platform of the unvarnished truth and outlaid the cost of his/her best option?

    • RedLogix 6.1
      3 August 2021 at 10:23 am

      Yes. And in the spirit of what I think you're getting at – I'd suggest that while we might always hope for the best possible people in positions of political leadership – we won't get them unless we're also willing to consider how we might continue to evolve and improve the system within which they work.

  7. Chris 7
    3 August 2021 at 10:56 am

    Sounds like you're a politician, or were one.

  8. Hanswurst 8
    3 August 2021 at 10:50 pm

    […] it is as easy as moving a few chickens out of one area into another area and Bob’s your uncle. Anybody can do it even when your name is not Bob.

    Wait a minute. I thought Bob was the politicians uncle, but now you say Bob's the Politician? This little story of yours seems to be falling apart rather rapidly.

  9. Maurice 9
    4 August 2021 at 7:23 am

    But, but, BUT!

    … are there any better politicians?

    • Incognito 9.1
      4 August 2021 at 7:40 am

      The thesis of my rant is that we have 120 ‘real’ politicians and about 5,000,000 ‘pretend’ ones in NZ.

      HTH

      • pat 9.1.1
        4 August 2021 at 7:46 am

        Think you have undersold your point somewhat….120? we have 120 MPS, 67 TAs and goodness knows how many facilitators…….and thats before you start counting comms teams and lobbyists.

        Shes a big industry

        • Incognito 9.1.1.1
          4 August 2021 at 7:54 am

          One of the aims of my rant was to stimulate others here.

          She’s a bigly commentariat and even bigger readership.

          Underselling is one of my stronger points.

      • Maurice 9.1.2
        4 August 2021 at 9:04 am

        No doubt a few more – who know better than us – will emerge from the 5,000,000 and try to become "real" ones next election!

        • Herodotus 9.1.2.1
          4 August 2021 at 9:21 am

          Many of us have had a life and a past that may be highlighted 😱, also from my observations life as a MP suits a very few and even less who chase this. I thought we need builders, nurses etc so this leaves lawyers as the occupation that can survive losing a few who jump to the political life 😉