I like these comments by Lance Davey at SOLO on the aftermath of the Electoral Finance Bill's passing into law. It's a timely reminder that despite the anger over this Bill and some very occasional appearances to the contrary, National are not the answer:
Shadbolt is temporarily off my shit-list, for now. As were National. I didn't once call them Labour-Lite or refer to them as Natscum throughout the anti-EFB campaign. But now that's over it's back to business.
The problem with the "we must vote National to dislodge Labour" is that we are then "settling" for National; a barely more palatable alternative. We then strike the problem that to prevent Labour coming back to power, we "must" vote National again. It's Tweedledum and Tweedledipshit, and it frustrates me that people see a need to support one over the other...
What sticks out in my mind [from the anti-EFB campaign], beyond the sickening arrogance of Labour, beyond the dangerous rhetoric of Winston "our censorship laws are perhaps too liberal" Peters, beyond the hideous stench of corruption of the whole damned process, is the smug, snide look on the face of John Key and Bill English when they first started speaking out against the bill in the media.
National are not our saviours—they cannot be trusted any more than Labour can. To them this wasn't an all-out assault against free expression. No, this was a golden opportunity. I'll never forget the overjoyed look on John Key's face while describing just how draconian the EFB was. Smiling and laughing the whole way... Do not for one second think that they are any more conducive to liberty in New Zealand than Labour.
If Labour are the type to launch a "dramatic assault" on liberty, then National are the type to give her a quiet back alley raping, then tell us that she was asking for it. Voting National just to dislodge Labour would be votes wasted.
The EFB is not my main concern. It's the culture that led to it... The Libz have it right, it is the mainstream that has it wrong. New Zealand needs a massive cultural and philosophical revolution. To do that you have to set your teeth, draw a line in the sand and say "No further, these are our demands, these are our principles and we will fight for them unwaveringly and unflinchingly". What hope if every time the bogeyman spectre of Labour raises it's head we go running back to National?
I'm not yet so scared of Labour and their policies that I'll hide behind the skirts of National.
As you'd expect, it's kicked off some debate...
10 comments:
Fair comments all.
This here is really no surprise: The EFB is not my main concern. It's the culture that led to it... but also explains the lack of impetus to get a constitution struck that could offer some checks and balances to the ridiculously easy process Labour used to push unpopular bills through - the EFB and repeal of s59, both with strong public opposition and both rail-roaded through anyway.
The only problem is that I wouldn't trust the current mob to draft a constitution. Can we buy one over the internet perhaps?
"If Labour are the type to launch a "dramatic assault" on liberty, then National are the type to give her a quiet back alley raping, then tell us that she was asking for it. Voting National just to dislodge Labour would be votes wasted."
My god... what a piece of writing! This should be put on every Free Speech Coalition billboard.
I have had a thought. It might be brilliant - or it might be crap....
Much as I despise the "UN" and its associated droves of highly paid meddling busybodies, how about if their "Human Rights" bozos were to make some declaration to the effect that NZ was in breach of some statute or other in enacting the EFB?
Would it be possible to bring this to their attention? It would really make this crowd of morally bankrupt and corrupt criminals that we call a 'government' sit up and take notice if their beloved "UN" were to pronounce against them, wouldn't it? Imagine the NZ Herald headlines!!! :-)
The UN have already pronounced against NZ on other issues, and they just get dismissed.
I'll provide examples later (probably).
Right now, I must find food.
I never thought I'd say this, but here it goes, I agree with Jameson.
The debate does nothing but highlight the massive disconnect that libertarians have with the real world. You can sit around smoking each others cocks about Rand on the internet all ya want, but if you vote libertarians and this fucking government gets a fourth term you people are just as culpable as the dumb fucks who voted Labour.
Craig (not the idiot on sp but the idiot on not pc)
So your answer is to vote for Labour Lite and get more of the same, is it?
Well, thanks for that brilliant insight--I can see how that would fix things.
Not.
Craig,
Let's see. According to you, if Libertarians vote according to Libertarian principles (and vote for Libertarianz) at the next election, and many, many, many other Kiwis vote according to their principles (and vote for Labour) such that Labour retains the Treasury Benches, then the Libertarianz are culpable.
Such thinking is but one short step away from that of a rapist. "She was asking for it."
LGM
Craig, it doesn't actually matter if labour stays in for a fourth term if the only alternative would be National, because they are indistinguishable from one another. Thats what the article was saying.
In fact, a vote for National (or, of course, Labour) would be a 'wasted' vote, because nothing would change.
If you help to vote National in next year, you can look forward to more of the same, but it will in all probability be slightly worse because, by the look of things, John Key is more greasy, more of a liar and generally less stable and readable even than Klark. At least with Klark's gestapo you know you are going to be fucked; but it will come as a huge surprise to the average New Zealander when they get done over in the back alleys after thinking that its all going to change.
This time next year also, we may well have (by some of the readings), a bunch of racist separatist Maoris to deal with as well who will be pulling the strings in the back room, much as the eco-fucks are doing now. Oh joy. I can hardly wait.
I've just been playing with my sidebar. Jameson has been demoted to Team Red. Lance Davey has been promoted to Team Libz.
Craig the idiot says, "The debate does nothing but highlight the massive disconnect that libertarians have with the real world. ... if you vote Libertarianz and this fucking government gets a fourth term you people are just as culpable as the dumb fucks who voted Labour."
Use the same argument every election if you like, as everybody does, and you find that you're choosing between Tweedledum and Tweedlefuckingdumber every single election, and nothing ever changes except to get worse.
You might be voting against the other bastards, but the bastards you're voting in see yours as a vote for everything they endorse -- and just look what the Nats have endorsed over the years.
Remember who introduced the Resource Management Act? Remember who put the bureaucrats in hospitals, the factory into factory schools, and the penalty regime into the IRD -- remember which party introduced the NCEA, which party has never made a tax cut, which of them were the first to recommend the overturning of the legal presumption of guilt and the confiscation of assets before proof of guilt, something that is only now being picked up by Hard Labour?
These guys are scum. "If Labour are the type to launch a "dramatic assault" on liberty, then National are the type to give her a quiet back alley raping, then tell us that she was asking for it."
What's needed is more than just a change of government, but a change in the culture that votes governments like these in year after year.
You don't change the culture by voting for more of the same. You don't get a revolution inside people's heads by advocating more of the same.
You might get it by voting Libz. But you'll certainly not be wasting your vote by voting your values. The more who vote their values, the more force there is for cultural change, if not getting Libz MPs into parliament, but at least helping to get Libz ideas there.
It's bad enough to waste your vote by voting for something you don't believe in and someone who doesn't represent your values. To vote for someone who's going to destroy them is even worse than a waste. It's certifiably fucking insane.
There would certainly be a change in the breadth of debate if Libz got say 1-3% (and not being elected) as there would be enough constituency to cost parties votes.
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