An open letter to the Leader of the Act Party from Libertarianz Leader Dr Richard McGrath.
Dear Rodney
Last year I gave a rare bouquet to Helen Clark for shunning the racist and divisive UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. To his credit, Phil Goff has stood by his party’s decision to join Australia, Canada and the U.S. in refusing to sign it. John Key, on the other hand, has now ratified a treaty which purports to give “indigenous“ people the right to self-government and unlimited taxpayer handouts.
Rodney, he didn’t even warn you this was coming. He plotted with the Maori Party behind your back. ACT were left out of the equation. How do you feel now?
Article 42 of this bogus Bill of Rights states that the provisions of the Declaration - contrary to what our endlessly grinning Prime Minister says – must be enforced. His government signed it and they are now responsible for “promoting respect and full application” of its provisions.
You were quite rightly “shocked and appalled” at John Key’s support for a racially tainted international treaty which aims to consign common law property rights to the dustbin of history.
John Key claims the Declaration is “symbolic and non-binding.” You know as well as I do that the Maori Party do not regard it as such, and they will want assurances of a secure and ongoing transfer of wealth to pay for a whole new generation of gravy trains.
Rodney, you are right – the National Party has turned its back on its core philosophy; that it claims to champion equal citizenship and opportunity, individual freedom and choice and limited government, but doesn’t walk the talk; that it has swallowed socialism, and promotes it in competition with Labour, the Progressives and the Greens.
Clearly, it has abandoned any pretence to upholding its stated values. It has capitulated to the barbarians. Yet you still support a party whose leader wouldn’t even tell you before he betrayed you. You still keep your party allied with the government of John Key, a man of infinite malleability and flexibility and cant. U-turns are child’s play for John. He could tie himself in knots and never lose his grin.
Just look at the expectations held by Hone Harawira and others following the signing of this Declaration. By staying with this government, you are endorsing all coming demands by racist moochers for undeserved money and power.
Rodney, when you jumped into bed with the Key government did you draw a line in the sand over which you would not tolerate incursion? If so, has this government now stepped over that line, dragging with it a motley flotilla of parasites, all of them hoping to get their sticky paws into the pockets of taxpayers?
Your party was said to represent Consumers and Taxpayers. Mine represents the social system that lifted mankind out of the cave, delivered justice, and provided incentive for consumers and taxpayers to pursue happiness while retaining self-esteem. That system is free-market capitalism.
The Key administration has betrayed the ideals of the free market. They offer lip service to liberty while pandering to the primitive.
For the sake of credibility; for the sake of the ACT Party (which will otherwise be consigned to political oblivion); for the sake of New Zealanders (who will be sucked further into the vortex of racial collectivism); please, in the name of integrity and principle: divorce yourself from these idiots.
The ACT Party has suffered immense damage by aligning itself with National, who is trying to be all things to all possible coalition partners, even if this means outflanking Labour on the left to attract the support of the eco-fascist Greens.
Just walk away Rodney. Let’s face it—ACT is not even a battered wife; it is a battered mistress, about whom John Key is increasingly embarrassed and ashamed. National and ACT have nothing in common now; National and the Maori Party, on the other hand, were clearly meant for each other—and deserve each other. Do you really want to remain part of a government that increasingly disgusts and alienates New Zealanders, including members of your own party?
Walk away from the savages Rodney, before you throw up. My party will be the first to applaud you if you do.
Richard McGrath
Leader
Libertarianz Party
UPDATE: Former ACT Vice-President Trevor Loudon says “Time to Pull the Plug Rodney.”
27 comments:
Thank you, Richard for doing this on our behalf. Excellently written.
Well said. Couldn't have said it better myself.
Well said, couldn't have said it better myself.
@Fred:
PC's skilful editing is gratefully acknowledged!
It can't be that bad, every country has signed it except the USA
"It can't be that bad, every country has signed it except the USA"
It is that bad and it's not true that every country except the USA has signed it.
Where do you get your news from Rimu, Playskool?
Although I don't want ACT to walk away right now, I'm tempted.
But if ACT cannot get some very good deal out of this, it should walk away. Let John just have a government with the Maori party. See how that flies with National voters.
I suspect a government with just the Maori Party will sit quite well wih the average National voter. ACT's main support base in on the internet and on tlakback radio - not in the real world. Most folk will not be outraged by this - as they are not outraged by a multitude of other less than freedom enhancing things. As polls confirm.
@Berend:
ACT should, IMHO, dissociate themselves from the current (mis)government on principle, not because they fail to get JohnBoy and Pita to throw them some crumbs.
Richard, being in coalition with National doesn't mean you have to agree with everything National does. And I think the average ACT voter can make a distinction between two steps forward and one step backward.
And mention principles when it wants science to determine who is human and who isn't is not exactly the kind of principles I'm looking for in a party.
@Berend:
I lost you in that last sentence. Do your comments about science determining who is human relate to a Libz policy? Sorry, just couldn't relate that to the original topic.
@Richard, I was just referring to this post.
Before you comment that this isn't Libz policy, you might realise that National's policy isn't ACT's policy, and that you are not kicking out PC for being at odds with Libz policy.
The whole point of ACT being in government is getting a better situation then not. That's what ACT promised its voters.
...and yet what it delivered was higher taxes, higher expenses, less freedom, and a couple of quangoes. Yay, well done Act.
I know for a fact that Act voters have been bitterly disappointed by their lack of progress and any kind of spine, and they will reap the rewards at the polls next year as do all the small parties who genuflect to their masters once they get the free cars and trips.
The whole point of ACT being in government is getting a better situation then not. That's what ACT promised its voters.
and you've done a lousy job so far. I know I wouldn't vote for you next time.
Yes Jack, it's ACT's fault that the five MPs the voters delivered don't have as much input as the many dozens from National.
First sensible thing you've said all day Berend. It is Act's fault. Funny how the Maori party with their five MPs seem to be able to get all sorts of wins, while Act gets committees who produce reports that are summarily dismissed, and pointless nonsense like the poisoned chalice of managing the Auckland amalgamation. The one thing that most Act voters wanted (smaller government and consequently lower taxes) was sacrificed within months of signing away their souls for toys. Remember - biggest budget EVER. May as well have left it in Cullen's hands.
So we have now arrived.
ACT is no different from the National or Labour socialists. They should in future known as the ACT socialists, because that's how they act- as a pack of bullshitting socialists. Does anyone really believe that ACT had NO IDEA WHATSOEVER this going on? Their denial of knowledge is a dishonest device.
How many of you voted ACT? Any of you going to do it again?
LGM
It just goes to show that anti-National sentiment was going nowhere until John Key got behind it.
George
twr, would love to see your comments when ACT got a signature on a none-binding treaty described as "heir five MPs seem to be able to get all sorts of wins".
You would just laugh your head off here. I think ACT is a bit more interested in things like lower taxes, and a cap on government spending.
At the next election I will make up my mind on these issues.
It's ACT that tried to get something done with our 22% youth unemployment. Not a single party voted for that. If you still want to call ACT socialist, check the vote count for the Libz again next time. I wonder if they will get even 500 votes this time.
Please quote the post where I said Act was socialist. Can't find it? That's cos it didn't happen. What I did say was that Act was too stupid and focussed on jobs for the boys to do what they were sent to parliament by their voters to do.
Seems you have a very short memory. Not more than a couple of weeks ago the Maori party got hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars siphoned off for their pet separatist Whanau ora trough. Add that to the deals on the foreshore and seabed, separatist flags all over the show (who cares though), fingers in every pie, etc etc, while Act has, what? A couple of useless quangoes and a watered down three strikes policy that's all bluster and no substance.
And yet, despite their catastrophic lack of success delivering anything like a "cut in taxes" or "cap on government spending", you still cheer that they are great. I was a member of Act, I voted for them, and I spent hundreds of hours over nine years trying to get them elected. I gave up as soon as they rolled over and voted to increase taxes at the last budget, as it was obvious that rather than having "the guts to do what's right", they had no fucking idea what was right at all. My decision has merely been re-inforced since with their silly games with Rodney's spending, Auckland, leadership coups, sucking up to Key, barefaced lies in speeches ("this is a great government" : Hide), and petty crap like the setup of a Productivity Commission which will have about as much effect as the Families Commission. They have been comprehensively shafted by National, and they are loving it. For god's sake wake up Berend!
And incidentally, what the hell does "If you still want to call ACT socialist, check the vote count for the Libz again next time. " mean? What kind of warped logic connects Act's alleged (not by me) leanings with the Libz vote tally? Scraping the bottom of the barrel I think.
To (partially) answer your question, LGM... I voted ACT in the last 3 elections and I will NEVER vote for them again.
None of this comes as a great surprise to me, frankly. It was as obvious as daylight to me that this country was going to go down the toilet as soon as that slimy traitorous bastard John Key and his cronies invited the racist separatist party to the table in order to deliberately dilute ACT's influence in the new government.
I think the Libz are too far off the planet in some ways - but, hey, nobody is perfect and as of now they are my only choice.
That having been said, the best way for ACT to resurrect its brand and get some traction would be if Rodney Hide held a press conference tomorrow and said that he and his party can no longer countenance the betrayal of the country and therefore they are out of all agreements with National as from Monday morning.
Hahahahaha... dream on.... that ain't gonna happen. The whole shit pile is stuffed.
twr, you're right, you didn't call ACT socialist sorry.
But to you and Dave Mann: what if ACT withdraw, what would that accomplish? Any bump in the polls you reckon?
I really, really doubt it. They would be branded as the party that walks away.
So what choice have they?
First of all it would force National to get the Maoris to approve everything they did, which would go down about as well as a cup of cold sick.
Second, there are very few of Act's target market who approve of what they have done, and many in National's core consitiuency who are looking for an alternative to Key, Nick Smith, Trougher English, and Stephen "Fuhrer" Joyce. Act is no better if they don't demonstrate they have a backbone.
Lastly, what would they be giving up? They have achieved nothing of substance, and nothing in the way of smaller government, which is their raison d'etre.
If for some reason everyone deserted them at the next election, then all they would have lost is the jobs for their MPs, which seem to be about all they care about these days.
If they did walk away, they would have their best opportunity ever to be in the spotlight and tell the people of NZ what they stood for. They just don't have the guts to do what's right.
Berend
I identified ACT as socialists on NPC. That was back before the last election. At the time ACT supporters (and others) sugested I should withhold criticism and give them a chance. So I did. I even wrote to them over the ETS and tax.
Now we have arrived where we have. ACT have proved to be socialists. Hence they can be labled as "ACT socialists" just as the Nats are national socialists.
If ACT withdraw it would undermine any remaining legitimacy for the present regime. There would be pressure for rubber-man Key and his band of double-dipping dip-shits to reconsider and modifiy their policies. ACT would gain validity as a political force because (for a change) they would have acted on principle and the electorate would have witnessed a demonstration of what it is the party actually stands for.
LGM
twr said:"
Second, there are very few of Act's target market who approve of what they have done, and many in National's core consitiuency who are looking for an alternative to Key, Nick Smith, Trougher English, and Stephen "Fuhrer" Joyce. Act is no better if they don't demonstrate they have a backbone."
My view entirely.
I believe National are riding hight in the polls because the voters think there is no alternative that they could live with. Just get a new movement to start that actually represented the aspirations of the majority population and I think you would see Key's supposed popularity wan.
I voted Act in the last two elections. If they don't resurrect their original principles, I won't be voting for them again.
Mrs T
Berend, I believe that if it withdrew from govt, ACT would be seen as a party that stood by its principles (unlike National), and wasn't simply interested in power for power's sake (unlike Simon Power). ~:)
ACT would be more effective sniping from the back benches, supporting National when it does something right and flaying the Nats when they revert to default (socialist) mode.
As Trevor Louden said - "ACT should be in opposition"
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