"Election campaigns often disillusion people, and the current New Zealand election illustrates this well."

"Winston Churchill is often wrongly credited with saying that the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. 

    "If a modern-day Churchill sought an argument against democracy, he could easily find one in New Zealand’s election campaigns.
    "Civics classes (If they still exist) traditionally teach students that elections are the apex of democracy, an open contest for the best ideas.
    "The truth, however, differs greatly. Election campaigns often disillusion people, and the current New Zealand election illustrates this well.
    "New Zealanders had much to discuss with their politicians this year. After six turbulent years under a Labour government, many policy topics are demanding serious debate. These include education, law and order, housing, government spending, public debt, civil service, and even road quality.
    "Yet, New Zealand’s election campaign has, once again, been derailed by distractions.
    "It is not that the pressing issues failed to appear in the campaign. Rather, they received scant serious attention. ...
    "The election campaign was a wasted opportunity. It should have been a comprehensive review of the nation’s state and a forum for serious policy discussions. Instead, it trivialised important issues, reduced politics to a mere spectacle, and made a farce of democratic ideals.
    "On Saturday, New Zealanders will elect a new Parliament. But what they truly need is a new approach to politics."

~ Oliver Hartwich, from his post 'All sizzle, no steak - NZ election menu short on substance'