Gutted… Now for a bit of analysis, 1. Left at odds with itself while Right has a clear objective The left got owned by its own ineptitude and lack of direction, while the right showed what is possible by using MMP to its advantage. If the left had thought smart and put all of its electorate votes into one candidate (yes, even for the National candidate in Epsom) then the results in four keys electorates would have been different. Auckland Central, Epsom, Ohuriu and Christchurch Central needed the Green candidate to step aside and play the long tactical game for the left rather than stand on a principle that has long been abandoned by the right. Tactical voting is key in MMP and the left needs to learn fast. Labour needs a clear out to rid itself of political infighting and internal divisions, while not shooting itself in the foot (why would Labour back to remove a left minded candidate in Te Tai Tokerau (which on polling would have brought 2 MP’s due to the party vote), at the behest of National, Maori and NZF, to gain one vote which ended up being quite meaningless?) While I’m on MMP…. 2. MMP - a flawed system? We have an electoral system that can give voice to single electorates (powerless lackey’s who have already been derided as ‘bunnys’ and ‘lapdogs’ – media commentators on TV last night, not my words…) whose party votes totalled 1.29%, .69% and .22% of the overall vote (Maori, ACT and United Future, that’s 2.2% of the population that now has 3 seats in parliament) but not a party who totalled 4.12% of the party vote (Conservatives). Not that I am endorsing Colin Craig but that is an example of a flawed democracy right there as his party’s policies (and that of NZ First) clearly have concerns that run deep in the NZ psyche and probably deserve more of a voice. More people even supported Internet/MANA in the party vote than both ACT and United Future combined. I think it’s time to have a damn good look at STV as a voting system as it would combine the General/Maori electorates better, put a stop to the ‘nudges for fringe parties’ and avoid the coat tailing/endorsements that distorts the MMP system 3. You can’t buy an election, but you can own the mainstream media Yes, both the Conservatives and Internet/MANA failed to get the numbers required (and I hear collective sighs of relief from both sides of the spectrum) and though that maybe a sign that democracy itself can’t be won by throwing money at it, the Fairfax/APN stranglehold on the media does very little to inject unbiased debate about the issues facing NZ. I’m sure no-one else failed to notice the amount of pro-National stories and advertising throughout the digital and print mediums controlled by Fairfax/APN over the last few days of the election campaign…? And Paul Henry’s ‘shout out’ to Judith Collins at the closing of the TV3 coverage last night highlighted some in the media’s cavalier attitude to accountability for this Government. 4. It’s not all National… the Apathy party would do well Results show that support for National actually fell in terms of numbers (48,172 drop from 2011). Labour, Green, Maori, ACT, United Future followed similar trends (ACT, over 9000/close to 50% drop and UF nearly 10000/close to 66% drop - extremely so) with less people voting for them but NZF and the Conservatives both gained a significant slice. Also the apathetic vote, which had it turned out, would have been the 5th highest party vote, didn’t help anyone even though it gained ground… 5. Voice of a Nation? Those of you watching TV3’s coverage of the election may have seen a quick grab by Patrick Gower talking to two Asian’s at the National party HQ. Regardless of the question posed by the interviewer, the answer was the same…. ‘John Key’. Regardless of Immigration rules that requires basis understanding of language required to function in NZ, I may suggest that the interviewee’s entire English lexicon was exhausted by the clearly demanding questions posed to them but by showing a lack of even the basics of one of the three official languages of NZ, they highlighted the one communication device that seems to transcend all understanding…that of money. 6. Fair democracy degraded by the base I hope this is just a well-timed piece of cynicism but even anecdotal evidence of endorsed electoral fraud makes me fear for the wellbeing of democratic principles, as the pic below illustrates. I am not saying that we have a corrupt electoral system but if this attitude is not roundly condemned, but supported by anyone on any side of the political spectrum, then we have serious questions to answer of ourselves. And finally some other thoughts to ponder….. - The Greeks (founders of democratic principles) voted to execute Socrates, one of the Ancient World’s most progressive and intelligent men, for ‘corrupting the minds of the youth’ and ‘not believing the gods of the state’. (Making people in power look stupid when tested with critical reasoning…) - “Those who would give up Essential Liberty, to purchase a little Temporary safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety – Benjamin Franklin - “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter” – Winston Churchill
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 03:21:22 +0000
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