New Zealand Political Awards 2016

2016 was the year of Fake News. It saw neoliberal globalisation rejected by major liberal democracies with the Brexit vote and win of Donald Trump. Science and facts were thrown out with the bathwater and the baby as voters who have been failed by the promise of free market  globalisation turned on every elite they could hurt.

How do you even attempt to do politics in a year like this?

In NZ, corrupt migration has created a property bubble most of the middle class can’t vote against while inequality deepens and poverty is the norm. Our housing crisis, infrastructure crisis and total lack of political vision has left us with few easy options.

We enter the 2017 election year with the National Party and Labour-Greens neck and neck with the hint of global financial meltdown, war and damaging climate change.

We will look on 2016 as the calm before the storm.

WORST PARTY: National

The worst part about Key leaving was having to put up with corporate pundits claiming that Key’s legacy was somehow moderate. That just sounds like a whole lot of privilege. Foe beneficiaries bearing the brunt of his draconian welfare policies, National are a nightmare that never ends. As our own Dr Wayne Hope so skilfully highlighted in his must read analysis of Key…

Key was committed to neoliberal doctrine. In the 2010 budget he reduced the top personal tax rate from 38 to 33 per cent, a gift to the wealthy and upper middle class. The raising of GST from 12.5 to 15 per cent in October of that year disproportionately affected lower income earners. Key actively promoted the privatisation or part privatisation of Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power and Genesis despite clear public opposition (in the 2013 asset sales referendum). The Prime Minister`s enthusiastic endorsement of the TPPA reflects the neoliberal eschewal of economic and national sovereignty arguments. Transnational corporate interests were advanced at the expense of the public interest. The sale of Housing New Zealand stock under Key`s Prime ministership reveals the neoliberal aversion to tax funded public provision.

…that’s not only Key’s legacy, it is National’s. Under National the most vulnerable amongst us have been tortured by CYFs, MoD, Housing NZ, WINZ, Parole and Corrections. Their stress levels, their depressions, their pain has only deepened by the type of pressure now applied to them. 41 000 homeless, tens of thousands locked out of home ownership, hundreds of thousands of students locked into student debt poverty, 10 000 in prison, 300 000 kids in poverty and 560 suicides this year.

That’s National’s legacy in 2016.

BEST PARTY: The Opportunities Party

It’s not even a running yet and they already have the best adverts. And logo. Gareth Morgan could turn the election on its head at a time when it desperately needs that. His position on a Universal Basic Income, radical environmental policy and a real tax to counter inequality are all political;ly courageous and will force some debate. Smart money is he runs in Mt Albert.

BEST MP: Annette King

Being universally respected in Parliament is a rare feat in this poisonous political atmosphere, but Annette is one of the free MPs who enjoys that position in NZ politics. She’s just a pocket battleship. Everyone  loves Annette, her time on Paul Henry is considered a must watch and her steady hand on the tiller of Labour has made for an Opposition that can at least call itself that as it enters 2016. If the Green Labour relationship is to flourish it will be because of King.

WORST MP: Peter Dunne 

I think that it was despicable that Peter Dunne made Helen Kelly a criminal by denying her medicinal cannabis. That is a disgrace he should never be allowed to live down, alongside his vote to allow mass surveillance (after being a victim of it himself) and stopping the feeding the kids Bill. This bow-tied arsehole is in desperate need of wiping. His electorate has more civil servants than any other electorate, let’s hope they do the right thing by Helen Kelly and vote this miserable old goat out of Office. I want people in his electorate to walk around with signs reading ‘Remember Helen Kelly when you vote’. She deserved better than he gave her and he deserves the political consequences of such petty spite. He could have been empathetic to Helen’s condition, and he wasn’t. Screw him.

BEST LEADER: Marama Fox

She isn’t just a singing sensation, she is the best Leader in Parliament. Fox has rebuilt the Maori Party and her grace, charm and intelligence have given her real mana. Expect her to be a major player in 2017.

WORST LEADER: John Key

Key’s true 8 year legacy.

• Key’s leadership saw us back involved in the Iraq war.
• Key’s leadership nearly brought in the TPPA.
• Key’s leadership saw 41 000 homeless.
• Key’s leadership saw 560 suicides per year.
• Key’s leadership saw mass migration scams.
• Key’s leadership saw Helen Kelly live out the rest of her life as a criminal because he refused to move on medical cannabis.
• Key’s leadership saw NZers living in cars.
• Key’s leadership saw tens of thousands thrown off welfare with no where to go.
• Key’s leadership saw one of the worst housing bubbles in NZs history.
• Key’s leadership has seen housing affordability crumble.
• Key’s leadership saw state assets sold off to fund irrigation infrastructure.
• Key’s leadership saw huge increases in state spying powers.
• Key’s leadership saw nothing for stopping climate change.
• Key’s leadership saw 10 000 in prison and the vast expansion of our private prison industry.
• Key’s leadership saw a dirty ops campaign run out of his office.
• Key’s leadership saw his office collude with the SIS to frame Phil Goff in the 2011 election.
• Key’s leadership saw him phone buddies with hate speech merchant Cameron Slater.

BIGGEST DICKHEAD:Steven Joyce

Literally.  Let’s never forget this. Ever.

PEOPLE’S HERO: Marama Davidson

While the country was distracted by an All Black having sex in a  toilet, Marama Davidson was getting arrested trying to get a aid into Palestine. She is a true people’s hero.

BEST LOCAL POLITICIAN: Dave Macpherson

Let’s pause in recognition of Dave. He suffered the horror of losing his own beloved son to incompetence by the Waikato Health Board and so went out and got himself elected to the Board so as to ensure our nations terribly damaged mental health services will be held to account. The man is a legend.

SPECIAL MENTION: Chloe Swarbrick

You can’t talk politics 2016 in NZ and not mention the meteoric rise of Chloe Swarbrick. Her campaign for the Auckland Mayoralty and her ending an incredible third is more extraordinary when you consider she had virtually no budget. Her passion, her vision and her empathy carried the day and she has provided one of the few rays of hope about how politics can be done and how people with genuine passion and social concern can make democracy function again. Here’s to Chloe.  We need more like her.