2023 wasn’t an election, it was a grudge fuck against Labour by an embittered post Covid electorate who were economically insecure, alienated by woke dogma and heart broken that all Labour could do with a once in a generation MMP majority was ‘good first steps’ rather than transformational leaps.
It has resulted in a Hard Right Racist Government bound together only by a shared glee in bashing beneficiaries, workers, renters, prisoners, the environment, gang members, drug addicts and the disabled.
They all have a particular dislike for Māori and have used attempts at co-governance to fulfil the promise of the Treaty (which is our collective obligation) as a weapon with which to cement into place 19th Century White Settler Privilege and call that ‘democracy’.
As Verity Johnson so scathingly observes in her must read column, there is no Honeymoon here, just regret from voters…
Verity Johnson: This isn’t the honeymoon period, it’s the morning after
There’s been a lot said this week about the political honeymoon period with the Government. Namely, where the hell has it gone?
After all, this is supposed to be the french toast and art galleries period of our political relationship with Luxon & co. And yet there is a distinct lack of romance in the air right now.
In fact, I’d say this feels more like 14 years into a relationship. The point where you see your spouse eat mayonnaise straight from the jar while wearing a brown, stained towelling robe that makes them look like a recently shot deer – and realise that you can’t afford a divorce.
Now, many people have been blamed for spoiling the Government’s honeymoon. Mostly Winnie. But also David Seymour because, well, because it’s those two. But let’s be real here.
There was never going to be a honeymoon period.
Because we’re not in love with this government. Like I said the other week, Christopher Luxon is the rebound boyfriend who we’ve married because our ex broke our heart. So there was never going to be a morning-sex-in-the Seychelles period anyway. This was the kind of marriage where you wake up the next day in Vegas, and the crushing enormity of what you’ve done squats onto your chest like an FBI agent bursting in the door to arrest you for gross stupidity…..
So no, there was never going to be a honeymoon. Just the morning after.
Because let’s face it, that’s how most of us feel: dazed, disorientated and damply disappointed.
No one’s particularly happy with the new bunch, whether you’re left, right, centre, everyone seems to feel generally dissatisfied. In fact, in the everyday world, not the political or media world, you could best sum up everyone’s mood right now with, WTF just happened?
…Verity is right, no one wanted this right wing vomit as social policy, they were angry at Labour for their fecklessness!
The NZ Political Right have mistaken anger at Labour as a mandate for culture war vengeance and they have conflated Majoritarianism as Democracy!
In a modern liberal democracy, you acknowledge the power imbalance created in society and you resource to ensure those power imbalances are compensated for!
In a liberal progressive democracy, it doesn’t matter what role you play in the complex super structure of our society and economy.
It doesn’t matter of you are a garbage collector, a dr, a nurse, a drain layer, teacher or tradie – if you all stopped doing your jobs the system can’t work.
Everyone deserves to share the collective harvest of civil society with public services and policies focused on the public good enshrined in the intrinsic civil liberties each individual has.
Wealthy individuals who become mega rich thanks to the landscape generated by those values are required to pay more back into the system they have benefited from beyond the bare necessity of ruthless accountancy practices.
The Political Right are screaming that imposing Qanon talking points as social policy, destroying workers rights, Tobacco deaths for tax cuts and taking $555million from the poorest families are all acceptable because they have the Majority so fuck everyone else!
That’s why on the first day of the Government there were nationwide protests. That’s why in the first week of the new Government global headlines were attacking our u-turn on gas and oil exploration and smoking policy.
Dismantling the values of a liberal progressive democracy to cement into place 19th Century White Settler privilege using culture war vengeance as social policy IS NOT Democratic, it’s majoritarianism without any of the values of a true Democracy.
You can’t shit on Renters, Māori, the Environment, Workers, Beneficiaries and Prisoners while pretending to be democratic.
That’s the zeal of the Lynch mob, that’s not Democracy!
Majoritarianism is the whip of the autocrat masquerading as legitimacy. Is has none of the soul or wisdom that a Democracy requires to be meaningful.
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I don’t know whether Luxon is thick or sly he keeps saying Māori are going to be better off under his government but the coalition policies he has agreed to are cutting us at the limbs. He was so hungry for power he has let Māori down by enabling us to be used as a political football for this coalition partners to kick so they can appease their small mandates. National party Ministers are talking about forming partnerships with Māori so as to improve outcomes. But at the same time the new government is putting the boot into Māori, not exactly a good basis to start forming a good working relationship.
Luxon is fullnof platitudes – it was obvious throughouf the campaign and the negotiations, don’t expect any different now. This government’s mish mash of policies is for the rich end of town, anything else is window dressing.
Debate and convince! Or follow the path of cowards, cancel and oppose along ideological lines.
One should consider the opinions of people who act out their ideological conviction. But reject those who wave flags for the sake of waving flags. WOKE.
This is one of your better pieces of work Martyn – couldn’t agree more – but not because I agree, but because it is lucid and relevant – keep it up!
NZ/AO believes in a simple majority – which reflects on how simple we are. But we inherited the belief that anything we did that the UK did must be right. They believe in simple majority too, hence Brexit; and falsity encouraged to sway the teeny percentage that will sway the whole caboodle so that at the finishing line it only has to fall over with a nose past the post and world and life-changing decisions are sanctioned.
The media is just pissed that their benefactor was shat on by voters who had had enough and wanted change – any change.
Pissed off
Another conspiracy theory.
Labour lost because they’re losers!
And they suck.
Oh …they managed to suck …are you sure ?
I doubt they could manage that …what’s worse is there’s no sign of shame , or recognizing fault , the same clowns still in charge , boasting of their abilities and plans … a grim future beckons.
Labour lost because Morons like you voted for the Coalition of Cocks made up of Baldy, Old Fuck & Weasel boy! And do you own a House or are a Renter or do you work for a living? If you are, you voted for massive Rate increases that you will be paying up to 25% extra, double digit Rent rises & ZERO Wage rises for the next three years! Unless you are a Landlord getting a Billion dollar Tax cut a year, enjoy your miserable $2 a week Tax cut from the NACTZI, NZ LAST GOVT as your massive bills come back in the thousands for you to pay but hey you bastards voted for it, you got it, CHANGE for the worse, suck on that Den!
Politically, the problem we have is simple enough to explain which means that most people won’t get it.
For those who voted for National got neo-liberalism.
For those who voted for Labour got neo-liberalism.
For those who voted for The Green party got neo-liberalism.
For those who voted for NZ First got neo-liberalism
for those who voted for The Maori Party got neo-liberalism
For those who voted for ACT likely knew ACT was neo-liberal which is why the voted for the cunts.
In AO/NZ, whom ever you vote for in a general election will only get neo-liberalism and neo-liberalism is just a fancy term for autocratic fascism. Our democracy has been dead and mouldering in a shallow grave for nearly 40 years and during that time, we’ve had no democracy at all. We’ve just had a charade. A fake, faux, pretence of a politic. We’ve been living within a landscape of lies being told by liars and that’s why our AO/NZ looks and smells funny as does most dead things. A proper and functioning democracy doesn’t have homeless people. It doesn’t have multi-billionaires either. It doesn’t have dreadfully domestic dwellings pretending to be palaces while the glassy eyed morons buffing those houses up for re-sale have no idea that they’re being cynically used to do Banker work which is the work of the most devilish of minds and with regard to our housing/banking it’s the devilish minds of foreigners looking for a quick buck without risk because if the banksters fail to deliver, which is always inevitable, we, the tax payer will cover their losses. Aye Boys?
We Kiwis don’t so much a need a change of gubbimint as some proper psychiatric help.
What’s worse, we’re getting deeper and deeper into the shit. We ordinary and by ordinary I mean normal emotionally functioning Kiwis are becoming survival-oriented and less resistance-orientated and that’s because every time you try to find some hint, some clue as to what’s actually going on you get slapped down by what was once our MSM like RNZ and TVNZ.
You good Kiwis? You’re in far greater peril than you can possibly imagine.
Yes.
That reality has been square in front of the faces of NZer’s for 30 years, but most haven’t managed to even see it, so I laugh at any suggestion they’re capable of imagining it.
Well, I’ve been waiting for this development for years, but now I’m so old that I have forgotten why.
Bugger!
Always right on the money countryboy, but there are degrees of Neoliberalism, Labour is Neoliberal Light, National is Neoliberal Heavy & Act & NZF, Neoliberal extreme, but as you said, all these clowns are part & parcel of the same arsehole of Neoliberalism but just on different cheeks? Neoliberalism is the greatest scam ever inflicted on the World, its’s nothing but a Wealth Transfer swindle to steal money from the Public majority & send it to the Wealthy Elite minority? Thanks for the great comments, now get ready for all the verbal diarrhoea thats about to come your way from these Right Wing apologists who post on this blog!
Absolute nonsense countryboy,as usual.
We know you are 100% correct Countryboy when Bob the troll disagrees.
This is the first time in my lifetime I have experienced the main stream media actively plotting to overthrow the government.
Tell me I’m wrong.
jack – It does feel like it…no Honeymoon period
You’re wrong.
Yep you’re wrong unless you are the head of an anonymous conspiracy theorist group. Are you jack? Seems you are.
I would suggest to you the media aren’t required to demonstrate this new Governments fuck ups and abysmal policy agenda, the Government are showing us all themselves.
You’re wrong. They just need to report on what these muppets are doing.
Yep – you are wrong
GOOD! We need Regime Change to get rid of these Fuckers, by any means possible!
We need a system change so the same types of fuckers don’t keep holding the country to ransom every 3 years and have been doing for the last 180 or so.
” destroying workers rights, Tobacco deaths for tax cuts and taking $555million from the poorest families are all acceptable because they have the Majority so fuck everyone else!”
” That’s why on the first day of the Government there were nationwide protests ”
If only the protest extended to all of the groups you mentioned above who have no voice , no authority , no rights or representation or financial support.
That protest was about Maori influence and the threat to their perceived interests in ensuring their rights are upheld and they have every right to do so.
That nationwide protest did not have or hear the many in New Zealand that are about to once again be subject to the status quo suffocation of the plutocracy that keeps so many of our people marginalized.
That would have demanded attention to show like Maori , our whanau will no longer be subservient to be expendable to the forces of this free market plutocracy and those who enable it.
If only Maori and the Pakeha victims of greed and plutocracy could join as one powerful voice then the nationwide continued protests would not be ignored or bought !
There is an enemy and it needs to be confronted by a united Maori – Pakeha response.
Looks to me like they have interpreted my vote and that of many that I know about right.
Verity Johnson’s article complimented the great article’s that you’ve been writing Martyn, I sense there is massive discontent & Buyers remorse from NZers who voted these Fuckwits into Govt? Suddenly, Labour doesn’t seem as bad or as useless compared to these NACTZI Clowns? Kiwis voted & got change alright but not the sort of change they asked for, did they vote for zero pay rises for the next three years or having their rates increase by thousands of dollars due to the cancellation of 3 waters & the fuel tax levies, those costs which will now be passed on to Homeowners & Landlords passing then on to renters, the added costs will be in the thousands of dollars in added costs but hey, “how convenient” as the 4 Square Ad says, you didn’t ask for it but you got it, Martyn tried to warn you pre election but as we well know now, this was a grudge fuck Election, Kiwis wanted to punish Jacinda & Labour for saving Kiwis from a Global Pandemic, how miopic & disgraceful of them to care for NZers lives & livelihood? But don’t worry, Baldilocks Lex Luxon is giving you a huge $2 weekly Tax cut for you to buy one extra cigarette to smoke? Everyone knows that Labour stuffed up badly & squandered it’s once in a lifetime majority but compared to the Right wing arsonists that dumb, stupid NZers have voted into Office, this current right wing mob are Ten thousand times worse? The realisation & full horror of what Kiwi’s have actually voted in is beginning to sink into Kiwi’s Fatheads now, the dawning realisation that they voted in a blood rush of bile & animosity but that’s boomeranging back & will hit them in the pocket & now they’re going to have to pay the Piper for their bad decisions by voting Right because these vile scumbags are Political Ram raiders & they will do similar damage to the Nation, we will look back on Labour’s incrementalism policies with fondness compared to this Mob of vandals who have started to legislate under urgency, their dismantling of the State is mind boggling in its idealogical vandalism because that’s what it is & I’m glad these swines never got a Honeymoon period because they don’t deserve one! Now these pack of bastards are getting their feet held to the coals from the hopeless NZ MSM who also enabled their Victory, why is ZB Radio State Funded & receiving Socialist funding, let them stand on their own fucken feet as Hoskings tells others to do, privatise this ZB Station along with Hoskings & his Propagandist bunch, let the Neoliberal Freemarket fund them? The Coalition Clown shown have nothing to offer, Policy wise, other that cut, slash & burn Labours Policies, that’s all good & fine but what are they replacing this with? NOTHING, NADDA because they couldn’t give a shit about the lives of ordinary people, they are a Apartheid Govt, a Govt for the Rich seperate from the Poor! Buckle up for a disastrous three years when these Pyromaniac fuckers burn NZ to the ground, you dummies who voted for change, you got it alright, change for the worse & with buyers remorse theres no taking this one back to the Store for a Refund or Exchange, your bloody stuck with them for the next three years, enjoy?
Groan – again