Winston’s Poem – Aotearoa New Zealand (minus the Aotearoa)
Ok. Firstly, Winston may be as old as Kipling, but he sure as Christ didn’t write ‘If’.
The sense of victimhood Winston is appealing to by using Kipling’s most famous ‘still-mustn’t-grumble’ guide to masculinity is a stoicism born not from philosophical conjecture but poor public education.
NZF thought cuddling up to the antivaxxers was a sure fire way to cross 5%, but their craziness has pushed voters away from the fringes as much as attracts them.
NZFirst is a grievance Party for a generation who refuse to let go of their privilege joined with the ruddy faced of those who are made insecure by a soy latte and words with syllables.
Can Winston the tricky Pied Piper of NZ politics whistle up anther tune of cultural fragility and cultural dislocation for a blessed vision of 1950s NZ when Māori knew their place and Jack was their master?
I’m not convinced.
Increasingly having independent opinion in a mainstream media environment which mostly echo one another has become more important than ever, so if you value having an independent voice – please donate here.
If you can’t contribute but want to help, please always feel free to share our blogs on social media
Winston does his own works too. Here’s a favourite.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I’d mud wrestle my grandmother for votes
How about you
Just another narcissist. They’re everywhere!
Winston is stating the obvious and entertaining us all, predicting NZF will get 8-9% at the 2023 Election he is cheap Insurance for either a Left or Right Wing Government, he won’t let any stupid Policies get through. People either Love Him or Hate Him.
NZF have some very good people and policies.
Hopefully Winston will not shoot himself and NZF in the foot this Election saying stupid shit. If he kept his mouth shut he could get 10-12% IMHO.
‘If’ is quite an aspirational poem which Winston may like to fit around himself like an ermine trimmed cloak. But at the beginning of the poem it refers to its original publication I think –
(‘Brother Square-Toes’—Rewards and Fairies) which indicates an ambiguous line of thought.
The first verse I feel actually applies well to some prominent battlers for NZ – thinking of Nicky Hager, Martyn Bradbury, Chris Trotter, Brian Easton, Bryce Edwards, Dr Bill Sutch, and not forgetting Penny Bright.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:…
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if—
Hopefully his last election.
I admit to voting for his party twice, but never again after his shameless embrace of rabid antivaxxers, and his call for progroms agains trans people.
Winston definitely looking good for 10-12% IMHO.