Even if Winston Peters deigns to make her our next Prime Minister, Jacinda has made it very clear that she hasn’t the slightest intention of frightening the Establishment’s horses; and that her own – and Labour’s – determination to provide good and responsible governance to all New Zealanders, from the top down, will not falter.
I choose to believe that it’s not as simple as 46% of New Zealanders being selfish in choosing a tax cuts over free doctor’s visits and feeding the children? Instead it’s that type of campaign National chose to run and the “right-washing” of the press that left people confused.
The right wing and their corporate media enablers need to delegitimise MMP and any Labour led Government by decrying Winston, undermining Jacinda and demonising the Greens.
National used the Māori Party as political camouflage and the policy crumbs the Māori Party received for providing National with that political camouflage wasn’t worth losing their mana over.
Mahatma Ghandi said the true measure of any society is its treatment of its most vulnerable members. Others say inequality is the measure of fairness in society. The massive levels of inequality in modern capitalist societies reflect badly by any measure. Egalitarian New Zealand is a myth.
Only middle class activists with cushy public jobs in Wellington that won’t be impacted by a change of Government would cry that Winston isn’t good enough to change the Government.
The negotiating teams of each of the Political Parties vying to form the next Government say much about the relationship each of the Leaders are needing and how they expect a possible coalition alliance to play out.
Remember the young labour party identity politics activists who signed a letter to expel Willie Jackson and Greg O’Connor from Waitangi Day at the beginning of this year?
…the reality is that we are starting to see more and more of the mainstream punditry acknowledge that their attempt at a National Party Coronation has failed and that there is a 50-50 chance we will see a Labour led Government.
The problem for every potential government is that they have very limited spending options given they are all committed to not increasing taxes on anyone (including the very wealthy). But if Winston wants to claim any policy “wins” that he can be allowed to identify himself and his party with it seems much more likely that Labour and the Greens could deliver them.