Every three years we elect 120 people to become Members of Parliament. Their job is to run the country to the best of their ability. Their pay packets, by most workers standards, reflects the importance of the tasks they have been elected to undertake. For example, Jacinda Ardern receives a higher remuneration than Boris Johnson.
We elect our politicians to govern on our behalf. I am careful to use the word govern rather than rule as rule to me implies a form of dictatorship. Since Labour came to power in 2017 my sense is we have been ruled rather than governed. Governing is having the authority to conduct the policy, actions and affairs of a State, organisation or a people. “The governing coalition”. Ruling, as an adjective, means currently exercising authority or influence. “The ruling coalition”. The two are not the same.
Being a democracy we elect our MPs under the meaning of the word governing. This means they should be governing in the interests of the population at large regardless of any given circumstances. The legislation they pass should be in the interests of the country as a whole rather than any particular race, creed or vested interest group. Their prospective programme should be well publicised prior to an election. This Government has failed spectacularly on all counts.
They have failed because they don’t have a programme, they have an agenda. Again, these are two entirely different things. A programme is something you implement for the greater good. An agenda is a self-serving dictatorial plan that you want to inflict on the population to satisfy your own political objectives. This is where you transcend from governing to ruling, to where a form of dictatorship takes over. This is what New Zealand is experiencing. This is precisely the reason for Convoy 2022.
People living in a country they regard as democratic will not put up with the type of leadership Ardern is forcing on them. This is made starkly evident by those at the Convoy event. They are a potpourri of Kiwis from all walks of life mostly wanting freedom from mandates. The misinformation being spread by Ardern that they are a bunch of Trump-loving anti-vaxxers is patently untrue.
I listened to Matthew Tukaki of the Maori Authority on The Huddle on ZB on Monday evening. His description of those at Parliament is as follows: “a ragtag bunch of people, of conspiracy theorists, we’re talking about white supremacists, we’re talking about racists”, at which point Heather thankfully butted in. This sort of racist rant does nothing to assist race relations or defuse the situation now before us. As Matthew must know, as he has been down to the protest, there are a large number of his people present. He was careful not to mention them in his ridiculous outburst.
He, like the other politicians, is completely misreading the room. If they want this event to carry on for weeks, if not months, then they should just keep sticking their heads in the sand, turn on the sprinklers and keep the music playing. There are supposed to be adults running the country who should be aware of their responsibilities.
One of those responsibilities is to listen to the concerns of Kiwis no matter who they are. Particularly Kiwis who as a result of Government mandates, have lost jobs, homes and businesses. Livelihoods gone.
Gangs are listened to, allowed to roam the streets with guns and terrorise neighbours. They are given millions of dollars to be able to continue to do it. But when ordinary Kiwis take the time and effort to go to Parliament looking to talk to a politician, any politician who might be prepared to listen to their concerns, what happens? Not one of the 120 overpaid prats in Parliament will meet with them.
Which begs the question – Who are the types running this country? They appear to be wetter than the sprinklers the bovver boy turned on the other night. This country, the people camped at Parliament, are all looking for real leadership. Instead what they have got is a vacuum.
Ardern, like her Canadian boyfriend, ran for cover. All we got from her was the hit song from Simon and Garfunkel. Sounds of silence are not leadership. That is the cowardly behaviour of a dictator. At the beginning of the week, all she came up with was a whole new raft of regulatory nonsense which most will ignore.
The excuses for not meeting these people from Christopher Luxon “There are so many different groups we don’t know who to talk to” is, frankly, pathetic. If any one of the 120 elected to lead this country had gone down last Tuesday it would have been very easy to find who to talk to.
Those on the right have joined forces with the left and in doing so have given up a golden opportunity to front foot this whole sorry state of affairs. Through a lack of basic political nous, they have blown any political goodwill they might have had with the public.
They may not realise it but they look like a sorry bunch who have deliberately abrogated their responsibilities to the people of this country.
If you refuse to talk to the people who elected you to the position of representing them then you may as well resign your post.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I currently do not know who on the right to vote for, I would be calling for a General Election immediately.
The people of this country deserve far better than what is currently on offer in the House of Representatives. People with genuine concerns should not be made the victims of thuggery by having the water turned on them and loud music blasted at them. Yes, it is childish but it also reeks of political behaviour more suited to North Korea.
The protest will go on. The politicians, by their inaction, have made sure of that. Everything that is now happening is entirely their fault.
Equally, the ability to end what they don’t like is entirely up to them. The answer is the use of their two legs and two ears.
If they don’t, the people of Convoy 2022, who are well organised and well supported, will be there for the long haul. We at The BFD know what is going on because The BFD is listening to the concerns of the public.
We know the politicians read The BFD. They need to take note and act accordingly. Right now, they cannot be trusted to do what is right.