Temporary Australian Prime Minister Albo had to wait over 26 years to reach the top; John Howard and Paul Keating 22 years and Harold Holt over 30 years! In this country, Sir Keith had to wait 25 years, English 26 years and Bolger and Clark 18 years.
All seems quite extraordinary; imagine spending every single day for decades fighting and fighting, crawling up the greasy pole – inch by inch – copping all sorts of abuse from opponents, having to persuade supporters. Families neglected, business opportunities not undertaken, millions not made because you devoted yourself to politics. God knows why they do it.
By contrast I sit here in my comfy chair on the porch in the evenings, sipping a red wine or two (always in a coffee mug so the children don’t know what I am doing); enjoying the Taieri Plains sunset and view across to Saddle Hill, whilst tapping away on my laptop writing articles for The BFD. Sometimes they get published, sometimes they don’t. I also sit here in my comfy chair, laptop in front of me, and run my business and investment empire without having to do anything too strenuous.
All very “Charles de Gaulle on his farm”, dear reader, and like the froggie leader in the 1950s watching things implode and suggesting common sense solutions may be the answer – occasionally the penny drops with everybody else.
A case in point is the latest Free Press from our friends in the ACT party. Could it be that David Seymour et al. read my article from a few months back? Could it be that he felt awfully embarrassed by my article Not good enough Mr Seymour and decided to do something about it? Why I ask is because ACT has decided the days of Tory governments entrenching socialist policies are over, rover – and good for them! (You’re welcome, by the way)
They have published a shopping list of horrific and appalling policies inflicted upon our nation during the recent and ongoing ‘dark age’ which need to be abolished in the first 100 days of a new government. Examples include:
1. Three Waters
2. Reserve Bank Act changes
3. Income tax increases
4. Journalism slush fund
5. Tax discrimination against landlords
6. 90 day trials
7. Charter Schools
8. Three strikes law
9. Zero carbon act
10. Live sheep export ban
11. Ban on oil exploration
12. Oranga Tamariki (whatever that is)
13. Hate speech laws
14. Fair pay agreements
Well good for them; let’s give credit where it is due. If ACT are shooting across the bows of a weak, spineless Tory party basically telling woeful, weak, spineless Tory frontbenchers what they’ll be doing in Cabinet between Labour Day and Christmas Eve 2023 they do need to be congratulated. After 26 years in Parliament it’s about time they did something for the ‘good guys’.
I do note that in typically slimy fashion there are a few ‘escape parachutes’ in the fine print; twaddle such as “…any of it is possible with enough political will” but one seriously doubts New Zealand voters are going to fall for that sort of stuff; vote ACT on Saturday and by Tuesday be told, “Oh no! the Nats have diddled us” (oh please). One gets the sneaking impression even the Tory party leadership accept the country is basically finished if there isn’t a dramatic change in direction.