LAURIE WAS ANGRY. So angry, in fact, that he had assigned a small part of his brain to search back through his more than six decades of experience for a precedent.
Inevitably, he found many. The actions of politicians evoke a special sort of anger, but only rarely do they produce the same anger as a love betrayed; an unfair dismissal; or the unbelievably stupid behaviour of one’s offspring – and the cost of it. Even so, as Laurie made his way to the bar, his anger advanced before him like a sci-fi force-field.
“You look like you could use something stronger than a pale ale, Laurie”, Hannah the bartender, who had been watching his approach with a mixture of apprehension and humour, cast a knowing glance at the top shelf.
“Good idea. Give me a nip of Johnny Walker.” Glancing towards the table in the corner, where his friend, Les, was waving a hand in greeting, Laurie nodded. “And two pale ales.”
Les watched his friend toss back the whiskey. This promised to be interesting.
“What is it, mate? You seldom venture up to the top shelf.”
“Ah, it’s silly really. I shouldn’t let myself get so riled up – least of all by politicians. But, sheesh, Christopher Bloody Luxon really pisses me off.”
“What’s he done now?”
“It’s not so much what he’s done, as what he has proved, over and over again, to be incapable of doing. The man just can’t seem to assemble the pieces of his own government’s jigsaw into a coherent picture. They’re all just bits and pieces to him. A law change here, a policy reversal there. He just doesn’t seem to be able to see what his colleagues and supporters – both in and out of his government – are looking at.”
“Like?”
“Like the use of referenda.”
“The Treaty Principles Bill?”
“Yeah, let’s take a look at that piece of the puzzle. Act is asking Parliament to respond to the widespread public unease about the Treaty and its growing impact on the way New Zealand is governed. David Seymour wants to give the public a real chance to have its say about what the Treaty actually amounts to in 2024, and then to vote the outcome of that discussion either up, or down, in a referendum.”
“Which Luxon will not allow.”
“Correct. Although, he will allow six months of discussion and debate in front of a Select Committee. But, no matter what all that talking finally produces. No matter how impressive the results of the Committee’s deliberations might be. Luxon is pledged to kill the Treaty Principles Bill stone dead by denying it a second reading.”
“Yeah, that’s right. But surely Laurie, we’ve known this for some time?”
“Yes, we have. But what most of us don’t realise is that Luxon has signed National up for another referendum.”
“On a four-year term!”
“Correct. And just think about that for a moment. There’s no evidence of widespread public unease about the current three-year term. It’s an issue beloved by political scientists, policy wonks, and that’s it. As far as the public’s concerned – and this has been confirmed in two referenda already, one in 1967, the other in 1990 – three years is too short for a good government, and too long for a bad one. In other words, the status-quo represents the epitome of good, old-fashioned, Kiwi common-sense.”
“But, in spite of there being no clamour for a change,” Les continued Laurie’s thought, “Luxon and all the other politicians in Parliament will vote to increase the number of years they’re entitled to a minimum salary of $165,000 – plus perks – by one. To be confirmed by referendum.”
“You bet your life, by referendum! Because, while a nationwide vote to confirm, or not, the public’s understanding of our foundational constitutional document would be ‘divisive’, ‘racist’, a ‘blunt instrument’, and therefore completely out of the question, a referendum to extend the life expectancy of elected politicians, which no one not deeply involved with the governing process has actually asked for, or wants, is perfectly okay.”
“And Luxon doesn’t see the hypocrisy?”
“Exactly! He toddles along to some business leaders’ conflab, waxes eloquent about the deficiencies of our three-year term, more-or-less guarantees a referendum, and doesn’t for a single second recognise the double-standard he’s just set.”
“Bloody-hell, Laurie. Now I’m mad!”
This short story was originally published in The Otago Daily Times and The Greymouth Star of Friday, 27 September 2024.
11 comments:
An excellent piece.
Q : Instead of allowing Luxon to act like a caged parrot " The Bill is not going to the second reading "..why is he never challenged by anyone in the media on the reason for this ? Does he imagine the thinly veiled threats of violence emanating from TPM are not 'divisive' ?
Why would any aspirational, younger professional person, who is not of Maori descent choose to remain in a country that essentially is turning a blind eye to a ' nouveau apartheid' ??
If Laurie and Les were at any time supposed to represent the every day aging boomers, they have now become part of the 8.6% extreme. I am glad they are not my alter-ego.
Denial and criticism of one referendum does not disqualify another ... a referendum is just one! way in the democratic process.
They may have options built in such as allowing the public to retain the vote.term status quo of 3 years or (say) change to 4 years ... or even 5!
Any attempt to defacto steer the result to a four year term ... by casting the option as Status Quo V a 4 year term will be seen as just ... " screwing the pooch".
Your comment was mostly white space, John. Please re-submit.
A couple of my comments don't seem to have turned up – be nice to know if it was somehow offensive and censored, or if I just forgot to press the right button in my dotage.
Les leaned forward, "Let's stir division and take the legal rights away from Maori"
"Bloody Nora" exclaimed Laurie "It would mean breaking a treaty and compromising the whole legal system", then with a smile and a wink he added, "It's our system to do what we like with, damn the torpedoes"
"And damn the natives!" Les laughed while clicking his glass to Laurie's.
"Hello Les and Laurie" said Florence, "Has anyone seen Dougal?"
"Saw him hanging around with that hippy rabbit", said Laurie
"Bloody dole bludger" added Les.
"Boing ", said Zebedee "Time for bed"
Is Jack Tame paid $845,000 pa for the questions he doesn't ask (or does ask)?
"You take care of yourself like you matter, and then someone else doesn't have to do that, so you're off the dependency road, right?
You're not a burden.
You're not a burden to anyone else, including yourself.
But then maybe you get good at it, and you can also take care of your wife or your husband, and then you get better at that.
You can take care of your kids, and you're better at that.
Now, you can take care of people in the broader community that you're serving, and then you can act politically.
So here's the ancient rule: the alternative to tyranny and slavery, which you can see developing in our culture as this power narrative plays out, is the maximal responsibility you take on yourself.
And the reason for that is, if you do all the work, there's no place for the tyrant.
There's nothing for them to do."
Excerpt from a speech by Jordan Peterson at the Rescue the Republic rally in Washington DC.
Quite a line up: Tulsi Gabbard, Robert Kennedy, Bret Weinstein, Matt Tiabi, Dr. Robert W. Malone, Dr. Pierre Kory, Dr. Heather Heying, comedian Jimmy Dore, and musicians the Defiant, Five Times August, and Tennessee Jet.
I guess Laurie believes most politicians are worthless trough feeders who shouldn't be given the long leash of four years. Understandable , but when we see that a newly elected government only has effectively two years to get their policies administered and seen to be working, it isn't a lot of time. The third year is election politicking with all the BS and lies that go with it. Four years does make sense to me. Having said that the referenda we have, don't appear to be binding so any government can pick and choose what becomes law and what doesn't regardless of how many vote for it. I'm sure what ever happens Laurie and Les will feel hard done by. If enough vote for four years it will go through for sure. If there was a referendum for actioning Seymours bill would it be binding, doubt it.
Which one is the grand wizard?
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