Here’s hoping election delivers common sense
FRINGE political parties are sonamed because their beliefs are deemed to be on the edges of generally held views.
But it does seem to me that this year these parties have, for whatever reason, taken giant steps further into what some might deem lunacy.
From espousing that Covid19 is a worldwide conspiracy being masterminded by an anonymous global movement utilising 5G mobile networks to spread the disease, to insistence that a separate Maori parliament be formed and that somehow all New Zealanders will be required to learn and speak Maori, to a strange potpourri of racebased views and conservation, to a belief that splashing money around in the North for development is good for everyone in the South.
These fringe people and fringe parties are also clamouring for the current 5% level within MMP to be lowered to about 2% to ensure that these loose canons can sit round the parliamentary chamber.
Let us hope that they all fail to record enough converts to either ensure the winning of an electorate seat or climb above the 5% threshold.
While their right to hold these views is unquestioned, their belief that their views should be listened to and adopted for the majority beggars understanding.
Behind their somewhat humorous ravings, there is a worrying underswell of separatism creeping into mainstream entities and political parties.
Time, I believe, to have this ‘‘national conversation’’ to determine some really basic common goals in this area. But who do you trust to start that conversation? Or to listen?
Russell Garbutt
Clyde
WHEN Judith Collins was elected as the leader of the National Party, that evening she was interviewed by one of the TV channels. One question she was asked was ‘‘What would you expect to pay for a kilo of cheese given your preference is tasty cheese?’’
Her response was ‘‘Oh, I don’t know, I think it’s about $4 or $5 — something like that, depending on the cheese . . . I have to say I just buy it with the groceries.’’
While this may seem trivial to some, I believe it shows just how much Ms Collins is out of touch with everyday living for the majority of New Zealanders.
Gary McEwan
Wyndham
TODAY’S paper highlights a local couple with both Labour and National signs on their front lawn (ODT, 1.10.20). This is of course illegal in Dunedin where we have a bylaw limiting election signs to one per house.
Perhaps the city council, many of whose members seemed unaware of the bylaw at their last election, could see sense and change the bylaw to allow one sign per resident.
Paul Campbell
Belleknowes
IT was with concern that I watched the second leaders’ debate. Not only did we have a commentator who seemed unable to moderate fairly, we had a woman who talked over her opponent.
Donald Trump behaved like the bully he is during his first debate with Joe Biden, and unfortunately we saw the same behaviour from Judith Collins. Despite a plea from Jacinda Ardern to ‘‘model good behaviour’’, Ms Collins seems more interested in complaining, whinging, speaking over her opponent and generally displaying bully behaviour, like Trump.
The final straw was Ms Collins’ condescending comment to Ms Ardern as ‘‘dear’’. It smacked of arrogance. This is not the woman we want to see leading our country for the next three years. Annemarie HopeCross
Alexandra