Time to let scapegoat rest
Why are we still listening to Winston Peters’ crap? New Zealand politics seems weird in 2016. Our chief executive John Key is barrelling on towards a fourth term with apparent ease, but the cracks of nine years in power are beginning to show in areas such as social welfare and ponytails.
Things probably should be harder for him, but it appears the opposition are approaching the 2017 election with a stealth attack so subtle it’s hard to tell if it’s happening at all.
In the past 12 months, we’ve changed our flag to the same flag, had five Labour leaders, confirmed then denied a housing and poverty crisis, and who could forget that time John went insane and said the opposition supports rapists!
Sometimes to me it feels like amidst the chaos only one constant remain, Winston Raymond Peters PC. I wikipedia’d him before I wrote this and the ‘‘PC’’ stands for political correctness (gone mad).
It’s 2016, and Winston Peters is going better than ever, I’m afraid. It’s hard to believe that a one trick magician could keep on dazzling New Zealand for 35 years.
As one of my favourite quotes from comedian Demetri Martin goes: ‘‘I think the best thing about being dumb is that it makes magic a lot better.’’ The trick, of course, is immigration. All it takes is a 200-word press release including terms like ‘‘Kiwi way of life’’ and no real statistics copied to New Zealand Reddit, and it’s the most commented story of the month.
Richer921 claims that parts of Auckland are ‘‘disturbingly Chinese’’ and scores ‘‘17 points’’ for this stellar analysis.
I’m not saying that criticising the current immigration policy is racist. But it doesn’t take long for people who haven’t been to China to start talking about how parts of Auckland look exactly like China.
Immigration is an issue in 2016, but it’s not a big issue, it’s an economic tool, and it’s becoming a distraction. Depending on your political views part of the problem, but it’s not a major problem.
Peters knows this, and he doesn’t care.
The housing crisis is a complex issue that he’s dumbed down to appeal to the same people who get annoyed when they read the weather report on the news in Maori once a year because they can’t understand what’s going on.
No one wants to talk about the Unitary Plan, the Auckland Urban Limit, the ageing population, capital gains taxes, high-density housing, or the hundreds of other boring as heck factors that contribute to housing problems; it’s easier just to blame Asians.
On the other side, never does anyone stop to argue for, or acknowledge the reasons for high immigration.
For the past three elections, New Zealand has chosen a National Government that has run primarily on economic growth, and bringing Kiwis back home, something they have helped deliver with immigration.
Peters doesn’t have to be in a position where that’s his concern if he had half the courage that he claimed he did he’d focus on the Government who’s actually making the policy rather than the lucky few who actually get to move here, he’s so excited about the prospect of being king maker again that he doesn’t care.
New Zealand was built on immigration: just about everyone here comes from somewhere else. I wonder if, when the Endeavour arrived with Captain Cook in 1769, the Maori were complaining that house prices are going to go through the roof!
We should question immigration but we can’t make it a scapegoat to avoid the real issues that our country faces: poverty, housing, and domestic violence.