Influence of the Left’s ideology

Both Tom Scott’s cartoon and the editorial (Oct 2) illustrate the dismal extent to which the shallow thinking of the ideological Left affects media and public commentary.

New Zealand’s values are those of the Judaeo-Christian Greco-Roman secular liberal democracies that form the Western World. The countries that hold these values lead the world in civilisational standards, regardless of their perceived failings.

Extreme Left-wing politics is enforcing diversity, the history of which is one of failure throughout the world and history. That the Left cannot learn such lessons, yet criticise those bring attention to them, is an indictment of the quality of debate in this country.

A deeper understanding would show that moral systems are not universal, and differences lead to conflict. There is a natural impulse to divide people into in-group and outgroup, and this has to be managed. But the Left’s solution of importing diversity and highlighting differences reduces solidarity and brings about an increasing reaction throughout the Western World, which they blame on the far and the extreme Right.

This is false. The reaction comes from conservatives – ordinary people who value trust, social capital, harmony, safety, and sharing with like-minded people. The Left intends to destroy this in pursuit of ‘‘the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions’’. With a little bit of help from its friends at The Dominion Post. Chris Slater, Silverstream

Bank on Kiwibank

Banks rorts on massive scale (Oct 2) highlights unbelievable behaviour which an Australian royal commission has uncovered and there is already talk among politicians there of breaking up Australia’s banking industry, the big four in particular.

The implications for what’s happening here are stunningly obvious. In particular, the current policy of closing branches, mostly rural ones, and trying to force everyone to do it online is unacceptable to a large section of the population. They circulate disinformation, such as saying fewer people are using cash. Some recent official figures suggest the sum in circulation was increasing by a large amount.

What’s the solution? It already exists and is effectively governmentcontrolled, specifically Kiwibank, which has never been properly developed. It needs to be now, with proper funding backed directly by government.

In particular, full-scale commercial lending exercised by a local manager. It should also be specifically directed to open rural branches and, last but not least, be given the Government Banking Contract.

Don Selby, chartered accountant, Pahiatua

Scholarly integrity

Bryan Johnson’s criticism of three historians is factually incorrect (Oct 3).

Michael King, in The Penguin History of New Zealand, and Claudia Orange, in The Treaty of Waitangi, both refer to the Royal Charter of 1840. The Charter did not, however, make New Zealand ‘‘a fully self-governing colony’’ as Mr Johnson has it, but a separate Crown colony. Only with the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 did the Westminster Parliament make New Zealand an internally selfgoverning colony, and even then legislation of the NZ parliament could be disallowed by the Queen.

Likewise, Claudia Orange, and Vincent O’Malley in his The Great War for New Zealand, each devote five pages to discussing the Kohimarama conference of 1860.

I am not sure what Mr Johnson means by referring to ‘‘semi-official historians’’ but in future he may wish to check before casting aspersions on historians’ scholarly integrity.

Jim McAloon, Associate Professor, History, Victoria University; president, New Zealand Historical Association

Tax on a tax

Transport Minister Phil Twyford says it is not a roading priority to change the way we charge for car registration (Oct 3).

This may be the case in the way this road tax is charged and administered but surely the $200 fine for nonpayment could be stopped.

This fine is way out of proportion to the offence, which is often simply that someone has forgotten to pay or the person has no ability to pay due to limited finances.

This doesn’t affect the collection of the full registration of a car because when it is paid it is still charged back to the date it ran out.

The $200 fine is a tax on a tax and is unfair and unjustified. It is a revenue gatherer only and hotly pursued by local councils that get a kickback for collecting.

For those who can’t pay the registration, let alone the fine, it means more fines and possible court action for an offence which is simply the nonpayment of a tax.

At least reduce the fine to something that reflects the ‘‘seriousness’’ of the offence, now, if not the way the registration is collected.

Teresa Homan, Upper Hutt

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