I try not to make articles time-relevant, but right now, I just can't get past one thing. We now know when the NZ election is coming, but I have a simple prediction to make. It's different from most. Firstly, it's simple. And secondly, it's guaranteed.
Some people are saying the current government is such a disaster that we have to vote for the other major party, clearly forgetting the disaster that happened when the other major party was last in power. They are quite right about many of the things the current government has done being a disaster, although our use of that term may not be the same.
Politics has changed over time. There were some things that both parties can be proud of in their past. But when was the last thing they did for the benefit of NZ as a whole? I suspect it was possibly before MMP. That's not a condemnation of MMP - simply a measuring stick for political time.
Before MMP, I had two choices - McGillicuddy Serious Party, or Social Credit. Voting red or blue simply meant nothing, since the electorates in which I dwelt were safe red or blue seats, which meant my vote was never going to make a difference.
That's why, when the chance came, I voted to abolish FPP. That way, my vote would finally count. Sadly, while the country voted against FPP, the alternative they chose transferred real power to the parties. The last few governments have shown the folly of this.
What's even worse, the quality of candidates has gone in the wrong direction. Now their priority is their party, regardless of policy. We have had some who stood out. Jim Anderton comes to mind. Peter Dunne is another, although, unlike Jim, he was quite happy to say one thing and vote another.
The last election was the first time I ever left a voting booth smiling. I had voted for a party (New Zeal) that had five simple points. All else was to be settled when negotiating coalition arrangements. Not surprisingly, they didn't get even close to getting into Parliament - but I could be happy that I had finally voted for someone I believed could make a difference - if they got in, rather than someone who'd already sold their soul to their party.
This wasn't an unknown politician - it was a former Cabinet Minister who decided to come back into politics. His difficulty was that the party he originally stood for (Bue) no longer held to its core values. He set up a new party to let him come back with no compromises. Interestingly, he chose a former NZ First man as his deputy.
The greatest difficulty he faces is that he's a Christian. I am also a Christian, but I have never voted for any of the "Christian" parties that have stood before. The difference I see is that he's not standing on Christian values. He certainly doesn't downplay his faith (unlike our current PM), but he is in it for the people.
I doubt many people would support my views, and that's their choice. The sad thing is that most people will choose their party based on what they've always done - or even worse, on what that party says it will do for them. Let's, for once, seek a government that is there for all Kiwis.