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Rorts at the top

Tena ano tatou

For weeks before the General Election on 26 November John Key and National were sleepwalking to victory. The Rugby World Cup kept the masses entertained and it was a bonus that we ended up winning – albeit by one point. But a win’s a win.

National’s billboards – the ones not altered by the ex-Green Party member – were dreary, insipid affairs. Poor Phil Goff and Labour just couldn’t get any traction. They were absolutely right on a capital gains tax and had some clever wording round their asset sales ads, but they were miles behind.

The Rena spewing oil into the sea and onto the Bay of Plenty beaches, affecting kaimoana local iwi might have gathered for Christmas, offered Labour a possible issue to flannel the government with – but no – it all washed off John Key and he came back smiling, Teflon coating intact.

To make sure they would definitely control the Treasury benches, they set out to rort the system. Despite ACT polling only about 1% support, National and ACT conspired to subvert the will of the people by staging a media farce around a cup of tea. The object was to send a signal to the National sheep in Epsom that they should vote for John Banks, help him win the seat and allow him and maybe a couple more ACT members get into Parliament to give National a far right coalition partner.

Foolishly, rather than talk about the weather or where they were going for Christmas they talked politics. Exposed by the accidental or otherwise leaving of a news cameraman’s live mike on the table, we saw the Teflon begin to crack and peel – just like the Teflon pans I’ve had in the past.

Commentators have noted how good John Key is with carefully scripted public outings but wondered how he would perform under pressure when he has to ad lib – well now we know.

John Key, National and John Banks and ACT deserve to be punished for trying to rort our MMP system and subvert the will of the great majority, 99 percent of whom don’t want to see ACT in Parliament.

Writing this before the election however, I’m picking they’ll have survived the cup of tea and be governing us again – for the time being.

Back at the Beehive John Key will find a number of things still waiting for him; like the record number of children living in poverty, the huge numbers of unemployed who lost their jobs on his watch, the record number of third world diseases like rheumatic fever; high food, fuel and power prices bumped up by higher gst, not to mention the huge number of citizens who have left for Australia.

Most affected are a burgeoning, largely brown skinned under-class and National doesn’t appear to have any plan or intention to ameliorate their plight.

My Teflon pan started with a little scratch that quickly spread to peeling and a mess that I was afraid might get into my kai – so out it went. That’s the problem with Teflon – looks good to begin with, but doesn’t last long.

I have outlined some of the ills outside of our control that unfairly impact on our whanau – it’s up to all of us to pressure the new government to pay attention to and remedy them.

Naku na