It is a common theme world-wide. The left abandoned the economic needs of the masses, preferring the middle class issues of gender, climate, etc. The masses had no one on their side, so the right (outside NZ) captured their discontent and directed it to right wing populism. Hence MAGA. In NZ Jacinda talked about child poverty but did nothing about it despite her huge popularity at the start.
I've found it a challenge to get important issues discussed. I've been (for 10+ years) proposing a simple complete solution to the MMP wasted votes issue (Second choice of party vote). Despite support from the 2023 electoral review, 'nobody' in the commentator class will even talk about it in public. An idea not rejected, just ignored.
I wonder whether that's not just my problem. How does anyone get left wing economic ideas discussed in the present political commentary environment ?
So it was a pleasure to read your article Bryce, you had so many important points to make that I have not often heard expressed. We are fortunate that you are in a position to have your voice widely (but not widely enough) heard.
What happened? We all a bought house to live in and became petit-bourgeois, aspiring to own one or two more to feel good 'hosting' tenants in as we hope for unearned and untaxed capital gain. We embrace gender and ethnicity campaigns as substitutes for economic struggles and say 'whanau' and 'motu' instead of 'family' and 'country' because it feels 'progressive' yet none of it threatens our economic status quo. Recall the private-school students joining in the mass marches for 'Black Lives Matter' in 2020, a safely foreign cause that gave us all the warm sense of righteousness, yet changed nothing. But expect us to march for real economic revolution in New Zealand? Get real!
Yes. We even say 'petit-bourgeois' and 'status quo' instead of 'lower middle class ' and 'current situation ' because it feels 'knowlegeable' or 'au currant'.
If NZ doesn't get a left populist soon the right populist will be laughing all the way to the ballot box! Struggling kiwis will have already been captured by the right. Might be too late already.....
Iain is correct we also need to address the issue that cutting social programmes is a choice not a balancing of the books imperative, and we can fund those programmes in a much more efficient way.
But yet you Bryce Edward's are hypocritical in your criticism, because you also will not touch the money system issue.
It is a common theme world-wide. The left abandoned the economic needs of the masses, preferring the middle class issues of gender, climate, etc. The masses had no one on their side, so the right (outside NZ) captured their discontent and directed it to right wing populism. Hence MAGA. In NZ Jacinda talked about child poverty but did nothing about it despite her huge popularity at the start.
I've found it a challenge to get important issues discussed. I've been (for 10+ years) proposing a simple complete solution to the MMP wasted votes issue (Second choice of party vote). Despite support from the 2023 electoral review, 'nobody' in the commentator class will even talk about it in public. An idea not rejected, just ignored.
I wonder whether that's not just my problem. How does anyone get left wing economic ideas discussed in the present political commentary environment ?
So it was a pleasure to read your article Bryce, you had so many important points to make that I have not often heard expressed. We are fortunate that you are in a position to have your voice widely (but not widely enough) heard.
What happened? We all a bought house to live in and became petit-bourgeois, aspiring to own one or two more to feel good 'hosting' tenants in as we hope for unearned and untaxed capital gain. We embrace gender and ethnicity campaigns as substitutes for economic struggles and say 'whanau' and 'motu' instead of 'family' and 'country' because it feels 'progressive' yet none of it threatens our economic status quo. Recall the private-school students joining in the mass marches for 'Black Lives Matter' in 2020, a safely foreign cause that gave us all the warm sense of righteousness, yet changed nothing. But expect us to march for real economic revolution in New Zealand? Get real!
Yes. We even say 'petit-bourgeois' and 'status quo' instead of 'lower middle class ' and 'current situation ' because it feels 'knowlegeable' or 'au currant'.
If NZ doesn't get a left populist soon the right populist will be laughing all the way to the ballot box! Struggling kiwis will have already been captured by the right. Might be too late already.....
Iain is correct we also need to address the issue that cutting social programmes is a choice not a balancing of the books imperative, and we can fund those programmes in a much more efficient way.