Monday, January 27, 2014

TIME FOR A REVOLUTION?


THE PARTY GAME

I became aware of politics  in 1929 when my, mother's brother, Melville Lyons  won the seat of Lyrrleron from Mrs McComb but lost it on a recount. I thought that was terribly unfair because my uncle was a nice man..
About that time my eldest nsister went on a school trip to see Parliament . She described what she saw, the House of Representatives in session, not all of them were present and some of these she saw were asleep!

In 1935 I knew a bit more about politics because my parents took us around to  hear the candidates for Horoehrnua talk about what had been done, what should have been done, and what they would do if they were elected. On election night we listened to the results being broadcast . There seemed to be general jubilation and a certainty that things would be different now.

In 1938 we drove to Palmerston North to see and hear Cabinet Minister Robert Semple deliver a speech which seemed to be a tirade against the opposition for doing their job, opposing the ruling party. And I found a book in our bookcase called  'social Credit' by Major C.H. Douglas which seemed to talk sense.

In Rotorua in the sixties I helped my friend Jeanette Lamason stand for Parliament as a Social Credit candidate.

So I can say I have watched politics evolve over a lifetime, and I do not like what has happened.

The Political System

1. A political party forms when a group of people believe they are not being fairly reprsented. They have a set of principles which become their platform. My Uncle Melville was a foundation member of the Nationalist Party which  believcd the farming sector was not being governed fairly. The Labour Party was started by Trade Union members; Social Credit by people who thought banks had too much power; etc, etc.

2.A new party presents its ideas to the general population and it is either ignored, or ridiculed, or accepted.

3. Eventually they reach power, become the government. They have a manifesto which promises reforms.. Some if these reforms are implemented.

4. But others cannot be implemented and the Government leaders make excuses. They did not realise things were so bad and there is no money to raise wages, increase pensions, reduce taxation, protect human rights..

5. Nowadays the  established parties do not bother with manifestos, it just goes ahead and does what it wants, or what the financial interest who back them order them to.

The awful thing about this is ordinary people are not even shocked/ They expect Political parties to break promises, they helped dismantle unions, they grumble about taxation 

but they cannot be bothered doing anything about it.

They don't bother to write to their M.P. about issues, they don't even write letters to the papers.

The New Zealand Government has relaxed its opposition to commercial whaling. 
The Education system is being pillaged.
The Social Security we have been  paying tax for since 1938 has been dismantled.

None of these were sanctioned by  us, the voters?

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