SOLO-NZ Op-Ed: Socialism By Any Other Name ...

September 12, 2008

Next to unreason, the most loathsome vice on the face of this earth is cowardice. The National Party is cowardice writ large. Supposedly the party of free enterprise and individual liberty, the National Party are verminous traitors to those values. Now that the election date has been announced, it's timely to reiterate that anyone looking for an alternative to the rampant socialism of the Labour Government should not even think about voting for them. National are the lowest life forms in Parliament, the intensity of the competition notwithstanding.

Consider this unmitigated twaddle from leader Neville Key's newsletter following the election announcement:

“November 8 2008 represents a big opportunity for this country.  It is the chance for voters to choose a brighter future for New Zealand in this 21st century world. This election is about New Zealanders having the opportunity to choose a government that is focused on what matters to them. It is about being able to turn a fresh page and put all the political distractions and intrigue of the past three years behind us.”

This is the same Neville Key, remember, who fancies himself as Barack Obama, who reiterates ad nauseam the oily ad-men's and spin-doctors' revolting platitudes about turning a fresh page, opening a new chapter, standing up, moving forward, reaching out, meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century, etc., etc., etc. This ick is simply marshmallow coating on a socialist core in both cases. Listen as this gelatinous fraud continues (Neville, I mean, not Obama):

“This election is the opportunity for voters to choose a government that will focus on strongly growing our economy, on steadily reducing taxes to provide incentives for people to build their lives here in New Zealand, and on investing in breakthrough technology like ultra-fast broadband to get us up to speed with the rest of the world.”

Well, ain’t that liberating and empowering, dudes? Neville's Nats will personally make sure we're all hooked up to ultra-fast broadband. Just what governments are for.

If you're a communist or a fascist.

What next in this “advance auction of stolen goods,” as H. L. Mencken would put it? DVD vouchers for all? Why not a million dollars a year for every citizen and be done with it?

“This election is the opportunity to choose a government that will concentrate on improving our education system; a government that will run a crusade on literacy and numeracy;  and a government that will focus on high standards and achievement so that every Kiwi child gets the opportunity to succeed in life.”

That's a damned good reason not to vote for a government comprising Lockwood Smith, the worst Education Minister in history, the craven quisling who capitulated to the teacher unions and the bureaucracy and expedited the surrender of education to the forces of Political Correctness, the Gramscians who banned grammar and had kids sitting around singing Kumbaya and seeking consensus on the location of the liver in a cow’s body.

“National is determined to get better results out of all of our public services.  We will cap the core bureaucracy and ensure more of our precious tax dollars are spent on frontline services.”

Cap? How about knee-cap?! How about aggressive privatisation — real privatisation, not sale to cronies — whereby New Zealanders become shareholders in more than name only?! Oooops. Don't mention the 'p' word. It might be in our constitution, but we're not supposed to say it.  

“In health in particular we are determined to get maximum value out of every dollar.  National will manage the public health service to deliver better, sooner, more convenient healthcare for all New Zealanders.  We will deliver shorter waiting times, less bureaucracy, and a trusted and motivated health workforce.”

In fairness, it must be conceded that National will improve the health of all of us well before the election with statements like this. Laughter is the best medicine, after all.

“Finally, and very importantly, National is determined to improve safety in our communities.  We will crack down on criminal gangs, and we will strengthen the bail laws, parole laws, and sentencing laws, to keep dangerous criminals off our streets.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The party that merged traffic into general policing and gave us a revenue-gathering speed fixation and an obsessive checking of drivers' sobriety in place of real law enforcement. The party that wants more of the remaining resources devoted to the anti-freedom war on drugs, the party that believes the only crimes worth prosecuting are those without victims.

“On November 8, New Zealanders have a chance to rule a line under the past three years and choose a fresh start with fresh optimism and fresh hope. It is their opportunity to choose a brighter future with a government that is determined to focus on the real issues that matter in their lives. This election is not about the past.  It's not about the old political battles of the past 20 or 30 years.   It's about the future.  It's about New Zealand's future, it's about the future of New Zealand families.  It's about seizing the opportunities of a new century in a positive optimistic way.”

Don't you think you're overdoing the Obama impersonations, Neville?

Helen Clark is absolutely right about National. It's the party of focus groups and flip-flops. It not only doesn't have the courage of its convictions; it has no convictions to have the courage of.

There is a party in New Zealand that stands unashamedly and uncompromisingly for individual liberty and free enterprise. Its name begins with 'L' and it's assuredly not Labour, though it appears next to Labour in ballot papers. To date, it hasn't fared well precisely because of its integrity and because sympathisers have been confused and seduced by the double-speak of the ACT compulsionists. It doesn't promise to take care of everyone; it promises to leave everyone alone. It says all adult interaction in all spheres of life should be voluntary.

Libertarianz will prosper when enough people display the courage of their adulthood.

In the meantime, Labour and National Socialists alike will continue to treat us like children in servitude.

Lindsay Perigo 021 255 8715

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