Sunday 9 November 2008

The mutant descendant of the 1980s and 1990s - fun

I'm not relishing the new government, but I don't relish the old government, or any government. I'll write about how I voted and why, and also a bit about why National got so many votes later. But now I am focusing on the horse-racing parts of it:
  • Ikaroa-Rawhiti was the competition of scumbag* Clint Rickards apologists. The advantage of an election when you hate both candidates this much is that one of them has to lose. So ya boo sucks to Derek Fox.
  • I think the union movement is well rid of any union leaders who are aiming for parliament. So I'm glad to see that Carol Beaumont is in, even though she didn't win Maungakiekie, but I do wish they'd take Helen Kelly as a job-share type thingy.
  • I have now been arrested with a member of parliament. Chris Hipkins the new MP for Rimutaka was arrested with me (and 74 other people) on the steps of parliament over ten years ago. Although it was ridiculously close. If Labour can't get decent margins in Rimutaka then no wonder they're completely fucked (more on this in response to Deborah
  • I find it useful in elections to focus on the people you hate who are losing their jobs. This is very cheering, as Winston Peters, Ron Mark, Harry Dynhoven, Gordon Copeland, Philip Field, and a whole bunch more Labour and NZ First MPs are now unemployed.
  • The best moment of the night was when it looked like Dunne might not win Ohariu and take his hair off into the sunset.
  • None of this takes away from the fact that someone whose name rhymes with Doger Rouglas exists, and will be having a say over other people's lives.

Those of us who believe another world is possible have work to do, but we've always had work to do, and it's the same work tomorrow as it was yesterday. We can take some time to point, laugh and worry about what comes next. I'm a child of the 1980s I'd be lying if I didn't pretended that I'm not scared of Roger Douglas. But none of this changes what matters.

* Of course scumbag isn't a particularly useful way to distinguish politicians. But both Derek Fox and Parekura Horomia are individual scumbags even without whatever they do in parliment; I don't like abusive men and I don't like slumlords.

5 comments:

Anna said...

Could you elaborate on your abusive men and slumlords comment? There is obviously a whole history here than I know nothing about.

You can't tell me you didn't see any comedy value in Douglas's dementia-fueled rant about bribery. If he'd set out to make himself look like a nutty relic, he couldn't have done any better.

Tui said...

Oh, I totally find people losing their jobs hiLARious. I love watching MPs who've worked hard for their electorate, like Mahara Okeroa, lose their seat - too funny.

Maia said...

Derek Fox's abusive behaviour and violence within his relationships has been reasonable well covered in the MSM. He's been violent in many of his relationships.

I've heard that Parakura Horomia owns a lot of property round the East Coast, and a lot of it is in unbelievably bad condition.

Tui - it'll be hard to beat the Australian election and John Howard losing his seat. But Winston, Ron Mark, Peter Brown et al were pretty fun.

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, the usual story... a Maori person begins to accumulate some sort of wealth and power and immediately the Pakeha media establishment goes digging through their lives for some excuse to label them "scumbags", all the while claiming to be race-neutral...

Anna said...

Anon, I think that's a bit unfair - Maia would have an equal problem with any slum landlord of any race, I guarantee you.