The current National government is one of the worst in Aotearoa's history. And because of this, its also one of the most unpopular. A war on Māori, corrupt fast-track legislation, undermining the fight against climate change, the ferry fiasco, the school lunch disaster... none of these policies are making friends. People want them gone, and want the next government to make repealing them its first item of business. So naturally, Chris Hipkins has said he'll keep them all:
He also used his speech to advocate for a more collaborative approach to governing, referencing the coalition’s decisions to reverse many of Labour’s policies.Or, to put it another way, "don't vote for us, because we won't change anything".“I am not going to stand here and ask you to give your support to the Labour Party just so we can put everything back in place - and start the merry-go-round again,” he said.
“And I can assure you we aren’t going to spend our first year back in government pausing, cancelling, and reviewing everything.
“No more throwing the baby out with the bathwater just to make a political point.”
And Labour wonders why people have such contempt for them...
But this isn't just about Labour's spinelessness - its also a problem for our democracy. Because if elections don't change anything, if we just get the same shit policies delivered by the same apparatchiks, if major party collusion means the only real difference between them is the colour of their tie, then our democracy is simply a fraud and a scam. And if enough people get that idea, then we might actually try and change things for real, by means other than elections. And that's not the sort of outcome anyone should want.
