Tin Pot Kumara Dominion

On ACT’s Takeover Of The Government Agenda

Thursday, 15 August 2024 - Gordon Campbell

The ACT Party won only 8.6% of the vote last year, so how come it seems to be driving about 75% of the government’s agenda?

It's quite surreal to watch a country move from kindness to selfishness.

It's also a bit weird to watch the majority party be led by the nose by the two minority parties of the coalition. Having said that, I'm not sure National are actually bothered as Act and NZ First are merely saying / doing what they would want to say but feel hamstrung by history and legacy.

I now also think these three will be back following the next election.

Yes, they are hurting people, they are fucking up the environment, they're killing the economy, and they've no plans that doesn't involve ensuring rich multinationals and friends benefit. 

They're doing all that in such a way that their voting base isn't really feeling it. It's not really pinching, it's not quite making them sit up and notice.

It will, and when they do it'll be a whole new government with people looking back and wondering how we all survived it.

It will also take a more active and passionate opposition. The two smaller parties, Green and Te Pāti Māori are focussed internally and Labour are faffing around because ... because ... actually I don't know why, why are they faffing around?

Don't get me wrong, there are some policies from this Government I agree with. I totally applaud the bi-partisan approach to large scale infrastructure needs - whether political parties can make it happen is yet to be seen.

But smoking, guns, mining, roads only ... all seems so retro and big industry focused. And driven by the minority parties.

It's funny, this Government is desperate to be seen as an equal partner of the Five Eyes countries, this is gonna backfire big time and we will end up on the wrong side of history.

We'll end up a tin pot kumara ex-dominion, and not a tin pot banana republic as Winston is wont to say.

And those are my reckons, yes they are!