worryingly jolly batman (
labellementeuse) wrote2007-05-24 05:49 pm
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
(no subject)
I just got a begging-bowl letter from the National Party.
It was all about how John Key is a vision of the future.
I feel so... violated.
It was all about how John Key is a vision of the future.
I feel so... violated.
no subject
I don't understand why people are swinging to National. I can understand why they might not like Labour, but all the minor conservative parties at least have positions whereas National is just a blank.
no subject
First of all, I'm sure you don't approve of them, but National does indeed have policies. I can link you if you don't believe me.
But let's assume for the sake of the argument that you're right and National is indeed a policy blank. Why would people support it? Simple - most people, when entering a voting booth, don't ask themselves "which party's policies most closely match my own preferences?". They instead ask "do I like what the government's doing?" and if the answer is no, they vote for the party who they feel is most likely to depose it - which, for many people, is National. Maybe you've heard the saying that oppositions don't win elections, governments lose them? That's the phenomenon at work here. An opposition party only has to wait, pounce on anything dumb a government does, and try not to make itself look bad - something National has not managed to be the master of, possibly because many of its MPs have that Tory 'born to govern' thing going on and thus resent having to wait, particularly as they're getting longer in the tooth.
You are correct that National doesn't offer as comprehensive a rejection of Labour's values as say ACT or whatever new paleo-christian party Field and Copeland barf up between them, but I put that down to lingering FPP sentiment, allied to the fact that National is still bigger than any of those minor parties, and nothing succeeds like success.
no subject
I still think it would be fair to say that the other parties make a bigger deal of announcing the sorts of things that they would like to implement whereas National tends to simply talk about Want Tax Cuts.
I have heard the phrase "Government's Lose Elections" and find it to be very apt, I just wish it weren't so because it shows people reacting instead of finding out and pondering, if you see what I mean.
It was really less a swing at National and more of a swing at the people who don't really look into what they would like to see done. And, hey, I don't know them personally so maybe they really have looked into National and decided its most what they want, I've been very wrong in the past!
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
However! if you want to get on our mailing list so you can hear more about when we'll be starting up again, email choirsoc@gmail.com and ask to be added, and you'll get all the updated info and such. :)
no subject