Hi di hi. Sorry this months post is a bit late. I will try to put up another next week commenting on the election. My thoughts are that whilst the main parties are still flying high,their days are numbered. It is amazing getting around the district and talking to people who completely unprovoked say they are voting for parties firmly to the right of the political spectrum. 2 Parties in particular, being ACT and the Advance NZPP . I am not pulling your leg. My view is that the true blue voter has had enough of an arrogant party machine with the “we know best” attitude. A good case in point is the 2 tick message. Vote for the candidate and give us your party vote. Hello. That is not how MMP works and I have discussed this some months ago after I had attended the southern nth Is regional Nats conference. Remember the one where I got hauled off to the naughty boys corner and given a lesson in MMP?
I started to think that Ms Collins was perhaps going to be okey and the Nats were changing policy direction and this cross party concensus was out the door, but no there it is splashed over bill boards. Give us your party vote. 2 ticks?
Yesterday I opened the Farmers Weekly and the following dropped out. Sink or Swim. Derek Danials spent a bit of money and got the flyer printed and posted out. He tells me that the NZ Herald was also very accommodating . I was surprised as I heard via a media stream that Jacinda had given the NZ media $50 million to turn a blind eye to all things difficult about NZ Agriculture leading up to the election. Then just this week another $100 mill to Northland Marae for up grades. aka bribe for votes.
You will remember I wrote about the Maori Party after last election when I wrote that I wondered if Maori had jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Voting labour Maori have certainly done very well. But I wonder if every day normal get on with life Maori are happy with the negative out come that have been the result. NPSFW. After all I quoted some yrs ago a poll that Horizons Regional Council conducted re swim-able rivers. Seems most people were happy with the water quality, although they did not swim in rivers or streams, preffering the local municiple pool. So it will be interesting to see how both the Maori Party and Labour fare regarding Maori voting.
Next I wish to comment on the excellent article/opinion written in the Rural News ,October the 6th. Process questioned. An award winning environmentaly focused farmer Jane Smith says Minister Parker is way out of line, skipping procedure and leaping laws to get his water quality regulations passed into law. Whats new. You have read it all . This is a very good article and good on the Rural News for printing it. Everything you have read in this blogg is covered in this article. Shame is that the media will not have a bar of me or my blog. Last month or so there have been articles written in both farming mags of a similar vein, including ,statements such as the Goal Posts keep on shifting. All this, particpants to the Horizons Regional Councils infamous ONE PLAN submission process found. Took us a while to figure out that it was the Govt of the Day, both Labour and National were driving the process. Of course the odd minister stood up and told those of us who bothered to attend. SORT it or I will Sort YOU. That was minister Carter. Well it seems somebody higher up decided to sort him as he disappeared before he could and we ended up up with Mr nice Guy Nathan Guy.
A good read www.ruralnews.co.nz
Please read Derek’s mailer found below.