Confessions of  Greenpeace dropout. A new book released by one of the Greenpeace founding fathers.
Great to see an expose of the crux of the Great Green Deception. Green Politics had laudable aims in it’s inception, but has evolved very quickly into a thin veneer for promoting socialism.
Socialism has been enabled a new foothold by MMP type politics and also modern media, which allows the person who squeals the loudest to gain the most traction. All somebody needs to do is cast “the other guy”, as a bully, or advancing the “cause of the rich”, and they gain media time. We all know “the rich are pricks”, and the worst thing you can be guilty of in New Zealand is: “not be caring”. Fluffy bunny, woman’s rights advancing, tree hugging, type caring”. Â Both Metira Turei and Winston Peters are masters of this type of politics.
I’m not saying all Green M.P.s are misguided arseholes. Gareth Hughes stands on his own merits, for one; many in the software industry applaud his illuminating speeches on A.C.T.A.
I am saying a number of Green M.P.s have a socialist agenda that is not environmentally principled. New Zealanders, especially the young, don’t know this; we were never introduced to civics at school, as other countries are. Being uninformed, we may just vote Green because ‘we care’: “You can’t have people if we bugger the earth”. We vote Green because WE CARE.
There is only two “wings” of the political spectrum. I call the message of all parties on the political spectrum: “BUT WE REALLY CARE ABOUT YOU. “. Whoever squeals this the loudest pulls the most voters.
 On the right wing, we have the core belief in individualism: “We believe you have the tools to advance yourself, pay taxes and benefit society. You’re a good person. We care ABOUT YOU”. Fine for those who automatically have the tools to “make it”. But what about those born to drug abusers, the selfish and the “plain hopeless”?
In some countries they live on the streets. I’ve certainly walked past enough of them in San Francisco. In the past I came very close to being one of them, spending a couple of nights fending for myself, as a 20 yr old booze-hag before I knocked a gargantuan alcohol and pill habit. Others aren’t so lucky. I believe hapless individuals should be given a place in society – addicts kept safe, and square pegs tolerated or courted. Square pegs are often the artists or those who challenge societal constructs previously a “given truth”. Just look at the legislative changes advancing civil right over the last 20 years: Homosexual Law Reform, Prostitution Law Reform, and:
 “We’d like you to talk to your kids before you Beat Them”, Law Reform.
On the left wing, we have the thinking, that what is best for the collective is best for society: ” If you can’t do it for yourself, we’ll have a very expensive safety net to make sure you don’t fall through the cracks. We care ABOUT you”. And it takes endless tinkering to provide the best, most accountable government so the size of the civil service swells. And the level of resentment in the shrinking middle class swells to a commensurate degree. The burden of support falls upon them, you see:
 The “cradle to the grave” Net requires taxes. It also means the low bottom trends upwards as less pay taxes to support the ever increasing individuals fallen through the safety net. Hence the unconscious tax thrust to level everyone off at the same height; a vicious circle shrinking our tax base. “Spirit Level”, anybody? In New Zealand we call it the “Tall Poppy”, syndrome. Other countries call it Socialism.
We have long been enmired in the belief that big and successful = bad. Since 1985 those who experience the most success within New Zealand have been the ones to uproot the tall oaks, giving everyone else the vicarious thrill of kicking the loser. Instead of admiring greatness we admire those who topple greatness. John Key with, “A Time For A Change”, and WP with his “Teapottapes”, foothold into government are recent examples of a long held tradition.
That Lange, what a dag eh? He gave it to Uncle Sam and now we don’t get to lick the Great Country’s balls on a regular basis. The world now listens to US rather than the U.S. We taught other countries how to CARE.
But the worst thing that happened to New Zealand in many ways was the passing of the nuclear free legislation.
WHAT!!! You say, in many ways that is the core of New Zealand’s identity. Yes it has possibly kept us free of strife. I remember the feeling of relief at Clark’s NZ government  keeping New Zealand out of Iraq, I consciously thought: “Phew”, “We won’t be terrorist targets”.
There are plenty that will say the U.S. invited it upon themselves anyway with their oil-fancying ways  and why should we jump into the fray? I can’t understand this myself, though I am not saying there is no corruption in politics. It’s the Big Boi bribery ways that arguably gave Occupy a voice.
I am saying oil is great and is the heart of scientific progress. Â It is Luddite to believe otherwise, but we happily chirrup bout the folly of peak oil. I am surprised the U.S. considers us as friendly as it does.
 And it is self evident that the good guys aren’t the woman circumcising, Airplane Terrorist, type of  guys. Bad guys also tend not to hold democratic elections. However circa 2005, the widely held vew was that the U.S. had their sticky fingers in the Oil Pie, so maybe there was causality, and probably it wasn’t our battle.
Our position of being a lily-livered fence-sitter, caring about everyone else but not caring about upholding democracy, or ensuring we advance the drivers of our economy, means we are not long from losing our economic sovereignty.
Case in point:
Think we just have to be nice and suck up to the U.S. and the big bad Republicans will “care enough” to let in our dairy?
It’s a bit different from apples across the Tasman guys. We harbor socialist tendencies and while the U.S is relatively immune from this being a Republic and particularly with The First Amendment; the U.S. doesn’t want to give the Spirit Level folk too much of a voice. New Zealand has two left leaning major “centre”, parties. The U.S has two right leaning political parties. Neither wants  Occupy Oakland using the example of NZ to throw up a Mana party or a WP, to usher in MMP. I predict it will be a long time before NZ has open trade links with the great Uncle Sam. You see, open trade links means greater mingling of culture between the countries.
