As the forum title says, Rant and Rave. Mine.

[Dai]

Let me paint you a picture, not with actual paint but with words. Relax and use your imagination where my words fail to convey an impression.

Let me convey an idea. Agree or disagree with me please. I encourage you to do so as healthy debate is good. Please do not resort to name calling or finger poking as this will only reflect badly on yourself and those who hold similar views as yourself.

Here goes.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Imagine a country, very beautiful, very plesant. A country admired by a lot of other countries for those very virtues.

This country is very agrarian in its makeup. Its people are very hard working and honest.

This country undergoes changes, its ecconomy is stretched and the people grow very weary of the hardships, they miss the easier life they used to have.

This country elects a political party to govern it and to try and bring about the life that used to be.

Lets call this party the "National Labour" party. NL for short.

NL starts off with all the best intentions. It wants to look after the people who elected it, it wants the return of all that was. It wants its people proud of itself again.

Time progresses as it always does and NL has done great things but it feels it can do more. Rather than listen to its people NL decides that it knows what they want and will force those views on the people.

How do they go about it? They create scapegoats. Some avenue for the people to take the blame from themselves and place it on the heads of others "not like them".

This works fine. NL grows and grows. There are hiccups along the way but to get past them they find other scapegoats to take the fall or manufacture excuses for what they have done. All in the name of governing the country for the benifit of the people with regards to their (NL's) views and beliefs.

There are emotive issues that can be expolited. Make people worried about their safety and that of their family. Blame the scapegoats. Show that they (NL) is dealing with those scapegoats with very piublic events and acts.

NL is good, NL loves you. NL knows best for you.

Ban, imprison, exile, ridicule all those who oppose NL. They cant be good. Look what NL has done for the country.

When the people start to realise there is something wrong bring in more laws to make those thoughts or any act upon those thoughts, illegal and therefore a possible "scapegoat"

NL will look after you.

If NL get caught blatently breaking laws or their charter from the people then NL can just change the law retrospecively and make it legal. Any objectors can be made "scapegoats"

Years pass. NL has pervaded all aspects of life. No one moves, thinks or acts without the blessing of NL.

NL RULES

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Now lets insert a name.

Lets for hypothetical reasons call this imaginary country something we all know.

I know lets call it Germany.

Shall we set a date?

yes lets make it something from the past.

How about 1923-1938

We are superior. This was inn the past. We defeated NL in this country and it can never happen again because we are educated and politically correct.

Now look at this land we live in. Any similarities to be drawn from the political ineptitude and disregard for the populace, to be exposed.

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This is only imaginary. It is the rantings of a deluded citizen and should be ignored on the grounds that ypu may start to think.

All political power resides with the populace. If you choose to throw it away and your right to make choices then I honour your decision.

Please allow me the courtesy to exercise my rights and beliefs.

======================================


End of rant.

[MattRSK]

Counting bodies like sheep to the rythym of the war drum.

[James Deuce]

You're not from around here, are you?

[Str8 Jacket]

You're not from around here, are you?

Yes, but it appears he may have some good drugs.....

[onearmedbandit]

And in our country we SHARE our good drugs, damn it.

[MattRSK]

I found it a good read. Learn from history or be doomed to make the same mistake.

[Str8 Jacket]

And in our country we SHARE our good drugs, damn it.

Sorry man!

[Hitcher]

Please allow me the courtesy to exercise my rights and beliefs.

Mate, we've got MMP. We ain't going nowhere, apart from glacially to hell in a handcart.

[Storm]

Two words- there will come a time when they will be your guide

Vote. National

[Dai]

And in our country we SHARE our good drugs, damn it.

Salvia Divanorum. Available at any good "hemp" shop

Wonderful stuff and perfectly legal.

OOBE and pissed off works fine for me.

[Dai]

Mate, we've got MMP. We ain't going nowhere, apart from glacially to hell in a handcart.

When

I left NZ oh so many years ago there was "first past the post"

I came back to MMP

Still dont understand it.

You get people telling you what you can and cant do. Making laws, deciding what holiday they are going to spend your money on. Setting your moral standards (joke) etc, and they have never been given leave to do so by yourselves the voters.

This nation has a history of sheep raising. never realised it included the people too.

Reminds me so much of the sheep at the freezing works that led all the others in to the pens.

The Judas goat.


As to not being from around here I suppose I should refute that statement.

4th generation NZ.

Been away a long time though.

[Winston001]

Interesting stuff Dai. The thing is, the liberal steps legislated by Labour such as prostitution law reform, possible anti-smacking legislation, etc are all in various forms being considered or enacted in other social democracies. We aren't by any means leading the world.

I don't like the current government and their paternalistic mother-knows-best attitudes. Even so, we are still much more free today than we were 30 years ago and there are less rules in NZ than say, Australia. Never mind the EU.

[Ixion]

I,, Even so, we are still much more free today than we were 30 years ago,,

I'd challenge that.

[Skyryder]

You missed out one vital ingrediant and a critical one at that. The Brownshirts. I was going to include the SS but they fall outside the dates you quoted. It amazes me that many try and alighn our political sustem and the Labour Party in particular to that of Nazi Germany and that is what your post inferred. It dispalys a lack of knowledge of polical history.

Much of the PC legislation has been passed on MP conscience vote. Not party policy as many seem to think. The prostitution law reform is one example.

Skyryder

[MisterD]

Much of the PC legislation has been passed on MP conscience vote. Not party policy as many seem to think. The prostitution law reform is one example.

Skyryder

Ah yes, conscience votes or "How to force through unpopular legislation". It's an utter joke under MMP with a huge number of MPs not actually representing any of the electorate and owing their meal ticket to the party leadership...conscience my arse.

How many of these pieces of legislation would have been passed through if they were put to a referrendum? I'd hazard a guess none.