Election billboard war of words under way on Kapiti Coast
By Queenie Rikihana
Who’s hoarding (most of) the roadside Election billboard space?
No prizes – right. It’s obviously National party as one can’t turn a corner or zoom along State Highway 1 without seeing masses of the powder blue hoardings of our incumbent government.
I chose this topic for my first because I’m trying to get a ‘local’ feel for this election.
What’s interesting is what’s not on the billboards.
Phil Goff goes missing
Missing is Phil Goff’s pic alongside the new Labour Otaki nominee Peter Foster. Not so Otaki MP Nathan Guy who’s hardly seen without John Key.
And where are the rest of the political parties?
Well, on SH1 to Levin the Maori Party and Tariana Turia have three, Labour four, NZ First one, and none for thge Green Party or Mana Party.
Actually, though, I make the Greens the winners in content. It’s clever to portray our ‘future’ with good looking healthy children set in a pristine natural location. I noted ,too, the boy is wearing a pounamu.
So how about content? Well two weeks ago when I started thinking about this topic it was just Labour who had policy billboards reminiscent of the party pledges of Labour’s Helen Clark two elections ago.
Labour kicks off
Labour’s campaign has just started and they’ve come out saying they will not have a Presidential style campaign featuring leader Phil Goff. Wise move and we had already noticed.
Locally, they have had smaller signs outlining the No Asset Sales, $15 minimum wage and Capital Gains Tax promises.
Although Key unveiled his seven party policy platforms on October 11, few appeared here before this last week. They are pledging to get tough on crime, rebuild Christchurch, balance the books, etc.
And now – the only game in town
So after the Rugby World Cup and now that the golden Webb trophy is in the cabinet, hold tight for the only game in town till November 26, with election ad campaigns on TV and in the press.
Personally I still long for the McGillicuddy Serious party candidate who made some humorous local pledges in the 1984 – 1999 era.
The following one was made when beachside house prices were leaping ahead of income: When asked by a reporter what the candidate would do for Kapiti voters he replied – (I paraphrase) “We will be towing Kapiti Island out to sea because, quite frankly, it spoils the view.”
Priceless.
As usual all parties are ignoring the facts of life, and just spinning what they think people want to hear.
The international Energy Agency and the governments own advisers are saying the world hit peak oil back in 2005 – 2006, and that the decline could be as high as 9.1% once we start to drop off the production plateau later this year or 2012.
So clearly we are not heading for a ‘brighter future’ and I would think flicking some assets now while they are worth something might be the prudent action, I mean when we are facing a massive shortfall in aviation fuel, rendering most airports just large slabs of worthless concrete, why not sell them ?
And as our power grid is also very dependent on global oil extraction, it might be a good idea to get a few bucks now rather than wait till the grid is just a large clothesline.
Also the plan by both parties to introduce changes to the growth based ponzi savings scam Kiwi Saver, shows they are not listening to their own advisers. The economy needs to grow at 2-3% for Kiwi Saver to work, if you had invested in the New York Stock Exchange in 2000 with your Kiwi Saver funds, they would be worth about 10% of their 2000 value now …… retire on that if you can.
Our so called leaders are no better than the leaders of Easter Island, who told their people to make bigger and bigger statues, as the gods would smile on them and reward them for their hard work …. ended in mass starvation and cannibalism.
The Green party are also just playing the game, with not only supporting the very system that is killing the environment of those billboard children (Kiwi Saver) but also pretending there will be 100,000 ‘green jobs’ going forward, there will be 100,000+ ‘green jobs’ but not the ones the Greens are picturing, more like serfdom and slavery than people dancing off into the fields singing kay (que) sera, sera.
So we have another con job foisted on the dumbed down public, by criminals who make out they are trustworthy people with our best interests at heart, rather than short sighted despots who would sell there mother for a vote. Or as they are actually doing – selling the children’s future for short term selfish gains.
But at least you can vote …….. lol