Island Life by David Slack

Can I just say that for all of the Green's "maypole-dancing, beancurd-eating, bicycle-embracing" image (quality editorialising by the Dom Post there), and ACT's business-at-all-cost policies, they're the only parties that wear their hearts 100% on their sleeve. I mean: they actually believe that what they say is true! Unlike National who consistantly say what they think you want to hear, and Labour that avoids saying anything substantial at all.

Though I voted Green last time round (gotta maintain that 5%), for the above reasons I'd vote ACT long before the Nats, Labour, NZF or UF.

You also need to let Mummy and Paul know if 'John' or 'Helen' or 'Rodney' or 'Winston' offer them sweeties or lollies out of a car parked in the street (or in Helen's case it might be moving quite fast) and Rodney is known to have some friends with a very yellow bus with big speakers on the roof and an oversized go-cart with a big picture of him on the outside.

They should also be aware that they might see large billboard sized posters of the aforementioned "electoral groomers" while they are coming home from school and they they should not be afraid to say that the words on the billboards make them feel bad, or that they do not believe what is written.

visions of Mum and Uncle Paul having given up and resort to drinking lots of rum n coke and changing the channels on TV... reminds me of a great little thing written by UK graffitti artist Banksy:

"You can win the rat race but you're still a rat

The human race is an unfair and stupid competition. A lot of the runners don't even get decent sneakers or clean drinking water.

Some runners are born with a massive head start, every possible help along the way and still the referees seem to be on their side.

It's not surprising a lot of peoploe have given up competing altogether and gone to sit in the grandstand, eat junk food and shout abuse.

What we need in this race is a lot more streakers"

Thanks for that, I nearly cried reading it.

A couple of elections ago, I came to the conclusion that the only one I trusted to do what he said he would do, was promising things I didnt want. (I was thinking of Anderton).

Now, I'm not even sure I'd trust him?

it comes down to not beleiveing they will or can do everything they proclaim, but having a gut feeling of whose basic aims are more closely aligned with your own, and thinking/hoping that when they (almost inevitably have to) make liars of themselves, they will do it in ways least objectionable to yourseelf, or on policies you care less about, and are pragmatic in ways you can cope with, idealogically.

Hardly a perfect system.

I have voted labour in the last few elections, not because I support them implicitly, but simply I found them less objectionable than the alternatives. Mr Key, as you suggest while seeming shiney and new, is hard to read (so far)... If I felt like I knew him better, (and I liked what I saw) he could turn that around. I dont know if theres a large group who feel this way, or if most people are more keenly aligned one way over another... but the two major parties are so close, that there only needs to be a few of us change our minds to swing it...

And I hope we get it right...

“On [this particular world], the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people.”

Odd,” said Arthur, “I thought you said it was a democracy.”

“I did,” said Ford. “It is.”

“So,” said Arthur, hoping he wasn’t sounding ridiculously obtuse, “why don’t the people get rid of the lizards?”

“It honestly doesn’t occur to them,” said Ford. “They’ve all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they’ve voted in more or less approximates the government they want.”

“You mean they actually vote for the lizards?”

“Oh yes,” said Ford with a shrug, “of course.”

“But,” said Arthur, going for the big one again, “why?”

“Because if they didn’t vote for a lizard,” said Ford, “the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?”

“What?”

“I said,” said Ford, with an increasing air of urgency creeping into his voice, “have you got any gin?”

“I’ll look. Tell me about the lizards.”

Ford shrugged again.

“Some people say the lizards are the best thing that ever happened to them,” he said. “They’re completely wrong of course, completely and utterly wrong, but someone’s got to say it.”