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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Arthur Bennett on the 'blue boat'

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OPINION: The National Party advertisement shows a sleek, expensive, racing hull manned by a team of handsome heroes, in smart, expensive, blue uniforms.

The opposition are seen as dumpy persons clad in motley red or green, muddling about in an unseaworthy little tub.

Good, clean, pre-election fun- poking perhaps, but sadly it betrays a condescending attitude much more divisive and scornful of New Zealand society than the presumed bickering in the opposition’s boat.

There is no excuse for such class arrogance. Success, we are persuaded, lies with the golden youth of our nation, the sort of affluent young athletes who row as a hobby.

Proud as we are of our Olympic champions, they are not the average Kiwi.

A better nautical image for Aotea-Roa might be a double- hulled Polynesian canoe, a waka hourua, each hull separate but bound together, ensuring stability and a shared destination through negotiation and collaboration.

Crew could wear red and green in puerile political symbolism, but I would much prefer to show distinctive Maori, Samoan, Indian, European and Asian faces to truly represent our multicultural society. Rite, ko te rite! Rite, ko te rite! Tiaia, a tiaia. Toki hika toki! Altogether, altogether now.

ARTHUR BENNETT



Hastings

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Yep NZ will be a wonderful place to live as long as you are employed on a high wage, are healthy and already educated and preferably under 40 years old and are happy swimming in chlorinated pools. Just need to learn not to catch the eye of anyone who is struggling or in need while on the way for your Sunday latte. Its not about us its about me me me me me.

Unknown said...

And when did anyone think that being a slug or slater of whatever is of any use to society. The genuine hard working NZ'er would never get a word in when it comes to cabinet ministers but nowadays these slimy assholes are treated like they are in some way important. Self importance does not count its what someone achieves and as for Cameron slug or slater what will he ever be able to look back on as something he has contributed to society. Like a slater he needs a sack to hide under

robertguyton said...

But, Philip, the vocal supporters of Key are in no way deterred by these revelations of dirty politics, in fact, they are presently strengthening their belief that the Left are playing dirty, by asking about the behaviours revealed. That's you and me, Philip. We're the dirty ones. The game is getting sicker and sicker. My hope is that deep down, New Zealanders will be turning against dirty behaviour such as that of Key and Slater.
My feeling is, despite the whipped-up 'news' and polls, that will happen. Thousands and thousands are appalled and if they vote, they'll vote Key and his foul crew out.