Why don't you run for office?
I'm making the bold assumption, that most people here are not running, in either local body or national elections.
Everyone loves the complain about what "public servants" do. So why not step up and do something about it?
No accusation intended or implied. Just curious.
Being a politician sounds like hell to me, half the people automatically hate you, and just way too much bullshit you have to put up with. I also don't think I'd be particularly good at it.
Being PM would be hell, but IMO the lower down MP's don't get anywhere as much attention.
I agree, that if you have a high profile portfolio, then only having 50% hate you is good going.
Something also worth pointing out, MPs work some bizarre hours, see the house sitting hours below.
Not charismatic, not empathic and when im annoyed I get increasingly more unhinged. Even if people 100% agreed with my ideas I doubt they would accept how I try to get there.
Also if I ran someone would probably find an audio clip of me saying the n word on Cod as a teenager and destroy my career.
I dont want someone like me to represent a wide group of people. I can only represent myself and my own interests.
I don't have a better answer than I just don't want to. I don't want to be a public figure. I don't want to be always working. I don't even want to talk to people. I'd make a terrible politician.
And then there's the part where you want to enact change but the system is rigged against you.
I’d make a terrible politician.
That leads to the question....what makes a good politician?
I'm assuming you mean someone who is good for the country (someone we should want to represent us) and not someone who is good at playing the politics game (Winston Peters being an example of the latter and not the former).
I think a politician needs to be able to answer to their constituents. If someone comes and asks why you voted a particular way you need to have an answer (that is not just the party told me to). This includes being able to explain when you voted for something you didn't agree with because of the party direction. They would need some really good people skills and conflict resolution skills.
I think a good politician should have influence in their party, and influence that party to aim for long term goals even at the risk of not being voted in for the next election. Doing what is right for the country not right for the party.
Outside of that, I think you get into some specific skills for ministers and select committees, etc, that are not necessarily "politician" skills. Prime Minister is another specific skill that is hard to really nail down.
I'm just rambling really, I'm making this up as I go as I don't really know what would make a good politician. I think I'd recognise it when I see it, which I hope will happen within my lifetime 😅
That leads to the question…what makes a good politician?
Someone who can turn the country around 180 degrees and tie up all the loose ends. Changing heaps of things at once if they must. Like Vladimir Putin in the 2000s or Donald Trump in the past 5-6 weeks. Rightly or wrongly! History will be written. I'm one of those impatient people who despises the Barack Obamas and the Mitt Romneys. I've heard enough about abortion, healthcare and ram-raids and the same old talking points ad nauseum.
Impossbile, I'm not even allowed to vote where I live. :(
Because I lack the physical capability to do the job if elected.
I'm actually at a stage in life where I think I'd probably do more good than harm, but ironically the same thing giving me enough free time to contemplate running for something is the thing that prevents me from being able to.
I do have a strong desire to try to improve society somewhat.
Of the people I know personally who ran for local body, two are now on council, one was too eccentric to make it, and one had to back away because of the intensity of hate that can be directed at young families by some members of the public on an opposing side of the political spectrum.
I once thought hey maybe I could just join a campaign on good days lying down to raise awareness, but that last person's fate put me off that as well.
Because people wouldn't vote for me. Because I haven't found a think tank to fund my campaign.
Because people wouldn’t vote for me.
Where are you based, and do you care about local council issues? You can at least start with community board.
I don't look, talk, or think like a politician, not even the ones that are on the community board.
I know this because I have attended many forums and talked to many local politicians.
If you wanted to represent your views; go forth!
I'm Pakeha*, middle-class, male and (getting) old(er). I'm already over-represented.
Also, there's a difference between moaning about the public servants that are employed to do the will of the government, versus elected representatives who try to impose their will. I think its fine to complain about the latter if they're doing stuff you disagree with. Though the majority of complaints about local government are horrendously uninformed and wrong. But that's the world we live in.
*can anybody point me to how to access special characters in gnome?
You could try enabling the compose key
I stopped using Gnome a few years ago, I'm running on Cinnamon now.
For me it is ralt, then hold ralt and hit e twice = ə; a twice = å; c twice = č, s twice = ß; ralt then 1 then 4 = ¼…there are alot; and ā = ralt then a then minus
I looked up the process just to get on the ballot for my local council and it was a mess of paperwork. The county even reccomends having a lawyer do it because of all the headaches. I could easily go to every door in my section of town in an afternoon. The system is rigged by political parties.
It seems like a long game, with a lot of work (and a bit of luck) to get to somewhere of note (ie, an MP position).
Running as an independent is about as likely for success as Seymour’s school lunch program.
So you need to get yourself into a party. But you can’t just rock up to your party of choices offices and have them put your name next to their logo in the next election.
And if you do slog through however many years of volunteering and lower level staff jobs, there’s still no guarantee you’ll even get a shot at a candidate opportunity.
And if you do get a shot, you’re at the whim of the party, at least until you’ve made a name for yourself.
So you need to get yourself into a party. But you can’t just rock up to your party of choices offices and have them put your name next to their logo in the next election.
Just wait another 10 years for Megan Woods to resign and they will open a new position lol
A long game indeed, but it could be worth it for some.
I'd register as a Christchurch council candidate but only if someone would pay the fee. I'm broke and in my thirties, I had more money when I was 19-23 lol. Good news though, my friend Vince McLeod became press secretary for NZ Loyal, and I'll be voting for Kelvyn Alp. They got rid of Liz Gunn, and Kelvyn actually cares about housing. On rare occasions I'll write to Kelvyn on Signal or Telegram. He doesn't have millions of dollars, he's just a political activist who knows a lot of people. Whereas most of Parliament are lawyers or from business.
Politics is largely a waste of time, but if you're outside politics you can still meet like-minded people and at least keep ideas flowing. Perhaps change public opinion slowly over time. I'd love to see these middle age and elderly councillors get voted out, but I don't know who's going to run - probably a university student in their early 20s who thinks that they know everything? I'm not going to vote for a university student or university graduate who's into climate change and lgbt as their main ideologies. Parliament is already full of these people. Even Christopher Luxon, a supposed right-winger, says that climate change is real and that he enjoys the Big Gay Out. You kind of have to say these things to get on television and radio, but we all know it's insincere marketing, and for some reason we go along with it.
I'm so far to the right that I view Christopher Luxon as a progressive, but for me it isn't about political spectrums or ideology, it's about energy. I'm in favour of expanding the school lunch programme to the point of having on-site catering, with actual chefs, not just sandwich makers on a temporary contract. Is that right wing? I want a country I can be proud of, and I think that we need something like "patriotism" or "national pride". Those words mean different things to different people. Anyway, it's an untapped resource - national pride. Labour may have built the school lunch programme but I still resent that they don't make food on site at the schools. Other countries do it, and by not having this programme on site, we are behind other countries. I'm not proud of what NZ has become.
Millions of dollars wasted in Afghanistan, and we can't even have a good school lunch programme. My opinion: if you don't have any passion or energy then don't get into politics, do something boring instead. Don't reinvent the wheel. Politics is so dogmatic and plain here in New Zealand. I'd be happy to run as a candidate but I won't do media interviews or any of the other stuff that I described above. People are tired of the B.S. and we need to get to the point. Instead of asking "what are your policies" I'd ask people "what do you want" or "what would make you proud to be a New Zealander".