State of Emergency
I went to sleep in a Democracy and woke up to the specter of a Totalitarian future.
Last night, parliament unanimously voted to grant Gerry Brownlee dictatorial powers (1, 2, 3). I can't think of any politician in Australia, the US or UK who has enjoyed such powers in modern history. The Greens and ACT "expressed reservations" but... obediently voted in favor, so as not to appear not to be supporting The Troops Cantabrians. Some sycophantic press outlets are already crowing about how Gerry will make the trains run on time.
The excuse of course is the current state of emergency (not of course the first or even the worst emergency NZ has had to endure), but granting such powers to a politician is like feeding human flesh to a tiger. It used to be that the office of PM was as high as any MP could hope to go, now the example of Gerry, Czar of all the Canterburys will dangle before them all, Left and Right, like a ripe, luscious fruit.
In short, we are all so totally f*cked. Not today, not tomorrow, but one day, and probably within our lifetimes, or those of your children. We're on the slippery slope to hell.
I doubt most of you have noticed.
Last night, parliament unanimously voted to grant Gerry Brownlee dictatorial powers (1, 2, 3). I can't think of any politician in Australia, the US or UK who has enjoyed such powers in modern history. The Greens and ACT "expressed reservations" but... obediently voted in favor, so as not to appear not to be supporting The Troops Cantabrians. Some sycophantic press outlets are already crowing about how Gerry will make the trains run on time.
The excuse of course is the current state of emergency (not of course the first or even the worst emergency NZ has had to endure), but granting such powers to a politician is like feeding human flesh to a tiger. It used to be that the office of PM was as high as any MP could hope to go, now the example of Gerry, Czar of all the Canterburys will dangle before them all, Left and Right, like a ripe, luscious fruit.
In short, we are all so totally f*cked. Not today, not tomorrow, but one day, and probably within our lifetimes, or those of your children. We're on the slippery slope to hell.
I doubt most of you have noticed.