More Thrill of Phil

A number of bloggers have comment on the fact that this pamphlet was apparently paid for by the taxpayer, as usual. If so, then it is a complete waste of money, whatever your political leanings, as it has to be the most pointless political tract I have ever seen.

What exactly were the producers of this pamphlet thinking of? OK, I think Phil Goff is probably hard working, but then so are dozens other MPs, so that is hardly a distinguishing feature. I have no idea what a “fierce belief in New Zealand” is supposed to mean, but it sounds vaguely nuts. I note that only Winston Peters got away with being openly contemptuous of the New Zealand population, and that caused his eventual downfall. So most politicians could be said to “believe” in New Zealand, fiercely or gently.

But the best bit has to be “inspiration”. I can think of many things to call Phil Goff, but inspiring isn’t one of them. After all, when I talk about the Thrill of Phil, I am, of course, being sarcastic (just in case you hadn’t spotted that). The trouble is that he not only does not inspire me, he clearly does not inspire anyone. We are talking about a man whose approval rating barely registers above statistical noise.

This is not entirely Goff’s fault. He is still clearly the face of the previous administration and old governments are, by definition, not exciting.

Unfortunately, this means that National can continue to coast along, because the current opposition is not seen to be providing anything fresh or new.  I have argued in the past and reiterate today that National needs an effective opposition to keep itself from sliding into it’s comfort zone. A good opposition can help a government produce better thought-out policy as they are force to justify and back up each piece of new legislation they produce. A lackluster opposition means a lackluster parliament.

Frankly, if it wasn’t for the Greens, you would think there wasn’t a left wing anymore.