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New Zealand General Elections...WTF Happened!!!!


Alexjc

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The global slide towards nationalism has finally arrived in New Zealand with the Hung Parliament result of the 2017 General Election.

Under MMP, the incumbent National Party has failed to get enough of the party vote to lead ahead of a resurgent Labour Party without the help of New Zealand First Party, the nationalist leaning creation of Winston Peters. 

Labour can form an alternative centre left government with the help of the Green Party that just made it back over the 5% threshold to get MPs into the House (they didn't win any seats) - But only if NZ First sides with them.

National lost three of it's allied parties with both Maori Party and United Future falling well below the 5% threshold and not gaining seats. The third party, right leaning ACT Party retained it's only seat but also fell well below the threshold.

Winston Peters lost his seat of Northland but his party gained nearly 8% of the vote and giving him the controlling  9 seats to negotiate with either main Parties.

Peters is well known in the region for his Trump like rhetoric that is more akin towards the likes of One Australia, UKIP, or France Nationale. He is also the longest serving politician having been in the House since 1982 - apart from three years out in 2008-11. 

The general feeling in NZ over the last couple of years is the massive economic boom hasn't really served the majority...The country has serious social issues such as unaffordable housing, child poverty, and a growing drug problem affecting law and order...all this as inbound migration continues to strain the country's infrastructure.

New roads, rail connections and utilities are being built or promised...But the biggest issue is NZ can't build houses fast enough, at an affordable price, thus casing social unrest. The average price of a house in Auckland is approximately $1 000 000.00. 

The election campaign has seen outrageous promises being made but as we know, most will go unfulfilled.

There is now a general feeling that Globalization, something NZ helped create, is failing under the current model and NZers fear as the world falls apart that it's time to close the fortress gates and slow down immigration. 

Social issues are also under scrutiny. Some parties offered a referendum on Euthanasia and decriminalization of Marijuana...and this has angered the Right.   The feeling is that the country is losing it's moral compass and some are looking towards Australia and it's Yes/No vote on same sex marriage as an example to help settle the issues here.

Winston Peters has pounced on all of this and since you really can't define New Zealand First as either Left nor Right or Centrist - would that make them National Socialists? (but are pro Israeli) They sure sound like it...

 

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*sigh* I have no clue about NZ politics, but replace it with „Germany“ in the thread title and we‘ll have mostly the same here in 24 hours (except for no party wanting to get into bed with the right-wing populist, not-well-hidden fascist AfD who‘s likely to debut in parliament, probably even as 3rd biggest party).

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39 minutes ago, StefanMUC said:

*sigh* I have no clue about NZ politics, but replace it with „Germany“ in the thread title and we‘ll have mostly the same here in 24 hours (except for no party wanting to get into bed with the right-wing populist, not-well-hidden fascist AfD who‘s likely to debut in parliament, probably even as 3rd biggest party).

Similar Mix Member Proportional Representative style of Parliament/Bundestag...you pretty much hit it right on, ours is modeled on Germany's.

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6 minutes ago, StefanMUC said:

Ah. Well with „mostly the same“, I meant the WTF result actually.

Sadly...It seems to be a current Western theme over the last few years. New trade Blocs are being created and a nasty case of Haves v Have not's is the norm. We are now so protective of our wealth the we feel threatened by those of the downtrodden that want to come in create some for themselves.

I never thought NZ would fall for this...We came across as one of the more liberal nations out there. I hope that the current standing National led government can work out an acceptable deal with NZ First - they have in the past, but it didn't end well. Labour has also worked with NZF under Helen Clarke, but they were more left leaning which suited peters fine because he got a plumb Cabinet position. 

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While I've seen plenty of coverage of the German elections in the British media, I've seen nothing of the New Zealand situation to a point where this is actually the first I knew there had been an election. Sounds like it's rather a mess over there (seems to be the time for it). Any idea what the most likely way forward is?

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Very little mainstream news coverage about the NZ election here too Stateside. Then again, does NZ have much global gravitas for us here from down under? They're used to it coming from us. Not even John Oliver's show dealt with it. Do agree with Arwebb, Alexjc, and StefanMUC that the end results seem to be more of a mess/WTF moment down there, and now in the West more nationalistic fervor tends to be the order of the day with its momentum. Even one like New Zealand that's regarded as a more liberal nation, as Alexjc says.

Do agree the mounting NZ poverty and the political nastiness it generates is a major issue. But many nations are enduring the growing wealth and income gaps between the rich and the poor worldwide.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 9/26/2017 at 12:19 PM, Durban Sandshark said:

Very little mainstream news coverage about the NZ election here too Stateside. Then again, does NZ have much global gravitas for us here from down under? They're used to it coming from us. Not even John Oliver's show dealt with it. Do agree with Arwebb, Alexjc, and StefanMUC that the end results seem to be more of a mess/WTF moment down there, and now in the West more nationalistic fervor tends to be the order of the day with its momentum. Even one like New Zealand that's regarded as a more liberal nation, as Alexjc says.

Do agree the mounting NZ poverty and the political nastiness it generates is a major issue. But many nations are enduring the growing wealth and income gaps between the rich and the poor worldwide.

BIG SWING TO THE LEFT!!!! The worst form - extremism.

THE RETURN OF FORTRESS NEW ZEALAND!

Yet another fair and balanced country has fallen under the Trump wave.

New Zealand, long considered a safe haven against the mess the world is in has closed the doors to the outside world.

 Largely ignored around the World, simply because it's government was seen as prosperous and stable, the general election last month threw up a spectacular no result. 

There was a considerable seismic shift to the left, but not enough to give Labour a clear majority over what is still a very popular and progressive National led coalition.

This left the only minor party that could help create a government - New Zealand First, led by the pugnacious Winston Peters. Seen as out Donald Trump, he is well known for NZF's anti-immigration stance and retaining control of all NZ's essential assets.  These policies will now take effect.

New Zealand will have it's youngest Prime Minister since the 1850s in Jacinda Ardern at only 37 years. Winston Peter's political career is older than her.

New Zealand DOES have social issues that desperately need addressing.

Poverty - I've never seen so many homeless people sleeping rough, even in the tourist and smaller towns

Home Ownership - This has fallen to 50%, from 80%. We just can't build houses fast enough.

Health and Safety - higher rates of mental illness, obesity, hospital wait lists...

Over Immigration - It's obvious...very obvious these days, a double edge sword as NZ is in it's biggest economic boom ever that shows no sign of easing up - we need a workforce and immigration is the only answer...but causes all the above problems.

Que Winston Peters' NZ First and Labour - they jumped on the global wave of Nationalism now taking hold as countries turn away from globalization.

You will be welcomed as tourists and working tourists, but don't expect to be invited to stay as easy as it has been.

 

 

 

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