Growing up in small town, Hastings, New Zealand during the 1970s I was an average boy from a poor family, in spirit and financial acuity, who didn't really aspire to anything above my position in life. Sure, I dreamed of getting out of the life I found myself born to and found an inspiration in my otherwise hopeless Father, in that he worked hard and did his best to provide for his family. I inherited his resounding spirit of working hard for a living and along with my Mothers ability to make my Dads meager wages stretch further than Jonah Lomu could run, I have managed to do quite well in life.
It is often ,as one starts out in life, that ones social outlook on life is formed. The fact you might be born into a certain family background and have particular experiences because of that background can shape how one makes decisions latter on in life and ones general view on how things should be. A political view if you like.
Hopefully one is not stuck in that mold for life though. As an individual grows he becomes more independent and wants to make "his own way in life".
I remember, especially growing up during my High School Years at Hastings Boys, how if you had a talent, especially an academic one, that it was derided and considered negative if you did well at it.
I excelled at an early age in Economics. My home life afforded me the ability to work out that if you could understand how to work hard and save your money, you would be able to get yourself out of the working class background that you found yourself born to.
My school mates however found that continuing to come first in class in Economics wasn't something that was positive at all, in fact I was given hell for excelling at a subject that I loved and understood very well. Collectively bullying an individuals success was the programmed response. Welcome to the New Zealand Socialist grounded, knocking machine!
In places like the United States achieving such a feat was celebrated and you were set apart from your peers because you had worked hard and done well. In New Zealand the Socialist knocking machine didn't allow for you to stand out from your peers for doing well. Those that did better than the average were always treated by others badly because clearly there was a pervading jealousy that came out in them as their efforts never quite got them there.
The answer was to pull achievers down to their level.
Nothing much has changed today. The great Kiwi Socialist knocking machine has reared its ugly head in the New Zealand Parliament. Ever since John Key popped his head above the parapet and became leader of the Opposition his success in life has become the stuff of derision , envy, jealousy and avarice from the Labour Government.
At no time has this vindictive, nasty,cancerous attitude towards individual success been more apparent than during the last few weeks in the house.
Helen Clarke and her "House-Yard" bullies have been braying and knocking at John Key simply because of the achievements he has made during his very distinguished career in the finance industry. He has educated himself at University, worked hard in his chosen career and made allot of money. Something to be looked up to one would think?
Not in this country and certainly not by those in the Labour Government.
John Key grew up in from very humble beginnings coming from a poor background and working hard to achieve in life.
His position therefore in a political party in opposition to a Socialist, collective, Labour Government is an anathema to Helen Clarke and her comrades. Ironically Clarke is from a privileged farming background and learnt her socialist ways from the theories expounded from communist dictum's read at Auckland University. John Key grew up with a socialist background and managed to break free from the socialist collectivism that restrains individuals from being themselves. Helen Clarke and Micheal Cullen learnt at Auckland University in the 1970s to do the very opposite.
It is from this perspective of a "everyone is equal" collective ideal and theory learnt at University that Labour has attacked John Keys individual achievements in life and every piece of policy and thinking coming from Labour sets out to stifle individuality, achievement and the possibility that ones endeavours could put them in the spotlight because they have worked hard and their efforts have put them in a position that should be admired rather than derided and chided by those either too lazy or not talented enough to want to stand out from the crowd.
In fact mediocrity and laziness is rewarded by Labour. Two glaring examples , High School pupils get passes in subjects at school for picking up litter and unmarried mothers get welfare from taxpayers to have children.
Incidentally in Labours efforts to fashion New Zealanders as "equal" and have "equal opportunity of outcomes" the same collective missives don't apply to those that deem themselves worthy that they know best, have New Zealanders best interests at heart and are doing for the collective Kiwi nation what is best for them. That is Socialism at work though. The anointed deem themselves as above the very collective Socialist ideal that they wish for us and the epitome of this is evidenced in the arrogant and high handed manner of Helen Clarke in her attitude that would have her careen dangerously through a country town at high speed in her Limousine but would have an average member of the public lose their license and end up in court and Clarke seeing nothing wrong with that scenario at all. Telling lies to cover up what really happened was the means to make this episode look more palatable to the proletariat of course.
The bullying of John Key and his background and life achievements, in and outside the house, from the likes of Helen Clarke, Micheal Cullen, Trevor Mallard and Phil Goff reeks of envy and jealousy of the kind children would have when they see a child in the playground with a new bike. Rather than a base attitude that would have the collective playground pointing the finger at the individual on the new bike and making fun the collective should be asking themselves individually what one must do to get a shiny new bike for themselves !
What we are seeing in action at present is that John Key is a threat to Labours very core belief that the way for society to progress is for us all to move forward as a group, no one putting their head up , nobody really excelling. Key is a figure of success from a poor background that the majority of the Labour government have not experienced themselves and only read about in books at University.
He has managed, through hard work and obvious talent, to break away. John Key embodies everything that Labour hate. Individualism, capitalism, hard work and ambition to do better and most of all to be rewarded for doing so and they know this trait is latent in every individual .
John Key and successful individuals like him are role models to look up to rather than deride and be the butt of jealousy, envy and pure vindictive Socialist nastiness. The promise that he shows and the threat that he poses to the ideals and Socialist Fauvism that the Labour Government are wedded to, make him the target of their scorn. He encapsulates all that Labour believe should discouraged in society; a good role model to look up to , aspire to be like and be proud to lead a country towards social, moral and financial prosperity through individual pursuit and reward.
In him they can see the individual they would have liked to have been themselves and the possibility of him as Prime Minister in 2008 have them apoplectic with rage for they see in him their collective grip of a South Pacific Socialist Republic of Aotearoa slipping away day by day.
That is Labours agenda for us should they get another 3 years.
The alternative, while not perfect, is the possibility that New Zealanders may finally be free to make decisions for themselves, be responsible for their own lives and most importantly be rewarded for their efforts and achievements.
c Darren Rickard 2007
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