An Investigation of Political Ideologies

I have tried to be, for most of my adult life, responsible and well balanced, and I have taken seriously my privilege of living in a democratic society. I vote whenever a vote is called for and to the best of my ability, I vote for what I see as the public good. I have never been called upon to serve as a juror but I can assure you that if I was, I would be the most conscientious juror on the bench. I am an assiduous record keeper. My personal accounts are impeccable and I never get into debt. I do not practise civil disobedience. If the sign says not to walk on the grass, I walk on the footpath. I put my groceries into an environmentally safe re-usable bag. I have never sullied my mind by watching pornography or wanton violence. I am polite and quiet and well behaved. I have never taken drugs. I have never been in jail, or a court of law for that matter either. I have been a good girl.

I was not well-educated at school but I went to university when I was older and got a Bachelor's degree in English. I then went to Teacher Training College and got a Diploma in Secondary Teaching. I have always been a great reader (one is never alone when one has a good book) and I married and have a batch of daughters.

However, as the Greeks said an unexamined life was not worth living, I have decided at this late stage to do some examining, to see whether my exemplary record of obedience and yea-saying is going to reward me with a crown of virtue - or even a pat on the back - from those authorities who have made all the rules for me to follow.

To do this examining has meant quite a lot of peripheral reading because when I dipped into the meanings of words like 'democracy' and 'public good' and 'civil disobedience' - not to mention the host of other words which appeared to be connected to these terms - I found that I had actually fallen into an area called 'Philosophy' and I wasn't sure at all if I should be there. Not only was it called philosophy, but there were sub-terms called 'ethics' and 'morals' and 'logic' and I thought 'Oh boy! Why weren't we taught things like this at school, when my brain was young and fresh and absorbent?'

At school we spent ages studying the feudal agricultural system in medieval England and nothing, it now seems, about the world we actually lived in. In my defense, I thought I knew what was going on for most of my life, but now it appears I missed practically everything. I wasn't even a cog in the machine. I think I was a very insignificant spare part stored away somewhere just in case. Of course I can blame quite a lot of my ignorance on the fact that it is common here in New Zealand, the Land of the Long White Shroud. Nobody really knows anything.

Let me re-phrase that. They used to know nothing, and then the internet came along!

There are certain salient facts you need to know about New Zealand before I can really get down to the task of sorting out political ideologies in my mind.

1. New Zealand is not a Pacific island with hula dancing women and an idyllic lifestyle. It is three islands in the edge of the Southern Ocean, which is COLD.

2. New Zealand is the windiest place in the world and Wellington is the windiest place in New Zealand. When I say wind, I mean at best a cold, uncomfortable, stiff breeze and at worst gale force winds when you just stay at home.

3. New Zealand has 4 million people but until 1990 it had 3 million people, two thirds of which lived in the top half of the North Island. Of the 1 million people who lived in the South Island, one third of these lived in Christchurch. Things haven't changed much since 1990. One can travel for miles here on marvellous country roads without seeing another car.

4. New Zealand is a primary producer - beef, dairy products, (for some reason milk here is dearer than petrol) sheepmeat and fruit. It is in competition with all other countries who produce such goods but is much further away. Nobody really wants New Zealand goods. There is also something about transport costs here which I must look into.

5. It is said that we have a Labour (cf Socialist) government here in New Zealand. I can remember many successive National (cf Republican or Conservative) governments which were absolutely no different to what we have now. Even now, National agrees with Labour on most issues and votes along with them.

6. New Zealand's favourite building materials are corrugated iron and number 8 wire. I kid you not.

7. Last but not least, (as I must finish this post and get on to the next one which begins to specifically detail the rise and why of political ideologies in New Zealand) a little story dating back to 1967.

I was staying in Wellington with Andrew and Marie Rogers. Andrew was 40, an ex merchant seaman with one eye (lost the other in a fight) who had been around the block more than once. He grew up in the Gorbals in Glasgow, at the time one of the roughest places in Scotland. Food was short, jobs were scarce, living conditions were harsh, and education was a luxury. Andrew liked New Zealand and decided to stay here, married Marie, and had been working for two or three years as a chef. One day Andrew said to me "You know Jude, there is something wrong with this country. I don't know what it is. People have everything - telephones, washing machines, schools with sports fields, playgrounds for children, good health care, everything is free - but there is something terribly wrong here and I can't work out what it is. The Gorbals was a terrible place to live but I would almost rather be back there than here. People in the Gorbals seemed to be happier and better people."

I had not been out of New Zealand at that time but when I did begin to travel I saw what Andrew meant. The odd thing is, things are even worse now than they were in 1967. This fact requires investigation as well.

Please bear with me anyone who reads this blog. I am trying to work things out for myself and I may make statements which, as I progress, I have to refute or re-phrase. I intend analysing different political ideologies ONLY in connection with New Zealand, as then I can give a first-hand (albeit personal) opinion. Let's see then, how it goes aye?