Eva Bradley: Blame game won't fix problem

The chips are down for civic leaders when the proverbial hits the aquifer. Photo / Getty Images

Have you ever been the fall guy? The one under the heat of the spotlight, centre stage, with the finger pointed at you?

The sacrificial lamb for an angry mob that needs to spill blood?

As the fallout continues and questions mount in the wake of the Havelock North water contamination catastrophe, I am relieved to say that, so far, I have never really been in this position (with the exception of occasional collective outrage when my opinions have rubbed against the accepted social conventions of our time).

Right at the moment I'm not sure what would feel worse: to be recovering from campylobacter or to be the Mayor of Hastings.

As is always the way with disaster of any scale, public attention has swiftly shifted from the fact that thousands of first-world, rate-paying citizens are sick when they shouldn't be to how this happened and - more specifically - who is to blame for it happening.

Which is how it should be, right? Or is it just how it has always been, therefore how it is now? The psychology of blame is a highly complex issue and reveals so much about how humans tick.

But one thing it's not is a solution of any sort. With the promise of a full and thorough inquiry in a bid to establish the cause of the crisis and evaluate the response to it, one could safely presume that the answers needed to prevent any such event happening again will come in the fullness of time.

But that hasn't stopped headlines about "heads rolling" from quickly dominating the news and a national media spotlight trained on the more likely of those "heads".

Politicians who have served Havelock North people extremely well at a local and national level are being lined up like glass bottles at a firing range.

Years of outstanding public service seems to be swiftly forgotten as questions are raised about what the fallout of New Zealand's own Watergate will be so close to an election.
The question I have is: is this fair?

Not one for sitting on the fence, especially when it comes to politics, in this instance I have surprised myself by being able to understand the perspective of both sides.

New Zealand has a strong Westminster tradition of individual ministerial responsibility and this flows through to local government.

While the top dog might not always be to blame, he is always responsible. But so far it really does seem as if due process was adhered to in a timely and appropriate manner.

And, in the absence of a crystal ball, it's hard to imagine what anyone else could have, would have or should have done in exactly the same scenario.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing and I'm sure all of us would have made different decisions at times if we'd had the chance for a do-over. But our leaders are human, not superheroes, and got elected because we felt they were the best people to make tough decisions on our behalf when the proverbial hits the fan - or as seems likely in this case, hits the aquifer.

As good as it might feel to play the blame game, it doesn't rewrite the past and it doesn't guarantee a different outcome in the future.

Throwing out the baby with the bathwater (or drinking water) makes us feel better but does it mean we are in better hands?

- Eva Bradley is a columnist and photographer.