Letters: Repent at leisure

Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern

Ms Ardern graduated in 2001 from the University of Waikato (doesn't surprise) with Bachelor of Communications (politics and public relations), then spent time as a researcher for her heroine Helen Clark before skiving off to London.

Shot back to New Zealand for 2008 election, entering Parliament via Labour list and continuing for past nine years, mostly as a nondescript list MP.

She's a committed socialist, gay rights/gay marriage advocate, republican, agnostic, feminist, trade union supporter, pro-choice abortion and carbon tax zealot, plus undoubtedly a Maori separatist/treatyist /race-based policy sympathiser.

The Greens and Labour Maori manifestos are scary, as they pledge to legislate to enshrine Maori as indigenous, promote treaty-based constitution, fund Maori providers for the public sector, connive with local government to reinforce the drive for unelected Maori seats, retain race-based Maori parliamentary seats, promote Maori self-government with a separate legal system.

Ms Ardern's working life has always revolved around politics. She proposes sweeping taxes on water (iwi initiative), land, capital gains, wealth, carbon emissions, plus reinstate death duties, inevitably supporting race-based policies.

Is this the type of person we need as our Prime Minister? Everyone will suffer - the wealthy, middle class and the strugglers - perfectly embodying Winston Churchill's truism, "The main virtue of socialism (the philosophy of failure, ignorance and envy) is that it promotes the equal sharing of miseries".

Policies are vague, confusing and unworkable, so a looming massive fiscal gap beckons.

Remember Venezuela, once the richest country in South America, had a thriving economy and solid middle class, but since the 1999 election of socialist Hugo Chavez it's now an economic basket case, with only an abundance of chaos, starvation, human misery and suffering. Inflation is running at over 700 per cent, so clearly socialism doesn't work, and never will.

This critique of Ms Ardern and Labour doesn't seek to minimise the adverse effect that Messrs Key and English and the duplicitous National Party have had on New Zealand society.

As they say, act in haste then repent at leisure, so be very careful what you wish for at this 2017 Election - it may prove to be a deadly potion and formula for disaster.

ROB PATERSON
Matapihi