Alan Duff: Don't believe pollies who 'save the poor'

Our hero politician only uses the poor as the vehicle for his own elevation, to build an edifice celebrating none but himself. Photo / John Borren

When a politician says he represents the poor, he is not telling the truth. He means his role is to extract as much money from government as he possibly can to keep the poor's vote.

This type of politician has taken the easy route, by creating the image of a heroic Robin Hood figure. Far easier to create a public profile with thunderous speeches against government, not forgetting rich exploiters of the poor, than it is to face the other way: towards the people he claims to so care about.

If he truly cared he'd start with the poor first. Not in getting them subsidised state housing, higher welfare benefits, a swathe more entitlements. But in persuading a change of outlook, their diet reassessed since it is killing them, teaching restraint in all areas, from food to social interactions.

If government are to be engaged, then ask for teachers of household budgeting. Harangue the wealthy Maori tribal trusts for money to pay qualified people to teach financial literacy.

Ah, but not our hero, he's not having his daily morning ride into main street on his big black horse spoiled. Government - and rich fat cats - you are heartless racists. There. Done. Another thousand vote ticks.

Trouble with generational free fish: Never learn to catch your own. (I don't sound like someone considering changing my vote to Labour, do I?! Not a done deal yet.)

Heroes and rebels are in every country. The ones who live in the hills and fight guerrilla and terrorist-type warfare, make strident speeches in the poor settlements, hand out a few goodies and take thrice as much back by extorting businesses who of course employ the poor - but a lot less when they have to pay protection money.

Our hero politician only uses the poor as the vehicle for his own elevation, to build an edifice celebrating none but himself. He wants to go down in history as the defender of the poor. Not the enabler. He sees his image as a taiaha-wielding warrior, or a heart-on-her-sleeve, caring eco-warrioress.

In the meantime the poor get broker as they get more obese, let alone miserable.

This law of recipients' growing contempt for the benefactor is never considered by our hero or heroine. The fact that the more the poor receive the more they demand is ignored. Effect? Our hero pushes the poor's heads deeper into the dirt.

He's actually a charlatan in using taxpayers' money to further his personal political ends. Now enough of Hamish and Rachel Hood and on to a perplexing newcomer to the political game, Gareth Morgan.

I'm not going to start without acknowledging Morgan's astounding act of generosity in donating $52 million to his charity. My socialist enemies said: It's tax-motivated; he can more than afford it, look how much he made from his son's sale of Trade Me. What's his real motive? Who cares, just ignore him.

It wouldn't surprise if he's turned down a knighthood. In stark contrast to a certain undeserving, self-serving fellow in jail for whom honour conferment from a mere New Zealand Governor-General was not enough, took himself to Buckingham Palace for British royalty to lay the sword on him. And karma's and hubris' double-sword struck back.

Gareth Morgan's Top political party has a couple of good ideas, not least a capital gains tax. A tax that exposes the greedy, self-interested home-owning citizens of our so-called fair land, for not giving a stuff about anyone but themselves.

Prices cannot just keep going up. There has to be a CGT on every house sale of, say, 5 per cent (it will inevitably go up) and standard tax rates on any house sold within five years of purchase of 20 per cent.

Your columnist is no tax-cures-all advocate. The less the better. I am decidedly anti-socialist. But on property - especially Auckland - we've become Paris and London with considerably less to offer back by way of culture, economic infrastructure, brain power and sheer volume and diversity of choice and citizenry. Now sounding like pushing my own political agenda.

One more crack: Auckland property owners have got obscenely greedy; no price is quite good enough. Push for another 20 to 100 grand. No, 200 - make it 300 grand. Didn't the couple round the corner get that for their house? Ours is much better.

Morgan is an interesting character. Bob Jones reckons he has a pathological need for attention. That may be, but I think his heart is in the right place - except on water belonging to Maori. That's a column in itself.