Blessings counted amid tears of outrage

Nothing but a sense of outrage will do. I will start how I intend to go on in 2012, with writing powered by the dual engines of outrage and gratitude.

I can easily count my blessings. These include family, friends and the freedom to rant and rave about politics without fear of being jailed or tortured. This was underlined in conversation with a taxi driver in Wellington.

As we drove past Parliament we both noted that there were people lying on the grass, taking in the sunshine. The cab driver, a relatively new immigrant, noted that in his country heavily armed soldiers, tanks and barbed wire keep citizens from getting too close to the seat of power.

We can still disagree vehemently with government policy. We can voice dismay at the notion of selling shares in state assets, sure that "mum and dad" investors and iwi will sell them on to anyone as soon as the price is right. These are shares, not concrete assets like land or buildings, so there will be no emotional attachment to them; just a profit margin.

We can shout at John Key and Bill English and tell them they are wrong but we will not be locked up for it. We will not be harassed by secret police for opposing their policies and can still protest without fear of being shot at by our own soldiers.

The low turnout at the elections does suggest we are getting complacent.

There was no Kiwi Spring to match the campaigns to overthrow right-wing governments seen in some Arab states.

I would like to think that the moment we started seeing even a hint of uniforms with gold braid plus dark glasses on our esteemed leaders there would be pointing, laughing and demolition at the polls.

While it seems most NZders have accepted, with little or no real dissent, the commercial imperative that we all have the right to purchase the biggest wide-screen television available, it seems harder to get acceptance that every child has the right to grow up free of the threat of violence.

On this subject there is so much to be outraged about it is hard to know where to begin. The developing fervour for seeing this as a "them and us" situation is dangerous and counter-productive. The risks of violence are strongly linked to relative poverty, alcohol and other drugs.

The task of making NZ safer for children and young people lies not just with government agencies, NGOs and iwi providers.

Breaking society into pieces then blaming the failures on the broken bits is never going to work.

At a local level, it remains an outrage that the business of looking after the interests of Whanganui citizens has been put aside while the matter of a prayer as an agenda item is contested.

One person, acting on a letter written by one other person - in other words the opinion of two people - has derailed the entire council from its key task. Attempts have been made to find compromise.

So far these have failed. There may be provision for ratepayers to petition for an early election.

If so, it will be used as an opportunity to ditch those councillors who seem sure that their personal opinions are more important than the needs of the community they purport to represent.

Terry Sarten lives in Whanganui. He is a parent, social worker, musician and writer who tempers his sense of outrage with the application of humour.