Comfortably numb

The story of John Key’s rise to prominence, when related by sycophantic supporters and the media, dwells on his rise from a “state house kid” to Prime Minister of NZ, emphasising how he’s a self-made man. From relative poverty to wealth– and all by his own efforts.
And of course that’s true. But the amassing of money can equally be the result of a dimwitted tenacity born of greed, and often is. The journey from poverty to wealth is not necessarily an indicator of morals or principles, no matter how much Key’s supporters would like to promote it as such.
New Zealanders, conditioned to soft socialism were beginning to get turned off by a snaggle-toothed growling Marxist PM, who in her arrogance had finally overstepped the boundaries of what even the incompetent media and easygoing Kiwis were prepared to tolerate.
Enter John Key.
Wealthy. Perhaps a little bored. No particular ideology or convictions. But…there’s this nice little Pacific country, where most people speak English, relatively comfortable and very safe in global terms. And ready for a change of figurehead. All that’s necessary to grasp the prize is a ready smile–the smirk could be easily re-jigged to serve–and more importantly, a careful avoidance in the lead up to the elections of anything which might suggest rocking the welfare boat.
And the welfare vote didn’t mean just some unemployable dope freaks living out in the backblocks, nossir. The welfare vote was–and still is–huge. It includes middle-income families who receive WFF (“working for families”) payments and a vast number of people on the government or quasi-government tit.
And lo! it was done. It worked. Key slithered into power on the back of resentment –and fear of real change. The odious predecessor was helped into a U.N. sinecure out of gratitude or fear and he settled in, to smirk his way around the countryside saying little of substance and changing even less. Because he’s a statist, and welfare-dependant people are much, much easier to manage than free men.
He still has his cheerleaders among the National Party voters, people more adept at making excuses for him than critically examining his achievements. The vast majority of those who place him high in opinion polls don’t give a shit about his achievements or otherwise–just so long as New Zealand’s slide into poverty and irrelevance is comfortably smooth and they can make enough to get to lifeboat Australia in time.
Where to now for those who voted National in the hope that things would change, that the welfare state would be rolled back significantly and Kiwis might once again regain that wonderful “can do” confident individualism they were once known for?
I suggest Brisbane or Perth or Darwin, because there’s sure as hell no realistic alternative on the political front.