Growing Discontent and Tomatoes

At 6am this morning I was breathing in the unmistakable summer sent of grassy tomato leaves.

No, that's not code for anything. I was actually gardening. To be exact I was gently nipping out laterals. That's all I planned on doing until I noticed some were without stakes which led to cutting ties... tying ties...weeding...and then it all just spun out of control from there.

As most of you know, I generally see dawn before bed and not after. Today was no exception.

I think I was just too frustrated to sleep (normally I'd say "get you minds out of the gutter", but you might actually have a point this time). Elections always set my teeth on edge but I was already wound up after realising I had been given the wrong special voting papers by an impatient and disinterested polling officer.

Not that it mattered much anyway, my vote was not so much for Labour as against John Key and National. The outcome wasn't surprise but I guess until it actually happened there was always hope. At the very least I hoped the right wing wouldn't have a clear majority.

I'm surprised the margin was so high, sure they soaked up votes Act was haemorrhaging after they stabbed Hide in the back, but I know hard and fast National voters who swung out to the fringe parties because even they feared unfettered right wing power.

With 75% of the country opposed to asset sales I can only assume there are people out there hoping that "nice guy Key" will do what's right; Fat chance. They will do what they want - if 75% of you disagree then 75% of you are wrong in their eyes.

They can't go back on that - they won't go back on that. Not only is it a part of the National Party ethos but many of their election promises hinge on that money. The rest hinge on unrealised and unlikely economic growth.

I'm pretty angry at Labour too. A much as I loathe Key and his "vacant optimism" I'm more angry that Labour didn't give people much of an alternative. They have been weak in opposition and have given me the impression that they are just waiting out "the cycle", rather than genuinely engaging with the public.

The lowest voter turn out since the 1880's (73.83%) suggests I'm not the only one sensing this. My father told me as a teenager that governments aren't voted in they're voted out. Labour seems to be counting on this for next time.

But for now they've softened up the public for a capital gains tax ( good idea) and raising the retirement age (reasonable but unpopular idea).

And made it look like they were in the game by throwing out a couple of bribes like $15 minimum wage (nice in theory), no GST on fruit and veg (unworkable, expensive and unlikely to have the intended impact on prices), and Working for Families for beneficiaries (completely fucking retarded)


This is just a fraction of the resentment I feel towards both parties right now but it's all I managed to think through before I ran out of garden.

But maybe the frustration is because even if I won't be officially unemployed for another two in weeks -in practice I already am....but it's all right now because every time John Key says "brighter future" a job is magically created.

Now all I need is a mimosa and a nap.  (Sorry guys also too tired to proof -read)