Just voted today.
Just voted today.
On my lunch break I went to the nearest shopping centre to vote. I was the only person in the place under the age of 70.
People complain that the government isn't radically overhauling our entire economy and society, this is the reason for that.
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Today I was at a bus stop and there was a Labour Party guy handing out some crap about transport costs. As a dole bludger I get $1 bus fares but under National it'll be $2.65. I don't see this as a reason to vote. I handed the flyer back, as soon as I saw it was political, and I told the guy: "I don't like any of these parties".
I'm 32 and I distrust boomers and Gen X that's why I don't vote. These people only enrich themselves. I don't trust older millennials either, if they are 5-10 years older than me they probably have a higher quality of life, therefore they cannot be trusted.
I won't be bribed into voting (transport schemes) and I disagree with National and Labour, who view the country like it's a god damn vending machine. They think everything is about money - insert coins and the country functions. A good country is one that cares about its people. It needs to have pride and patriotism. I'm not proud to be a New Zealander and none of these parties are any good. Regardless of who gets elected, I still want to move overseas and teach English in Moscow.
The Green Party wants housing trusts to build more, but the Greens are weak on de-regulation when it comes to private builds. As a former Act Voter I can't take the Greens seriously (I voted for Act in 2014 but never voted in an election since then). I also can't trust Act because they don't want to de-regulate housing.
The main reason I don't vote, is because I never see Gen Z or millennials doing any housing related activism. Voting every 3 years means nothing if you're not an activist. I can't think of even 1 person in Christchurch who I can rely upon to listen to me and increase support for my views on housing. All these kids do is get sucked into these political movements and political parties. People my own age and younger are turning into my enemy because they side with corrupt political parties, and waste their energy on that sort of crap. They should be helping me with grass-roots stuff, not supporting these disgusting political organisations.
You cant get everything you want. But at least you can help push nz into the direction you would like it to go.
Running the government is not like running a kingdom. Those in power will never be able to just put out edicts and make sweeping changes to the country. Democracies and bureaucracies don't work that way.
Think of the government as a captain piloting a large ship. It takes a long time to turn, to speed up or to slow down, but the captain makes sure the ship is heading in the right direction, making course adjustments along the way to avoid icebergs and storms.
You are voting for the captain. Pick a party that will stear the ship in the right direction.
If housing is a major concern, do some research (or ask here). Some parties want to increase house prices again, some want to lower it. None will magically fix the complex issue overnight.
Not voting and complaining about the direction the country is heading is pretty daft.
I won’t be bribed into voting (transport schemes) and I disagree with National and Labour, who view the country like it’s a god damn vending machine. They think everything is about money - insert coins and the country functions. A good country is one that cares about its people. It needs to have pride and patriotism. I’m not proud to be a New Zealander and none of these parties are any good. Regardless of who gets elected, I still want to move overseas and teach English in Moscow.
You said you are on the dole right? That's the government taking care of you.
By all means go ahead and book that one way ticket to Moscow. See what it's like over there.
So you are fluent in Russian language?
I know that the election process is gamed to some degree even if it's not Trump style.
Trying to get straight answers out of candidates or parties is near impossible and I've tried. They simply ignore my emails and if in person, at the market stalls, they do the same.
I'm going to study the language only when I have reliable income to travel, otherwise I learn language, only to forget it, then pay thousands of dollars for more language lessons. Foreigners don't need fluency in Russian language to teach English in a high school, just need to be good enough. I'm not sure how to define fluency, but obviously it's impossible to pass certification if I don't know any grammar, for example.
Agreed on the lack of protests and movements regarding the housing crisis and cost of living.
People would rather go out there and do the classic Trumper vs. Antifa / Protest vs. Counterprotest, than get together on matters of class and poverty. It almost seems like it is done on purpose to direct attention away from the things that actually matter.
With that out of the way - I voted for the Green Party this week. I know it's depressing to see lousy and incompetent parties, but complaining is always easier than doing something. We also need actual foot-on-the-ground movement building - which means meeting people face to face in order to get together not just for public demonstrations, but also doing work in the community like meals for the homeless, etc. (which also helps spread awareness to the general cause)