By Chris Trotter*
It is, surely, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X bureaucrats and asking them to justify their salaries. “Come on, dude, just tell me what it is that you do!” All the time knowing that the hapless federal employee at the other end of the call is fighting for his job, his status, his self-respect.
Except, this scenario is no fantasy. Such conversations have been going on for days: proof that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is every bit as real and scary as its critics predicted. Musk’s twenty-something “tech geek” hires are cutting a swathe through the federal bureaucracy with the implacable determination of the Grim Reaper.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world struggles to make sense of the Trump Administration. What is its ultimate purpose? What is the nature of the political dynamic driving the raging torrent of Executive Orders pouring out of the Trump White House?
It is a testament to the essential mildness of their country’s politics and politicians that New Zealanders struggle to make any kind of sense of Donald Trump. Can he really be serious? Is there the slightest method to policies that strike so many Kiwis as utter madness?
There is – but it’s in the service of an agenda so completely foreign to the thinking of the vast majority of the world’s politicians, administrators and journalists, that even conceptualising it requires considerable effort.
Consider the following self-characterisation, offered-up to a puzzled world by one of Trump’s most hardcore supporters, Steve Bannon:
“I’m a Leninist. Lenin wanted to destroy the state, and that’s my goal, too.”
Seriously? How can a MAGA Republican possibly cite the Russian revolutionary, Vladimir Lenin, as his inspiration? Wasn’t Lenin responsible for establishing one of the most ferocious states in all of human history?
He certainly was, but Bannon’s Leninist sympathies amply confirm the old French aphorism: Les extrèmes se touchent. (The extremes find each other.)
Certainly, that is what the world is currently witnessing in the United States. The deliberate destruction of the 80-year-old state machine arising out of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” policies of the 1930s – by right-wing revolutionaries determined to create a new one?
It’s what Bannon attempted to do in 2017, when he was, briefly, Trump’s White House chief-of-staff. But, he failed.
The strength and resilience of the old state machine was simply beyond the First Trump Administration’s powers. The “Country-Club Republicans” had yet to be purged from the Republican Party. The Supreme Court was not yet fully harnessed to the Right’s agenda. Most importantly, Trump and his MAGA court had seriously underestimated the obstructive capabilities of the ancien regime. Transformative regime-change clearly required an “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” battle-plan – and Trump 45 didn’t have one.
The crucial difference between Trump 45 and Trump 47 is that the forty-seventh president of the United States does have a battle-plan, Project 2025, and one of its principal authors, Russell Vought, has been safely installed as the new Director of the Office of Management and Budget. If the American ship-of-state has a bridge, then the OMB is it.
Trump’s greatest challenge, over the next four years, will be working out how to smash the status quo without, simultaneously, smashing the working-class Americans whose votes carried him to a comprehensive (if narrow) electoral victory. That Trump’s MAGA movement expects him to unleash holy vengeance upon the “Deep State” (aka the old state machinery) is indisputable. Less certain, however, is whether those same working-class voters appreciate how effectively the old state machinery has protected them and their families for the past 80 years.
If Elon Musk is to keep his promise to carve one trillion dollars off the Federal Budget, then the health, education and welfare services currently available to working-class Americans cannot avoid taking a massive hit.
Trump’s Democratic Party opponents simply cannot understand why American workers don’t get this. But, the very fact that the Democrats don’t “get it” is the very reason so many of those workers gave their votes to Trump. The extraordinary cluelessness of Democratic Party politicians when it comes to communicating effectively with ordinary Americans, let alone understanding their grievances, explains entirely the latter’s indifference to the plight of those federal bureaucrats on the receiving end of Musk’s tech geek interrogators.
Revolutions happen when, at roughly the same time, both the elites and the struggling masses arrive at the same conclusion: things cannot go on as they are. That the respective solutions advanced by these two groups are likely to diverge spectacularly only begins to matter after they have, between them, brought the failing system to its knees.
New Zealanders who shake their heads in disbelief at the speed and breadth of the Trump Administration’s changes are either too young to remember “Rogernomics”, or too embarrassed to acknowledge how fulsomely they embraced its breakneck “reforms”. If the machinations of Elon Musk seem sinister today, then so, too, should the machinations of Bob Jones and all the other ideologically-driven members of New Zealand’s elites back in 1984.
Those who argue that the “quiet revolution” of the 1980s simply represented New Zealand’s rather belated recognition that the world had changed, can hardly now object that the USA has collectively made the same determination. The economic and geopolitical doctrines that have dominated the policy-making of the last 40 years have been recognised, by billionaires and “deplorables” alike, as no longer fit for purpose.
Globalisation. Free Trade. The International Rules-Based Order. Donald Trump’s black felt pen has confirmed the death sentences of all three. Likewise the entrenched institutional power of the professional and managerial classes which emerged out of the social and cultural upheavals of the 1960s and 70s.
The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly. Faster and better than anybody else, Trump has grasped the possibilities of a world which is more in tune with the nationalist and imperialist marching songs of the Nineteenth Century, than the Kumbaya globalist singalongs of President George H. W. Bush’s and President Bill Clinton’s “New World Order”.
A President who openly canvasses the annexation of Greenland, Canada, Panama and the Gaza Strip, to the applause of an admirer of Lenin who once, rather incautiously, confessed: “Darkness is good. Dick Cheney. Darth Vader. Satan. That’s power”; should alert us to the fact that, like Dorothy and Toto in The Wizard of Oz, we’re not in Kansas anymore.
*Chris Trotter has been writing and commenting professionally about New Zealand politics for more than 30 years. He writes a weekly column for interest.co.nz. His work may also be found at http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com.
53 Comments
NZ small, isolated, remote and a bit old fashioned is but a sloop in the wake of the grand fleet of the great industrial powers.Things here though have evolved to the point that there is not much uncommon ground left for our two major political parties to differ and politicise on. Hence for example, if one says yes to a capital gains tax the other, despite what merits are on offer, will automatically say no. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum couldn’t do it any better.
In New Zealand, Beware the ‘ideological trojan horse’ of the Regulatory Standards Bill, says Bryce Edwards, and many others.
'The Regulatory Standards Bill should be rejected in its entirety, and efforts should focus instead on strengthening existing mechanisms for good governance and regulatory stewardship. The stakes are too high to allow this ideological trojan horse to pass unnoticed.'
https://archive.ph/ymdws
It won't pass unnoticed, but it will pass. Strengthening 'good governance and regulatory stewardship' is just asking for more regulation to fix the inadequacies of the most recent regulation. In practice it means bureaucrats playing a never-ending song that we can regulate ourselves into utopia. In reality it's expensive and counterproductive.
Fine, if along with more freedoms they add more responsibility for one's actions.
But it seems that is what they refuse to do. Pollution costs are not permitted to be user-pays, for example, simply being outsourced to society and following generations. And they won't require greater responsibility from builders of rubbishy buildings, for example.
17th para resonates. “Revolutions happen, when at roughly the same time, both the elites and the struggling masses, arrive at the same conclusion.” Russia could be getting to this point? Such a development simultaneous to Trump’s administration would be of profound international portent.
I don't think one can compare what the Trump administration is doing to the neo-liberal reforms of Thatcher, Reagan and Douglas.
Sure, those reforms were done at break-neck speed but that's about where the similarity ends.
Many good things came out of the NZ reforms: the Select Committee process; the formation of SOEs; the end to agricultural subsidies; the end of restrictive import licensing; a referendum on FPP vs MMP and so on. And the AG, Geoffrey Palmer at the time - strengthened democracy - strengthened check and balances. The push was away from all power to the Executive and a redistribution of that power back toward the people.
Sure, there was an element of asset sales to mates at wildly discounted prices but we need to be mindful NZ was on the brink of fiscal collapse when Lange took over.
Trump is simply the opposite - we are witnessing the making of a fascist oligarchy. I just can't see how Reagan, Thatcher and Douglas had that ambition at the front of mind. The legitimate comparison to Trump is Hitler.
"And the AG, Geoffrey Palmer at the time - strengthened democracy - strengthened check and balances. The push was away from all power to the Executive and a redistribution of that power back toward the people."
The push was away from any Ministerial responsibility, particularly as regards the SOE Act. It's at least arguable that this weakened democracy.
+1 Kate. There's a highly relevant article also posted on Interest today, which hasn't had any comments. Stunned mullet digestion, I guess. https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/131840/efficiency-%E2%88%92-or…
I just find it bemusing that peole are so threatened that we might actually take a look under the hood and see how American tax payer dollars are being spent - and those who are closest with their noses deepest in the trough of receiving or spending tax payer dollars seem to be squeaking the most - like if you have nothing to hide there is nothing to worry about - but the more you resist and the more you fight to hide that information from the public, the more it appears you are guilty of something. Why be so afraid if tax payer money is being used well with little waste?
Allegedly, the last time there was an attempt to look under the hood, a few planes crashed. Also allegedly, the last time an attempt to limit Federal Reserve power, a president was assassinated.
Shutting down and preventing access by the appointed officials isn't exactly providing information to the public.
It will be interesting to see what comes from all of this. I think the pertinent question is will the people be any the wiser, or better off. We can only wait and see.
Kate I agree with you in 99% of your views but think that the left has gone so far to the left the past 5 years that any policies that are centre right now get call the ‘far right’ or Nazi policies.
I think the political left need to do a self check and bring themselves back closer to the centre and see what the world looks like from there. Until they do that, they are going to find themselves unelectable.
I used to consider myself centre left and when living in the US would have aligned myself with the Dems - but watching what has happened there these past 4 years I would have voted Trump at this election - and unless the Dems move closer to the centre, it’s possible that I’ll never align myself with the Dem party values again in my lifetime.
Same goes with the political left here in NZ. I’ve voted across the spectrum but given the madness I’ve witnessed from the Greens (I will always remember Marama Davidson yelling ‘cis white men are the problem’) and parts of the Labour Party in recent years it is possible that I’ll never vote on that side of the house again.
And things labelled ‘far right conspiracy theories’ by left leaning media outlets these past few years have to regularly been proven correct in due course as more information comes to light.
If you have spent a lot of time in around the Wellington bureaucracy or the higher levels of corporate management (your comments give me the impression this might be the case but correct me if I’m wrong) be careful that you’ve not living in an echo chamber of left leaning rhetoric and missing a large shift in sentiment amongst the working class of the western world.
Trump derangement Syndrome appears to be real (a term I try to avoid using) but people confuse their hate for one man with what the majority of people want (ie the policies that he campaigned on and is now delivering). And they then say this guy is a Nazi even though he was elected fairly via a democratic process and is doing exactly what he said he would.
edit: how it appears from the political centre:
- apparently eliminating wasteful government spending and ensuring tax dollars/government spending can be accounted is fascist according to the left.
- stopping children from having their genital mutilated before the age of consent is fascist according to the left
- preventing illegal immigration and removing illegal entrants to a country is fascist according the the left
- protecting the rights of girls to participate fairly in sport and not against biological males is considered fascist by the left
- stopping wars and huge government spending on military weapons that they can’t afford (ie Ukraine) is fascist affording to the left
- pardoning criminals (Hunter Biden) is fine unless the other side do and when they do it is the move of a fascist dictator
- the requirement for voter ID to ensure fair elections is fascist according to the eft
The list goes on but I will stop.
I’ve just edited my response to add some detail of how I see the world from the political centre. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Trump fan boy - I was praying legitimately good candidates would appear on both sides and was depressed when Trump won their republican primaries and then when the Dem elite decided to not even run primaries and put forward a candidate for president that the people didn’t even get to vote for in a fair democratic process - while silencing and trashing any legitimate opponents in the process (then they claiming that Trump unfairly abuses his power…well the Dems do exactly the same but worse and you can’t even tell who is pulling the strings behind the scenes - is it Obama, Pelosis, Soros?)
Whoa, that's a lot of adding to in your edit. You sound quite spiteful towards the left. I'd prefer to say progressive, as opposed to left. I'm not left or right, but progressive - meaning I want to see society move forward, not backward - for the betterment of all.
But, I would point out that the means this Trump administration are using to attempt to initiate change are largely unlawful, and many unconstitutional (i.e., fundamentally unlawful). For example, if he wants to cancel birthright citizenship (and I'm not against that idea - NZ doesn't have birthright citizenship any longer) - then write up the constitutional amendment and put it to Congress, or a referendum, if there is provision for those at the federal level.
As soon as you turn your back on the rule of law - you are either an authoritarian or an anarchist - or a bit of both! I highly recommend Karl Mannheim's seminal work, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology_and_Utopia - very thought-provoking, especially considering how many years ago it was written.
Referring to the right as fascist also sounds quite spiteful (or even hateful) so I guess we are guilty of the same sin and we each need to remove the log from our own eyes before judging the spec in one another’s. In fact, under the old regime Democratic regime Kate it is possible you would be censored and lose online privileges of free speech for speaking against government policies like this - remember those in America who were banned from social media for disagreeing with the government during COVID? Saying things like vaccine mandates are illegal was enough to get completely banned from all social media. You are now disagreeing with the government and saying what they are doing is illegal but because the new Trump administration believe in free speech they will allow you to publicly speak your mind in disagreement with them without restriction - Biden and the Democrats would have said this is hate speech and you potentially would be silenced (it was 1984 stuff we were living through there for a while).
Agree there are some policies of Trumps that certainly push the boundaries (and I don’t agree with 100%) but to compare him with Hitler is a massive overreaction and then to say other people are spiteful - well when you constantly get called a far right conspiracy theorist or compared to Hitler, that tends to happen! Was the lefts decision here and in the US during covid 100% legal when people lost their jobs because they took a stance against vaccines? Where is the right to make health decisions for your own body and still be able to enjoy the rights of a normal person? Do you see the hypocrisy? Or is when the left pushes the boundaries of legality it is all in the name of the greater good, but when the right do the same it is fascist? (Trumps policies are the greater good as he is doing what he promised to do and a majority of Americans voted for this - but a majority of Americans did not vote for vaccination mandates - in fact they didn’t get to vote for that, nor for Kamala Harris in any form at all).
As I say, those on the left should try to bring themselves closer to the centre and see how the world looks from there - I don’t think my political views have shifted much over the past 20 years but would now likely be considered a far right extremist by Dem voters or Green Party voters here in Nz. To me it is they who have changed a lot ie moved further from the centre than I (and I’ve meditated over this a number of times to make sure I’m not fooling myself and not poorly assessing my own thinking/biases clearly).
Not that I read all that - but if you are trying to make excuses for breaking the law/constitution that you are further toward the authoritarian end of the spectrum than you'd like to portray. And it's probably quite legit to call Trump a fascist - his right-hand man did a Nazi salute at his inauguration and he pardoned any number of avowed/self-declared Nazi/fascist criminals on his first day in office.
The evidence is there is you want to see it.
I think it’s a case that we each see what we want to see. Do you want to pictures of Democrats also doing the ‘Nazi salute’ as they wave to their crowds - they also exist.
The Democrats of the last 4 years have also been extremely authoritarian so nothing has really changed. Censorship of free speech, using the justice system against political opponents, forcing people to take vaccines to keep their jobs, no primaries to allow the people to vote for their preferred leader, using the media to smear your political threats/opponents or limit their publicity. But apparently it is only now authoritarian what Trump is doing if you prefer the colour blue (Dems) over the colour red (Rep).
It’s not a particularly balanced approach to the world - at least in my opinion (and as I say I’m not a Trump fan - I wish we had someone more legitimate and unifying other Trump or Kamala in the last election).
For example, if he wants to cancel birthright citizenship (and I'm not against that idea - NZ doesn't have birthright citizenship any longer) - then write up the constitutional amendment and put it to Congress, or a referendum, if there is provision for those at the federal level.
Yes the law was changed around citizenship by birth back in 2006 to prevent people flying in, having a child then their child automatically being able to access everything NZ has to offer, including getting the family here later on when the child grows. Sad, but true and it was a positive step for NZ long term given the long term costs that could be implicated on the healthcare system etc. I love having a wide variety of cultures in NZ, it enrichens the country, but for those wishing to come here it ought be via proper channels which are there for a reason.
The way a few of those points listed at the end are described does not sound particularly centrist at all.
- apparently eliminating wasteful government spending and ensuring tax dollars/government spending can be accounted is fascist according to the left.
That's a very generous portrayal of things, for example.
- stopping wars and huge government spending on military weapons that they can’t afford (ie Ukraine) is fascist affording to the left
As is that during all the talk of new territories to acquire, particularly given the wider discussions of Trump being oddly willing to pander to Putin.
- the requirement for voter ID to ensure fair elections is fascist according to the eft
Again, too complementary when many of the parallel efforts and law changes seem aimed at reducing the chance for legitimate voters to get to vote. There is nothing like the opportunity to vote that NZers have, in many cases.
These look very favourable interpretations of what's going on, rather than centrist.
Aside from that, has Trump banned religious circumcisions of children???
- stopping children from having their genital mutilated before the age of consent is fascist according to the left
‘As is that during all the talk of new territories to acquire, particularly given the wider discussions of Trump being oddly willing to pander to Putin’ - to which Trump has vowed not to use military force to acquire - so nothing like Putin. If Trump sends the US military into Canada and starts a bloody war like Putin then I’ll apologise and say you are correct - but for now, I think you might have watched too much CNN, BBC, MSN (you know, who were receding funding from US AID!).
‘Again, too complementary when many of the parallel efforts and law changes seem aimed at reducing the chance for legitimate voters to get to vote. There is nothing like the opportunity to vote that NZers have, in many cases’
You’ll need to clarify what you are implying with this as I miss you point.
‘Aside from that, has Trump banned religious circumcisions of children???’
Non valid point. There is a big difference between a circumcision (something practised for thousands of years - are you against the Jews?) and the sudden decision that it was acceptable to completely remove/alter the genitals to the opposite sex. Permanently disfiguring the child and destroying their ability to procreate. Something that appears to be endorsed by left leaning voters and not those at the centre or right.
I was praying that we would get someone who would unify the nation at the last election - but then Trump won the Rep primaries and then the Dems didn’t run primaries at all and put forward Kamala who in the 2020 election was ignored as she was viewed as far too left leaning.
Not good - we need unifying leaders but neither side of the spectrum is willing to bridge the gap, yet.
I think politics is far more polarised, and I do get very tired of all the names of people, long dead, who had all sorts of political ideology being thrown around in contemporaneous times. My daughter is living in Berlin currently on an AFS exchange, and I will say this - the Germans, almost universally, thought Musk did a Nazi salute 2 - 3 times. I will always believe the Germans about that - they have faced their history. They know what that salute looks like.
But I also think the media are to blame for the polarity. I can't find it now but there is an article (maybe NYT) that discusses media the Republicans and Democrats follow, and the same information is so differently presented that actually both sides are right with what they say, due to how things are presented to them depending on the media they follow - I guess that what happens when opinion is cheaper than reporting facts/investigative journalism. It's just all so tribal. As a 'swing voter' I just get more and more exasperated - so much black and white thinking with so many things which are complex and nuanced. Sigh.
Yes, I prefer progressive and conservative - as opposed to left and right; red and blue.
As binaries go, the former leaves more room for something in the middle, something nuanced (i.e., more creative, evidence-based thinking and doing).
And yes, investigative journalism is sadly diminishing at an alarming rate under consumer capitalism. It's only around 10 years ago that the expression "clickbait" came into common use and understanding;
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=clickbait
Perhaps what closer to a fascist oligarchy was when the Democratic Party aligned themselves with google, Facebook, Hollywood, Twitter, CNN, Disney and decided only their left leaning views were legal and morally good and anyone who disagreed with them was a far right conspiracy theorist full of hate speech who needs to be silenced with their views removed from the mainstream media or social media. Or in the UK if you speak your mind on right leaning politics you risk being thrown in jail.
What we are seeing is removal of that bias - but the shifting of the Overton window back to normality is seen as fascism by the left/progressives. The next four years are going to be extremely painful for those who thought the last four were politically and economically sane and morally good.
People see Elon Musk as this evil dude from the far right. Remember he was a life long Democrat until just a few years ago (similar to me in politial views) Perhaps ask why is he not now? And why would those he used to agree with now be calling him Hitlers aide? Honestly it’s a bit crazy.
People are simply more polarised than ever and due to social media, are fed a range of information leading to different views and a lack of understanding by one another as to how one can have or get to having these views. people are more reactive, less tolerant and more prone to emotional reactions than critical thought. If I'm honest I do not follow much news of the goings on in the USA, as so much of news today is negatively slanted and created to provoke emotion over thought. When people can all let the reaction pass over them, subside, then analyse and discuss critically their points, a better society will we have. Until that day comes, we can only practice this ourselves and with our family and peers in the hope that they too can think more critically in their daily lives.
We've got to be careful we're not also swallowing the rhetoric of what is the radical left and far right, that is put out by various mouthpieces. We've got to be careful of that programming into our own consciousness.
You and I might have similar views about "conspiracy theories", and I don't align with any political left, right or centre concepts.
Authoritarian is authoritarian whether someone claims to represent left or right. I don't believe we've had a true left for many decades.
Who aligned with whom?
Most will change their tune if they think there will be a political benefit. It could be suggested this is exactly why Musk has changed sides. He stands to benefit a lot more now. One of his former long time friends has described him and his "salute" in a different light. Many Americans are questioning his motives and no longer believe he is the Messiah they thought he was. The Germans do believe it was a Nazi salute and there's reports he supports a German political party deemed to be extreme far right. I'd suggest those Democrat salutes are closer to a simple wave.
I don't see much difference between Biden and Trump when it comes to pardoning convicted felons. Biden was possibly senile enough to sign off anything put in front of him, whereas Trump likes to throw tantrums. Mass firing of FBI agents because one didn't like their investigation into one's alleged criminality isn't a great sign.
Greenland has been a US base for decades, so he's pretty much reflecting reality.
Gaza has been a nightmare for decades, it needs a resolution and maybe he will force one (which may well make it worse - if that is possible).
Panama has large Chinese facilities at it's entrance - a genuine concern,
Canada - dunno about that.
No Trump supporter, however he's not really raising new issues, they have been there with eyes wide shut.
Late one night flying from Chicago to Heathrow, we had a medical emergency onboard, Pilot decided to land at a military base, It seemed crazy as we came in over nothing but snow, landed at a base, refueled and took off again....
The US has an extensive presence there already.
The USA may have got it too had Secretary of State Seward not had the headwinds of such an unpopular presidency of Andrew Johnson. Greenland was recognised as a security issue for US east coast then, and still is. Trump may well load something on his NATO partners like you are all proven to be afraid of Russia because you have failed to invest in your own military as protection. That failure has left the USA exposed too and we need to occupy Greenland for our own security. Otherwise go and tackle Russia without our military and armaments stationed on the continent. The art of the deal.?
Good point but let me explain the difference between 亡国 (Subjugation of the country) and 亡天下 (subjugation of the world).
"Subjugation of the country" and "subjugation of the world" are two different concepts. "Subjugation of the country" refers to changing the dynasty, changing the emperor and the name of the country. This kind of thing only needs to be concerned about by emperors, ministers and people who are striving for power and profit; while "destroying the world" means the destruction of culture and the loss of ethics and morals for generations. If the world is destroyed, it will become a barbaric nation that has no etiquette, justice and shame, and even cannibalizes others. Therefore, "subjugating the world" is more dangerous than "submitting the country". Everyone, regardless of high or low, has a responsibility.
For the entire Chinese history, only dynasties fell and rose. The core culture always preserve.
For the current US situation, I am afraid that its culture that made it a successful country is completely out of its original shape now and no going back.
Oh my sweet summer child, you are young and naive, still clinging to the outdated ideas of supreme leaders, above the masses and beyond reproach.
Dynasties are only relevant in outdated, backwards, traditionalist societies who are foolish enough to anoint some sort of god-emperor, dictator or monarch as their head of state. Like New Zealand, or China. Wait a minute....
On a more serious note, the rise and fall of Chinese dynasties reflects the economic and social issues faced by the various leaders of China, within the socio- and geopolitical circumstances that those emperors found themselves in. You can't simply copy and paste it onto the position of the USA currently, because there has simply never been a time in Chinese history that any Chinese emperor faced the circumstances facing the USA today.
Additionally, democracy acts as a release valve. When pressure builds up in the system, instead of violently overthrowing the state, you simply vote for the other guy! Brilliant!
I was walking down the road the other day and passed by a bus stop. On the glass side of the bus stop was an advertisement for the New Zealand Army. It showed two healthy and slim young men who actually looked like soldiers. Nice, the zeitgeist is changing, even in little old New Zealand, the manifestation of the era of Trump is upon us, the light is shining forth.
I agree with you ZS - it is normally always either a women or a person of colour or a gay in military recruitment posters (I used to joke about this with people when you would see the new adverts at malls or at bus stops) 100% DEI campaigning.
Talking with a friend who was in the military, apparently they used to spend our tax payer dollars (probably still are) sending serving gays and lesbians and trans people to week long conferences around the world (one was in Las Vegas, staying in fancy hotels etc) to talk about being LGBQT (or whatever the acronym is) issues being in the military with other armed forces. What a complete rort - so it was like tens of thousands of dollars each year to pay for these annual events - instead of just spending it on front line military training and equipment. Ie what the military exists for - not some experiment for left leaning ideology. I think we should be inclusive and respectful but there has got to be a line on what valid expenditures are for tax payer money.
Les extrèmes se touchent does not translate as The extremes find each other.
More simply, it translates as the extremes touch each other.
And it's true. The political spectrum is not a straight line from left to right. It's horseshoe-shaped, with the two extremes being much closer to each other than either is to the centre.
NZ also has a deep state manifested in the govt civil service and also on local councils. I don't know whether it's via legislation that ministers or councillors through the mayor not wanting to get their hands dirty by occasionally stepping in and instructing a departmental CEO to carry out something, executive order style as in the US. Typical example would be Housing NZ not evicting unruly tenants where multiple complaints from neighbours have gone unheeded. That occurred last week or so where the minister made noises about Housing NZ doing the right thing.
Seriously? How can a MAGA Republican possibly cite the Russian revolutionary, Vladimir Lenin, as his inspiration? Wasn’t Lenin responsible for establishing one of the most ferocious states in all of human history?
It is done unseriously, part of Bannon's schtick is all GOP reform gets labelled far right. Preferring a Lenin-type approach to reform is an in-joke for him.
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