Joining the dots
Reading newspapers in the traditional way - sitting down at a table, with a hot drink, and slowly turning the pages - does have its attractions, especially at the weekend. And, if you do it this way, rather than through the organised chaos of the Internet, then strange patterns can start to emerge from the newsprint. This is what happened to me this morning with my Sunday Star-Times.
Three stories jumped out at me, and had me thinking: “Coincidence? I think not!”
The stories were as follows:
- Peters stars in return of the kingmaker, a story about a new poll which has the gap between Labour and National closing to four points (40-36), with NZ First on 10% and the Greens on 6%.
- Memo to Swain: We can’t afford to be racist, a column by Frank Haden condemning the thinly-veiled racism of Winston Peters’ immigration rantings and of the Government’s decision to placate rather than challenge them.
- National Front leader Chapman resigns for his kids, a report on the decision by Kyle Chapman to resign as the far-right party’s leader, because his kids are getting persecuted for his views.
So, here’s my attempt at joining the dots. Is Kyle Chapman’s resignation actually an admission that NZ First, now at 10% in the polls, is stealing the National Front’s thunder, by promising to create a New Zealand in which we can walk down Queen Street and only see recognisable (i.e. white or Maori) faces? And given that Frank Haden is a moral conservative through and through who marvels in being un-PC, what should we make of his denouncement of Peters? That Winston is now closer to Kyle Chapman than Frank Haden on the political spectrum where “views of foreigners” are concerned?
