I’m making the bold assumption, that most people here are not running, in either local body or national elections.
Everyone loves the complain about what “public servants” do. So why not step up and do something about it?
No accusation intended or implied. Just curious.
That leads to the question…what makes a good politician?
I’m assuming you mean someone who is good for the country (someone we should want to represent us) and not someone who is good at playing the politics game (Winston Peters being an example of the latter and not the former).
I think a politician needs to be able to answer to their constituents. If someone comes and asks why you voted a particular way you need to have an answer (that is not just the party told me to). This includes being able to explain when you voted for something you didn’t agree with because of the party direction. They would need some really good people skills and conflict resolution skills.
I think a good politician should have influence in their party, and influence that party to aim for long term goals even at the risk of not being voted in for the next election. Doing what is right for the country not right for the party.
Outside of that, I think you get into some specific skills for ministers and select committees, etc, that are not necessarily “politician” skills. Prime Minister is another specific skill that is hard to really nail down.
I’m just rambling really, I’m making this up as I go as I don’t really know what would make a good politician. I think I’d recognise it when I see it, which I hope will happen within my lifetime 😅
Someone who can turn the country around 180 degrees and tie up all the loose ends. Changing heaps of things at once if they must. Like Vladimir Putin in the 2000s or Donald Trump in the past 5-6 weeks. Rightly or wrongly! History will be written. I’m one of those impatient people who despises the Barack Obamas and the Mitt Romneys. I’ve heard enough about abortion, healthcare and ram-raids and the same old talking points ad nauseum.
Yeah, that’s the take I was expecting to see from you.
And the left aren’t the ones obsessed with abortions.
Well not most people, but a small subset of the left is obsessed with it. They were very upset about the protests in Christchurch. Now there’s a law to ban the pro-lifers in Christchurch. They used to protest all the time across from the hospital, at Hagley Park. There is a road between the park and the hospital, but the femmi-nazis weren’t happy and obviously they made this law change so that the protests can’t be within 300m of the hospital. It’s ridiculous. Why not just ban protests within 1km of parliament while we’re at it.