Jazz Cabbage

My Dear Princess and Dear Fellows,

Three years ago, I didn't really know what was happening in the NZ elections. 

To be fair to me, I don't think anyone really did. If you remember, the result that night was up in the air for about a fortnight while Winston Peters, of the small New Zealand First party decided with whom he would form a coalition government. 

Fortunately, he chose to go with Labour and the Greens. I hate to think what might have happened if he'd chosen National.

But tonight it has been pretty blummen obvious right from the start. There have been only slight wobbles in the numbers, but it looks like we are about to have a majority Labour government, with no coalition. 

This is unprecedented; there have been no majority governments since proportional representation was brought in here. 

On the other side of the fence, National are polling their lowest in decades. I've been following the election coverage and National MPs are saying the following:

- It's all because of COVID
- Jacinda Ardern is a good communicator and people like her; it's not fair
- Our leader was given ever such hard task on account of our party is a shambles
- An even more right-wing party stole our votes

I noted there was nothing in their commentary about their losing because they're out of touch; and that no-one wants to hear about tax cuts for the rich in the middle of an international crisis. So not much chance for policy changes there. 

Funnily enough; the only reasonable National MP was their ex-leader Simon Bridges who was chucked out a few months back for being useless. I quite liked him tonight. He said the result was "grim". 

I wonder if being fired has given him the freedom to be more honest?

Meanwhile, the atmosphere on the left has been lovely. The Greens are ecstatic, despite the fact that they are no longer needed as coalition partners. I guess they still see this as a huge swing to the left which is good news for them.

Meanwhile, in my picture above, you see Jacinda Ardern's partner serving up fish sliders and venison bites to reporters outside the Prime Minister's house. 

See? This is the sort of thing that gets you re-elected.

In other news, we won't find out about the two votes on cannabis legalisation and euthanasia yet. Apparently they won't be announced for two weeks.

"So hold off on lighting up your jazz cabbage cigarette," said one of the tv presenters. 

David Dimbleby never says things like that.

S.