Last Sunday...Damn politics will get me in the end !

The lockdown has nearly come to a partial end.

We will never really know how effective it has been - compared to Australian states with less draconian measures we are only in the middle of the pack in terms of cases and deaths, and Taiwan is a far superior exemplar if you are looking for one.

Nevertheless, and despite being surrounded by incompetents ( in the political realm anyway, the officials have been uncharacteristically great in a relaxed kiwi way...)  we have been lucky to have a good war leader in Ardern ,  who has provided an inarguable clarity and certainty which has kept the people relaxed in a time of great trouble. So well done you. A week late on the borders - but compared to any other country, a solid A.

Now the hard bit. How do we rebuild the Economy, in a very different world. Everyone that has an agenda will now start to bicker over the shape of this new reality.

Without descending into a pointless and circular argument about the battle of meaningless and outdated ideologies , whether that means socialism, neo-liberalism, anarchy or anything else, if we fail to re-start the economy it will be the poorest and most in need who will suffer.

In order to work this out, I urge every citizen to put aside dogma. As those of you who know me will realise, my praise of Ardern was quite the dead rat to swallow. But credit where due - If we all do the same on every side of politics this offers our best chance of ‘the greatest amount of good for the greatest number’.

Balancing this of course, is the need to maintain Freedom - of thought and action, in our democratic society. Slavery can be psychological as well as wrought from steel , and  equating a forced form of equality with the greater good is in my opinion a mistake.

This crisis has required some abrogation of basic freedoms - but we must slam that door shut again as soon as possible, or risk being locked into a cycle of ever increasing state control that will only cause suffering. You cannot force cultural change, gender, economic or any other kind of good - it must be inspired in the people by showing an obvious benefit. The counter to this approach is risking the populist, divisive politics of Trump - Which Ardern does risk if she does not tone down her " celebrity ". While politically very different, the populist core is identical in them both. Say it. Say you've said it - and say it again.

She seems a good person - And like Cincinnatus must go back to the fish and chip shop when the job is done. 

I do not envy her store of outdated squid rings of a cabinet, and the Potato stocks will be low - so this will be the real character test. I look forward to my past estimation of this Government being proved wrong, and do not envy the job they have ahead. Imagine choosing who lives and dies in business ! Thumbs up to Fletchers ! Thumbs down to hospo ! Feed them to the lions ! Easy to make light of, and a reminder that anyone who criticises the " baubles of office " must remember that these life and death decisions will be ones our current Government must both live with on a personal level, and be judged, ofter unfairly, by history on. I do not envy them.