Since I am ineligible to vote, I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the political landscape here, but that isn't to say I haven't learned quite a bit. Here are my general observations and interesting factoids regarding politics in New Zealand:
Campaigning on Election Day is a criminal offense (or "offence" as the Kiwis spell it).
No one -- not the politicians themselves, the press, or your Tweeting grandma -- is allowed to campaign for any one party or politician on Election Day.
Cost of political campaigning in New Zealand to sway public opinion: millions of dollars. Making everyone shut the f*ck up so Kiwis can think for themselves for just a second about who they want running the country: priceless. (USA, take note. Oh, and make sure you bring your goat to the polls for a picture, because voting selfies are illegal, too! Take THAT, narcissists!)
Who the hell are all these people?
Coming from the United States with its woefully lacking two-party system, I am overwhelmed by the plethora of parties here: Labor, National, Green, Internet, ACT, Maori, Mana, and United Future. Seriously, can get a girl get a reference chart up in here?
Can you imagine the Primary debates in America if we had that many parties? There'd be like, 34 people up on stage. Oh, wait, we DO have that many parties in America, for real? Fooled me.
Voting on Saturday makes sense (more than the above picture does)
One thing I never understood about the US is why they make their election days on Tuesdays. I mean, come on, how can I vote on a Tuesday when I'm too busy waiting for my two-for-one Tuesday pizza deal to be delivered? I'm hungry, and those election lines are long....
But, seriously folks, to vote is an American right. But in our bass-ackwards country, it's also the right of any company to deny time off to its employees to leave to go vote. Moving election day to Saturday would free up a lot of voters to hit the polls, especially poor / minimum-wage voters. Now who do you think they would vote for? Food for thought...... okay now I'm hungry again. Where's my pizza?
I love you, New Zealand, but stop whining about your "dirty politics"
As an Ameri-Kiwi, I walk a fine line when it comes to talking about dirty politics. In conversations with Kiwis, I try to sympathize with their feelings about the country's "dirty politics." But inwardly, I roll my eyes, because, sorry guys, your "dirty" politics ain't got NUTHIN on America. So your country's squeaky clean image has never been more tarnished, and there has never been so much mud slinging as there has been in the last campaign. But, trust me, that shit is child's play compared to what we've had to endure in America for over the last, oh, CENTURY.
Not to say you are't entitled to your griping. And, ya know what, good on ya for bitching about it when it's still relatively good. Holding your politicians to a higher standard will hopefully prevent New Zealand from devolving into the ludicrous political circus that the United States has become.
Life's a beach
Since I can't rock the vote, guess I'll go rock my boat (video).
Cheers!
