I may be wrong but . . . . . . I’m almost certainly wasting my time writing this particular blog article. With most other articles in my blog I kinda hope that if the subject(s) read it they may reflect for at least a moment and perhaps consider that I may be partly right or worth listening to. But Wanganui mayor Michael Laws? No way!!
The self-assured, self-satisfied arrogance of this man is breathtaking. Driven by a type of benevolent racism so ingrained that he cannot see it, he can only speak and act from a certain knowledge that his cultural preferences are superior to all others. He provides an image of how I imagine the early dogmatic missionary and colonial administrators acted and spoke.
And he’s so sure and smug in his views that he cannot see any other angles or the effects of his spouting-forth. He cannot see, for example, that denigrating Maori language, dismissing young pupils as having no mind of their own, and blaming child abuse on Maori culture, only reinforces the marginalisation of anything that doesn’t fit in with his pakeha-oriented view of life.
Sadly, not only can he not see, he also never will. His views are so fixed and so adamantly and angrily defended that he is probably beyond arguing with. We cannot hope to change his mind – our only hope is to see him voted out by enough reasonable but currently unfortunate Wanganui residents.
And yet he must have a chink in his armour if he feels the need to attack 10 to 12 year old pupils who dare to challenge his stance. A politician completely sure of himself must surely be able to take that with a degree of grace, without feeling it a threat to his position.
Although many worthy New Zealand politicians are capable of reason and persuasion, a significant minority across the left-right spectrum are unreasonably and unpleasantly arrogant. Regardless of my political leanings, I cannot respect arrogant people. Micael (without an ‘h’) Laws is one of them.
Thinking back on how Laws got to be where he is, I’m reminded that he was once a colleague of that other great modern political grandstander, Winston Peters. Both lead with the chin – in Laws’ case this is physically an accurate description if you watch how he holds his head when speaking in combat. Both answer questioners and critics with attack, bluster through any potential embarrassment, and in the process dig themselves into deeper holes.
Only trouble is that he’s right – according to all the polls! Check out the NZ Herald – 8,000 people voted and he’s “the voice of reason”.
I don’t know If I said it already but …Excellent site, keep up the good work. I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks,
A definite great read..Tony Brown
Sorry, Tony, I’ve been busy moving house and neglected to get back to you to thank you for your encouraging feedback. Now that things are settling down on the domestic front, I aim to get back to writing more regularly.
Hi Wangas. Sorry I’ve been a busy recently moving house and have neglected to reply to your comment. Thanks for your observations, because it has showed me that I need to be clearer in my writing, as it’s obvious you’ve totally missed the point of my article.
I was not advocating one way or the other about the spelling of W(h)anganui, but on Laws’s bullying and pompous attitude to the pupils who dared to criticise him and offer a dissenting view. And that’s nothing to do with what the 8000 people and the NZ Herald were voting on.
Laws lets himself down to rock bottom in my estimation not because he rejects changes on the name-spelling front, but because he shouts back from his priveleged position at primary school pupils and responds by denigrating them as having no worthy opinions of their own (in that he blamed the teachers), and that they should address Maori violence issues before having the right to speak out on anything else. Using the same argument, Laws should address and solve the problems of pakeha violence before anything else he gets hot about, such as working out how to stop people like Clayton Weatherston mordering their girlfriends.
People in Laws’ leadership position and holding his power should not use it to hit out at the spirits of ordinary people. He’s now lost any respect I may have held for him before, regardless of how he votes on the ‘h’ issue.
Actually David – YOU are missing the point.
The NZ Herald poll was IN RESPONSE to Laws’ bollocking of the snotty Otaki kids and not on the spelling of Wangas (that was a diferent poll).
The NZH readers judged our mayor as “the voice of reason”.
Hmmm. 8,000 versus you, David!
Well, me and a few others. (Was there not one opposing view in that NZ Herald poll? I didn;t realise it was unanimous.) Probably the same minority who were clearly wrong when we opposed the Vietnam war. And the Iraq war. And the Springbok tour. I’ll never let being in the minority govern how I should think. I’m very confident that within a decade my view will be seen by the majority to be valid. Me and other snotty people.
Thanks for your comment though.