Letter to The Post replying to a letter describing the new government as not a typical ‘National’ government
Posted: April 10, 2024 Filed under: Letters | Tags: back on track, Charles Bagnal, climate change, far right ideology, letters to editor, lettersbyrwk, National government, nuclear deterrence, nuclear weapons, Radha Sahar, The Post Leave a commentThe Editor, The Post, Wellington
07/04/ 2024
Dear Editor:
Radha Sahar and Charles Bagnall (Off the track, 5 Apr) suggest the new government is not a real ‘National’ government but one supporting the selfish agenda of the far-right. And at the end they say ‘middle-ground’ National voters should stand up and get the party ‘back on track.’
While hopeful, I don’t think they are characterizing ‘middle’ National voters properly. Yes, this government is pushing far-right agendas. They have formed the most angry, most desperate government this country has ever seen. They know, as we all do, that this far-right agenda brings no prospect of a future ready to take on the existential challenges of climate change, nuclear weapons, and generally the global overshoot of our ecosystems by human civilization.
Actually, this triumvirate of parties has never tried to hide their anger and desperation against reality, bulldozing progress (“get NZ back on track”), and there is no reason to think that voters haven’t voted for that and haven’t got what they wanted. This desperation is very shallow, certainly, and it may not last, but let’s call it what is right now for the sake of clarity and honesty.
Sincerely,
Richard Keller
Last letter to Wellingtonian
Posted: December 7, 2017 Filed under: Letters | Tags: climate change, fear, global historical context, letters to editor, New Zealand, nuclear weapons, Wellingtonian Leave a commentThe Editor, The Wellingtonian, Wellington
08 December, 2017
Dear Editor:
It’s a sad day that the Wellingtonian is ceasing publication.. But the best part of it went out earlier this year when the Letters to Editor section was dropped. Subjects which the readership wants to bring up will generally be the most stimulating and useful for democracy. We are living in a time when it is most important to bring new perspectives into the conversation because the world has changed fundamentally. Read the rest of this entry »