Letter to the Editor, Tuesday February 16, 2016

Suspicious minds

The ultra-right wing National Party sold off profit-making assets the taxpayers of New Zealand had built up over a long time. Moneyed people were the beneficiaries of this, not the workers.

People are now suspicious of that any trade agreement or legislation they pass will mainly benefit the top 5 per cent of the population or less. Government made a poor effort to explain details of TPP, which sounds to many all rather woolly and dangerous.

Immigration policies are a mess when we have unemployed people in Northland ready for trade training and to be given the chance to earn some real money instead of labouring for peanuts.

Every pupil in our schools should have the opportunity for some one-to-one time with a skilled teacher. Remedial coaching for some and extension work for the very able.

Te Tii Marae elders were right to be suspicious of government intentions and to feel fobbed-off by political double-talk. Maori are some of the best debaters and public speakers around, especially on their own marae. However, throwing offensive things at ministers and screaming abuse greatly weakens the case kaumatua and kuia make with dignity and straight talk.

Labour didn't do anything to change my mind about them going down the plug hole since they got rid of the leader before the last one, who did look like a possible Prime Minister.

People become annoyed when rubbishing the greens because they know deep down that they are on to it and are fully supported by international scientific research, which spells out as surely as night follows day the end of right wing conservative governments throughout the world as they fail to cope with rapid and mainly frightening trends.

Pity there are not more Christians in government .They don't like the story of it being harder for a rich man to get into heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Greens should remember over 40 per cent of us are Christians.

As for big powerful organisations being the answer, I have been waiting two weeks for some bright SPARK to come and fix my non-working land line phone.

S L MCHARG

Kerikeri