Andrew Dickens: The real winner from the latest political poll

COMMENT:

A long winter of discontent and division feels like it's settling in.

The latest political poll is evidence that we're evenly split and also that truth is in the eye of the beholder. The fact that National has held steady and still scores at 45 percent is taken by some to show that the party still has a legitimate claim to authority.

But Labour is within the margin of error at 42 percent. Add on the Greens and you have a 48 percent. A 3 percent margin left over right. And their supporters claim the moral authority. But again that's within the margin of error. I think it's only fair to say we are evenly split.

The real winner is New Zealand First who keeps on pulling a 5 percent. It keeps them being the judge jury and executioner. I think it's also fair to say that the predicted collapse of the coalition is still a ways away and the rise of National is a ways away too as their leader fails to excite the middle.

So we're stuck. There is no clear winner. The only differentiating factor is your opinion. How you feel.

And depending on how you feel and what opinions you read is the defining trend of the age, which is why logic and facts are the victims.

We are in the age of propaganda. Some say socialism is on the rise. Others say this is the age of strongman autocracy. And both sides are just as sure of their truth and the other sides delusions as each other.

I was struck by this finely balanced division and war of words and ideas and propaganda reading a piece by Business writer Liam Dann in the weekend

Liam was struggling to decide whether we're heading towards an economic meltdown or not. Whether the drop in business confidence is based on economic truths or not

What he said was that reality is complex and seldom fits easily into party political divides.

And when there is political heat in an issue it gets passionate. And when people argue with passion their ability to process evidence from both sides of an argument seems to diminish. And science has proven that humans create their own reality.

In other words, you're biased. I am biased. He's biased. Everyone is biased. Yet despite this, politicians and their party faithful cling to the belief that their opponents are biased and they are not.

And in a time of even balance between ideologies then that's a recipe for shouting, yelling and accusations.

Liam finished his piece, saying we are all stuck in this life together. And it is short and nobody gets out alive. Spending it feeling angry because someone said something you don't like isn't worth it.

Very true. But it is fair to say this winter of disagreement isn't getting any shorter.

• Andrew Dickens is the host of the afternoon show on Newstalk ZB