KEY POINTS:
I suppose local government elections will never be able to compete with the drama of World Cup rugby or the excitement of the Warriors making it into the top 8 in rugby league. However, I still find plenty of interest when wrestling with local bodies.
I noted that in Auckland the first big political debate was sponsored by the Auckland Gay Businessmens Association. Now I don't want to sound homophobic and Id like to point out that in the mid 80s I was the only male Mayor in Auckland to sign Fran Wildes Gay Rights Petition, but somehow I still find separatist gay organisations a little unnerving.
Will we see the emergence of the 92nd Gay Parachute Battalion in our Armed Forces, or the Southland Gay Federated Farmers being established in Invercargill? Somehow I doubt it.
We saw in the Sopranos the response of the mafia to gay gangsters, but perhaps New Zealand is so liberated we will one day see the emergence of a gay Mongrel Mob chapter. I'm yet to be convinced that this would be a positive step forward for the gay community. And while I'm on the subject of crime, I notice that there has been a huge decline in the number of Chinese students arriving in New Zealand.
I'm sure there are many economic reasons for this such as the increased value of the New Zealand dollar but the most emotional and sensational reasons are because of racial assaults.
If I was a skinhead and had the choice of picking on a bunch of Samoans or a bunch of Chinese students to help with ethnic cleansing in New Zealand, I know who I would attack. Even Neo-Nazi, white supremacists, high on P aren't stupid.
The problem with democracy is that civil rights are universal. A gay associate who tortures his kids, rapes women and runs a P lab has exactly the same civil rights as a scoutmaster who looks after kids, respects women and has a couple of beers at home while watching the rugby.
The only time the state discriminates against the gang associate is if he gets caught. With P fuelled crime booming, I believe we as a community are going to have to sacrifice the luxury of privacy and become a camera society. When a young student gets knifed in Herne Bay, the Police immediately check the cameras at the local garage. When banks get robbed film footage becomes crucial when trying to catch the culprit.
Security cameras are now so refined they can even give head measurements on those who wear balaclavas. I know we are all scared of big brother, but a big bro may become a bigger threat. Brave New World and the writings of Aldous Huxley warned us against the camera control of society.
Hidden security cameras were associated with the secret police. As part of a small rather neurotic community of Kiwi Celebrities I've lost my right to privacy. Everything I do is public knowledge. At times, this can be humiliating but since the age of the computer we have all lost our privacy to a degree. Instead of gated communities we are going to have to all belong to a camera community.
I would like to see the development of video vigilantes. Groups of people who cruise our city streets filming crime scenes or potential crime scenes. Farmers who live near cities are continually being robbed but instead of reaching for their shotguns, I believe our farms should, by law, be required to have hidden security cameras.
I was also saddened to read about the loss of Syd Jackson. Not only was he a radical free thinker, but he was also a scholar and a gentleman. My Mum is 92 and tells me that one of the miseries of getting old is that you see all your friends die. Im only 60, but to see Barry Crump, Bruno Lawrence, Hemi Baxter, Michael King, Barry Mitcalf, Owen Wilkes and my own cousin Maurice Shadbolt slip away is a constant reminder of your own mortality.
Whatever my fate is I can honestly say I've had a wonderful, exciting, dramatic life. World travel, beautiful wives, healthy children and grandchildren, challenging jobs and great friends. In 1938 the average Kiwi died at 63. Today the average Kiwi dies at 83. From my view its not how long you live that counts, its the quality, excitement and creativity of your life that counts and I feel a very privileged human being. Fred Dagg's song We don't know how lucky we are, should be our National Anthem.
