KEY POINTS:
Remember when George Bush's administration promised the world that the invasion of Iraq would be over in a few weeks? We were assured that the Iraqis would throw flowers at their liberators, the war would make a tidy profit and petrol prices would plummet. Next time you fill up your car think about how that stupidity has added to your petrol bill.
Early on, our own John Key volunteered New Zealand to climb on this wagon, although he seems to have a memory loss about it these days. It's a bit like his memory loss about his position on the Springbok tour in 1981. Does anyone alive at that time not remember what they thought?
There are some people out there who can't remember whether they had opinions on defining political events. At best they are self-obsessed or preoccupied, at worst they have no moral compass. But it does seem strange that someone who wants to be our next Prime Minister falls into this category.
When the not-so-bright US President insisted it was necessary to invade Iraq to avenge the attack on the Twin Towers, the equally dim-witted and immoral opportunists jumped on board the war hysteria.
Anyone who had half a brain knew that Iraq had nothing to do with the attack. In fact, Saddam Hussein and his regime spent their time executing al Qaeda operatives. It was universally known that the hijackers were Saudis from Bush's main ally in the Middle East. The invasion had nothing to do with truth but everything to do with US corporate hegemony in the region.
Key, of course, can't remember his support for the warmongers. But none of us should have any illusion that if he had been Prime Minister at the time New Zealand troops would have been over there, killing and maiming civilians on behalf of oil companies so they could continue to make their criminally gross profits.
Helen Clark needs to be acknowledged for not joining the bandwagon, particularly as our closest "friends", Australia and Britain, tried to muscle us into it. I guess her Government thought it had to compromise though, so sent us to Afghanistan instead. This is an equally immoral occupation propping up a corrupt regime, but we pretend we are there building schools and bridges, not killing the locals.
When one of our SAS soldiers gets a Victoria Cross for bravery under fire, there is a political consensus not to ask what part of infrastructure our commandos actually build.
Could they really be part of "seek-and-destroy" units that the coalition forces operate against the Taleban? I think so. It seems Key isn't alone when it comes to amnesia.
Ironically, Key and the National Party will probably be the political beneficiaries of the Iraq mess. There is no end in sight and the US economy is reeling under the cost of its wars.
This has started to affect our economy, too. This Government has had a dream run but now it's starting to wobble. Voters have already tuned out on Labour but the economic downturn will make it worse.
Our record dairy export trade has given a boost to our dollar that, until now, has insulated New Zealand from much of the oil spiral. But the downside to this is that the price of our food is skyrocketing. After all, why would farmers charge locals a lower price when they can get more overseas? I'm not sure we all feel quite as enthusiastic as our farmers about their million-dollar cheques when our supermarkets are charging us twice as much for some items as we paid two years ago. Our grocery bill has risen by 12 per cent over the past year and inflation is set to go over 5 per cent. Welcome to the free market.
Economic boffins tell us they have to raise interest rates to slow economic growth and reduce inflation. Well, they got their way. The economy has indeed slowed so more people can now join the dole queues and house prices will apparently keep dropping for three years. But inflation is now the highest we have had during the term of this Government. So much for our economic high priests.
I recall politicians saying that the Reserve Bank Governor was required to keep inflation under 2 per cent otherwise he'd get the sack. This was quietly moved up to 3 per cent. But even with inflation set to soar past 5 per cent he seems to still have his job.
Deep down we all know it's a con game, don't we? The war sucks up world resources, that ramps up interest rates, then economic activity slows. That gives oil companies the chance to blame instability in the Middle East for their criminal profiteering, even though more oil is being pumped out of the ground than before the invasion. The higher the oil prices, the more alternatives for renewable energy are needed. That means more land is needed, which results in less food production, which means higher prices for food.
If some of us are a bit like Key and don't quite get the moral implications of invading the Middle East for cheap oil, then at least understand the economic cost. We certainly pay more for oil and arguably for food because of Bush's decision to occupy Iraq. And Key supported it.
