Saturday Oct 04, 2008

"I'm tired of hearing it said that democracy doesn't work. Of course it doesn't work. We're supposed to work it."

This famous quote from American theatre critic Alexander Woollcott reappears in the latest newsletter of New Zealand's Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations, with tips for voluntary groups to get their message across in the election campaign.

It applies, of course, not just to organised groups but to all of us. Democracy is not just the five-minute act of voting. It is effective only if we, the voters, use it to voice our hopes and concerns - knowing that political candidates are straining to hear every word we say.

This week, as in the two previous elections, the Herald has given voters a voice after asking 600 of them about the things they feel matter most.

In most cases they were approached at random in the street and asked to give their views. In some respects their mood has changed completely since our first survey in 2002.

At that time, 9 per cent were worried about immigration. That was the year permanent and long-term arrivals peaked at 96,000, with the biggest number from China, and the foreign student boom made downtown Auckland feel like Hong Kong.


"People can only take so many comfortably. We are well over the limit. It's becoming quite frightening," said Avondale Market stallholder Christine Gregory that year.

Our survey also found "a phenomenal depth of anguish" among European New Zealanders about what they felt were unfair advantages for Maori in scholarships, public service jobs and Treaty of Waitangi claims.

Well, we all know what happened. It was messy, even outrageous, but the politicians got the message.

The NZ First Party more than doubled its vote to 10 per cent in the 2002 election. Four months later, Helen Clark's Labour Government tightened the English language test for immigrants. The migrant inflow plunged.

In 2004, National Party leader Don Brash picked up the theme of Maori having unfair "special rights". National's popularity soared. Helen Clark ordered a review of all such rights, abolishing many of them.

In our 2005 survey, immigration and "handouts to Maori" were still up there among voters' top four concerns, but the Government's actions were already weakening them. Only 6 per cent of our sample mentioned immigration. This year, both issues were mentioned by under 2 per cent of our sample. They have become non-issues.

Instead, this year two other major issues that have been consistent concerns through all three surveys have built up to dominate voters' minds.

Economic concerns have always been No 1, even when the economy was growing strongly but many voters were still struggling on low wages.

Since then, house, food and petrol prices have all skyrocketed. Those concerned about taxes and living costs have jumped from 14 per cent of our sample last time to 22 per cent.

The most painful stories were from parents working long hours to make ends meet, sometimes in two jobs, though they wanted and needed to spend more time with their children.

Those worried about crime jumped even more, from 7 per cent last time to 20 per cent. The two issues are related because young people whose parents are busy working long hours instead of being with the family are more liable to be lured into gangs and crime.

If we're working democracy well, we can expect all parties to tell us, between now and November 8, what they would do about these issues.

What they actually do in the end may be just as messy and outrageous as it was on immigration and the Treaty. But if we speak up, it will be our voice that guides them.

(Source NZ Herald, Simon Collins)