Politics

In 2003 I did a 10 week reintroduction to University learning for returning adults. Part of the course was mock lectures, one of which was politics. As course requirement we had to write 8 essays for 8 of the lectures ranging from comparative lit, to sociology, all in an effort to give us a taste of University workload. I passed the course with an A-, but there was one essay I didn't hand in, the politics one.

It was my first introduction to the rather enigmatic Raymond Miller, professor and officionado of all things political. A Scotsman by birth with some kind of weird hybrid Kiwi/Scots/Canadian accent. We had to write 800 words on whether NZ should retain the monarchy, an arguement for or against. The what? I had no idea... He kept talking about the crown, what the fuck is the crown? I was 30 years old and I had no idea what the crown was. I simply didn't care about politics, didn't understand it, didn't like it, didn't know it.

Imagine my surprise to find that I am now a politics student who knows very well what 'the crown' is. And I think about all the other people who are my age who don't know and don't care and to be fair there is a kind of bliss in that ignorance.

I still don't know how I got through that many elections without a clue.

I spent 30 minutes this morning reading political opinion columns and realised I had become one of those boring adult types, who is no longer interested in the bloody gore and gossip column section. How did I become this? Its such an odd transition.

We have an election in 12 days, im eternally mystified that the parties have not spent any time concentrating on their core beliefs, the ideologies that individual people aspire too, opting instead for the whizz bang of policy announcements and pledges. the result is people are confused, National and Labour look the same but are not, but they are. Noone can the difference between free market and intervention, noone can tell anything anymore.

Then the arse fell out of the world economy as we approach the polling booths, talk about complicate things.

I've noticed NZ'ers live in abit of a bubble, Where they either don't see, or don't understand the ramifications of living in a globalised economy. That red ink isn't just the fault of the seated government, but also is heavily influenced by global trends and events. And one more thing.... actually no, I'll save that for another entry.

and now my real life...

I have my first exam on Saturday. we just had labour weekend which basically consisted of rain, and lying around in bed. We did have Sebs primary school reunion dinner. that was nice, but odd. 50 people turned up in total. I ended up sitting next to a woman who lives a km up the road and relief teaches at my boys school, once again reinforcing Auckland is very much a 'town' and not a megalopolis, especially as the aforementioned catholic school was in Northcote and not my locale of Onehunga.

It is 7 weeks and some days till I jet out of town, that means 7 weeks to seriously sock away some finance. Its also when I get all the lumping great rates bills and household insurance. My insurance company kindly has two options for payment, either in lump sum, or by direct debit, but with an added 3%. the bloody cheek.

I have to go and study now, I am looking forward to returning to the living social world I occupy when my life is not full of academia.