thanks, Helen

Tuesday, 24 November 2009 11:42

blog

Politics in New Zealand has always felt a bit like watching guinea pigs fight to the death; slow, harmless and... well, pretty depressing.

In regards to these people who make a career out of making decisions for other people (here and, undoubtedly, elsewhere), it is often only in retrospect that we can hold them up against their peers and truly realise just how good / bad / strange / Panda-like they were... which is why I now miss Helen Clark.

Now, to clarify, I'm not a Labour supporter. I don't really support any party across the board, preferring to cherrypick from the range of choices we have to the left of centre instead (thanks to MMP). If I have the time I'll take note of the issues and the office, or else I'll just go with whoever looks best on their billboard. (Hey, everyone should admit to their shallow moments.)

However, Helen crafted a very particular set of policies during her time as Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage- and the fact that she was the leader of the country at the same time surely helped her win arguments. There's a well-written piece about the Labour legacy in the arts here, but I'm keeping it personal - the reason I mention this is because I have been a direct recipient of these policies. Somehow.

Basically if it wasn't for Helen's policies, I'm fairly certain I'd still be working in retail, or back on the dole (that's the unemployment benefit, for my friends in the US). Instead, I was able to upskill myself, get a job in the creative sector, and now I've started my own business. Shot, Helen.

Oh, and now Helen is Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme - so she's gonna be doing this sort of thing (but on a more basic level) for the rest of the world, which is just freakin' awesome.

Thanks, Helen.

Thelen.*

* = This word will make more sense if you watch this. Thanks, Mark.... Thark.