Great News from New Zealand, libertarian ACT wins 5 seats.
With the vote almost fully counted, (99.9%) the old Labour government has been decisively thrashed. The Nationals have 45.45% of the vote for 59 seats out of 122. Labour got 33.7% for 43 seats. The Green Party got 8 seats and the ACT (Association of Consumers and Taxpayers) Party, and the Maori Party each got 5.
This leaves the Nationals three short of a majority, which means they need the support of one of the other parties to form a government. I am not fully up with NZ parties but I understand that the NZ Greens are not as Bolshy as our Australian ones, the Maori Party is an unknown to me, but the ACT Party are solidly free enterprise, which would make them a pretty good fit.
Not only is the ACT free enterprise, they are in fact mainstream libertarian. Consider the basic principles: -
(1) That individuals are the rightful owners of their own lives and therefore have inherent freedoms and responsibilities. And: -
(2) That the proper purpose of government is to protect such freedoms and not to assume such responsibilities.The Party policy objectives are: -
(1)A prosperous, well-educated, healthy, and open society in which individuals are free to achieve their full potential.
(2)A growing, dynamic, and open economy, in which individual choice is paramount.
(3)Social policy that promotes and rewards hard work, enterprise, thrift, and personal responsibility.
(4)A standard of living, and quality of life, that is the envy of the world.Probably the most interesting and best part is the reentry of Roger Douglas into parliament as the no3 on the ACT ticket. Douglas was a former NZ Finance Minister in the Lange government, who introduced “Rogernomics,” which alludes to “Reaganomics.” His policies included cutting agricultural subsidies, tarrifs, and trade barriers, privatizing public assets and the control of inflation through measures based on free market economics.
If ACT is able to take part in government NZ has a great future.
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