Natural Law Party: Adversarial Politics A Problem
Natural Law Party
PO Box 589, Orewa, Auckland
Tel:
(09) 426 4563 Fax: (09) 426 1254 E-mail:
nlp@natlaw.org.nz
MEDIA RELEASE
Orewa. 6 November 1999
New Zealand's preoccupation with adversarial
politics is a major factor in the inability of successive
governments to deliver successful and satisfying policies,
says the leader of the Natural Law Party, Bryan
Lee.
"Adversarial politics requires the expenditure of great effort and energy in absolutely negative activity," said Mr Lee. "At the very least, this represents a waste of that most important asset of politicians -- time. More seriously, it generates a poison that leaches into the whole of the body politic and into the national life."
Mr Lee said that nobody would rationally contemplate running a business, a school, a society or a club on an adversarial basis.
"Why then," he asked, "do we consider it an appropriate basis for running the country?"
Mr Lee said that the Natural Law Party would create a positive environment for the management of the nation's affairs.
"Our party has within its own ranks outstanding talent from which to form a government. But it would go beyond its own membership to draw on talented people from other parties for cabinet positions. It would also tap top leadership from the wider community to help in the management of the public sector."
ENDS