By and large, New Zealand elects governments that then set about doing what they promised, in some form or another. But sometimes we end up with a government that goes off-piste for whatever reason. Sometimes it is a rogue element and sometimes it is deliberate circumvention of considered norms, but mostly it is driven by adherence, often blindly, to a political ideology.
There have been two recent examples of such off-piste behaviour. The first was the hijacking of the Lange Government by Finance Minister Roger Douglas. The second is this current Labour Government’s descent into race-based politics.
Usually pieces by Cam Slater tend to have a "radio shock jock" vibe to them, but this is nuanced and straightforward. Fair all 'round.