Undue Self-Exaltation Inevitably Precedes and Anticipates A Speedy and Severe Fall

"An exultant Western triumphalism" is the pithy yet comprehensive way in which the one-time Soviet Union's arguably most celebrated President, Mikhael Gorbachev, has, just the other day, chosen to use to describe the ideologically partisan manner in which the West(ern powers), 'led' by the then United States' President, George Bush the First, understood, interpreted and publicly described the historic fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago (yesterday, New Zealand time, and today, Northern Hemispheric time - November the ninth, 1989).

'Right on' was my own automatic, instinctive reaction the other day - indeed what Gorbachev said pretty well echoed my own long-held view and perception of that decisive *'event' almost word for word - though unlike that prescient and domestically unfairly-maligned - essential, if often unrecognized (at least by his own countrymen and women) architect of the one-time Soviet Union's counter-revolution - it astonishes me to realize I cannot for the life of me **recall exactly where I was and what I was doing when news of such history-in-the-very-making finally hit home to me, or that precise event (of the Berlin Wall's fall) transpired.

*Though more a series, a succession of similar events, as nation after nation, country after country amongst the U.S.S.R.'s string of satellite states stretched across the former Eastern Europe buckled, crumbled to the ongoing 'onslaught' of democratic sensibilities, of the simple thirst for not only 'liberty' but indeed even ***'equality' - two of the three pillars of the itself historic, earth-shaking events of the French Revolution almost exactly two centuries prior.

**Again unlike where I was (and what I was doing) when news reached me of Princess Diana's death (or anticipated end, anyhow, following her motorcade's horrific smash/crash in a French tunnel), or similarly when I first heard (and, moreover, it truly sunk in) that America had just undergone the events of '9/11' (as it will ever after be known) - those incredible scenes of airliners crashing into the sides of the 'Twin Towers' being indelibly etched, seared into the memory cells, one's consciousness, and thereafter is unfailingly remembered for time immemorial, world without end. (Though I do distinctly recall pacing the streets (in my itinerant, door-to-door selling capacity) observing a headline in the local Courier Mail proclaiming - at least some significant parts of - said events occurring, now I really come to it.)

***As is now well known 'everywhere' and to 'everybody' taking even just a casual interest in such matters, the so-called 'equality' for which that autocratic, monolithic system was best known was only ever a parody of such egality envisaged by the likes of Friedrich Engels and his infinitely better known fellow theorist Karl Marx - being in actual, everyday, concrete practice far more akin to George Orwell's brilliantly satirical line: "all (2-legged creatures) are equal, but some are more equal than others".

Pretty Well Right On All Fronts, Mr Prime Minister: Well Done

The chance to find things to congratulate our present, rockstar-popular P.M. John Key upon seems less and less frequent these days, so can I say - as succinctly as possible - his (and his Government's) very measured, ever-so-carefully calibrated response to the obscenity and loathsome spectacle that's known as ISIS, ISIL (and all the seemingly endless variations and permutations thereupon) is RIGHT ON, JUST WHAT THE GOOD DOCTOR ORDERED. In every which way. Utterly irrespective of the petty partisanship (and niggardly damning with faint praise and/or noticing the trees but missing the forest) thereupon displayed this afternoon by Metiria Turei and Winston Peters in the unhallowed corridors of Aotearoa-New Zealand's Parliamentary debating chamber. Yes, a good and thoughtful debate all round - including very insightful contributions especially (and to me surprisingly) by both United Future's Peter Dunne and Act's newbie Epsom M.P. David Seymour. Alongside some good speeches made by the likes of Annette King, David Shearer, Phil Goff and especially the ever erudite, learned and reflective Kennedy Graham: who at least gave a series of step points which he noted the Green Party had brought to its evaluation of how to properly, and coolly and rationally, determine whether or not New Zealand ought to become, and if so in which particular ways, the conflict over IS in the Middle East. We also had the unflappable, temperamentally ever equable Murray McCully, the equally reasonable and earnest Gerry Brownlee, and the Jim Hickeyish man of colour, flair and dramatics (if not histrionics!) Christopher Finlayson, and of course the P.M. himself, giving especially thoughtful contributions, and - in a quietly dissenting voice - the mild-mannered, oh so reasonable (and likeable) Te Ururoa Flavell, who brought up (if a rather misplaced comparison, it seemed to me, upon this particular occasion) the historic spectacle of Parihaka and the 2007 Urewera terror raids.

But upon and after hearing the Prime Minister 'rounding up' and concluding said debate two hours later - before politicians entered into another, all too predictable and oh so unproductive Question Time which rapidly brought all this 'untoward' and refreshingly different meeting of minds to a sad and abrupt end - my thoughts immediately turned to John Key's Jewish counterpart, the famed leader of Israel, King David, about whom the biblical writer of 1 Samuel penned this/the following:

"So David went out wherever [King] Saul sent him, and behaved wisely[prospered]...and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants...he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him...he behaved very wisely...all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them." [1 Samuel 18:5; 14-16]

Granted, perhaps a - huge, even humongous - stretch - to even contemplate comparing our present P.M. to that celebrated great leader of historic Israel, however popular Key may still be in historic kiwi terms...approximating in that sense, however, to such 'heavyweight' (as in similarly popular and/or longserving) Prime Ministers as Keith Holyoake, and 'King' Dick Seddon, as well as William Massey, Michael Joseph Savage and 'Big Norm' Kirk himself; but let's briefly enumerate his 'accomplishments' in this latest and arguably (indeed as widely noted, potentially) most important decision in his premiership. What precisely did the Prime Minister achieve today in his speech and plan for New Zealand - whether in terms of active overseas engagement vis-a-vis IS and/or surveillance of its domestic (kiwi) sympathizers/adherents?

He informed us that his Government: *Would not send ground troops into Iraq (and of course also Syria). *Would nevertheless provide practical, hands-on support to other forces taking up the cudgels to battle the evil that is IS, so would not shirk 'doing its part' in the global fight against patent wrong (as in genocide). *And indeed would be providing extensive support and humanitarian aid to refugees fleeing IS and its rampant atrocities.*Had no gripes or quibbles or qualms with New Zealand's sizeable and essentially peaceful, peace-loving Muslim community. *Nevertheless was well aware that New Zealand had folk in its midst apparently actively sympathetic with the aims of IS, and so potentially of real concern to our citizenry. *Would not be enacting sweeping new laws to deal with this 'threat'. *And indeed would be imposing special measures to carefully safeguard citizens' rights and indeed even the 'rights' of those who themselves could - theoretically - cause trouble in God's Own (as in carefully extended police warrants over a limited period).
Etcetera etcetera etcetera.

But of course 'the devil' is ever in the detail, and even more worryingly - as folk far more erudite and articulate than I have oft expressed - who knows in what unwholesome ways and to what worrying an extent such newfangled powers may one day be employed by a much less benign, liberty-loving government of our nation. For, as noted author C K Stead's memorable hero in Smith's Dream - the book upon which the first truly famous kiwi film, Sleeping Dogs, was based - eventually found out, discovered to his 'eternal regret', political powers once obtained are rarely disbanded or eschewed. They indeed may be ever so finely tuned and adapted to achieve aims which - if not in SD, admittedly -  their original proposers never envisaged, and which draw down the curtain well and truly, and 'for good', upon people who all too blithely and naively place tacit, inherent trust in the good intentions of their leaders, and trust all too implicitly to their fair professions and fine speeches. Not realizing until it is forever too late that their pet snake has become a stinging, lethal serpent, whose fangs will bite deeply and not release their prey until it is all well and truly over.