WTF are you on, Don?

From a speech delivered by Don Brash, the newly dubbed 'productivity tsar':

Of course, there are lots of reasons why New Zealanders head overseas to live. .... Some go because they’re sick and tired of the political correctness – around race or gender – in New Zealand. (1)

In the broader context of the speech, he's talking specifically about Australia - the speech is subtitled, "Can we ever catch Australia?"

His - pretty obvious - intention is to brand New Zealand, particularly New Zealand under Labour, as strangled by political correctness. Especially, he points out, "around race or gender." But, unintentionally he reveals how he sees New Zelanders - and, by extension, how the people he represents see New Zealanders.

By Don's lights, New Zealanders are fundamentaly racist and sexist. Disgusted by the tardy and tokenistic efforts made by New Zealand to address the massive historical injustices done during colonisation, New Zealanders up sticks to the other side of the Tasman, to a place that knows how to keep the darkies in their place. Because we have to assume that he's talking about white - maybe, a t a pinch, yellow - New Zealanders here, not the other sort. I can't think that there are too many Maori stropping off to Australia because they've had a gutsful of racial political correctness.

Then there's the issue of political correctness surrounding gender. Seriously, Don, WTF? What are you talking about here? What shocking examples of reverse sexual discrimination blight New Zealand? The fact they voted for a woman over a man - particularly you - in 2002 and 2005? What are we to make of the girl-on-girl electoral action of 1999? Political correctness gone mad? Or is it the Electoral Bill of 1883, granting women the vote, that still rankles?

Finally, let's not mince words here. Let's be clear that if people are leaving the country because of political correctness about race and gender, we're losing a substantial chunk of the racist, sexist section of our population. Which is no great loss to anyone, other than talkback radio show hosts.

[Hat tip: The Standard (2)]

1 - "New Zealand's economic outlook: can we ever catch Australia?," seech delivered by Don Brash to AUT University, 30th of July, 2009. Text available online courtesy of The New Zealand Herald. (http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/document/pdf/brashspeech.pdf)
2 - "'Brash speech confirms National's secret agenda," posted by Eddie on The Standard, 30th of July, 2009. (http://www.thestandard.org.nz/brash-speech-confirms-nationals-secret-agenda/)