On Moral Outrage and Election Campaigns

Ignoring the total ignorance of NZ Election processes revealed in the the thinking of those involved in the Palino Mayoralty campaign one of the interesting side effects of the Slater- Cook released salacious attempt to unseat Len Brown from the Auckland mayoralty has been the “outrage” expressed by the “moral right”, epitomised by Cameron Brewer and Dick Quax’s commentaries calling for Brown’s resignation and, presumably, public self flagellation.

The Slater group and their supporters have raised their moral knickers high above their heads and called for Brown’s resignation because he was foolish enough to fall for the wiles and sexual promise of a nubile and exotic younger woman. Their argument is based that Brown’s sexual dalliance makes him unfit to be mayor but ignores the greater moral wrong of the use of blackmail in order to gain personal political gain.

Blackmail is defined as extortion of payment in return for silence by using threat or “moral” pressure. It is an offence in law and an offence against society which immediately puts those who have elected to hang their moral knickers on the whale oil dirty laundry line into a very discreditable camp.

If Brown had given into the pseudo moral outrage generated from the salacious revelations      coming from the Slater-Cook camp in their attempt to exploit the “scandal” he would have capitulated to a group who have even more questionable values that those he has been accused of.
One can only assume that for the political hypocrites that have linked themselves to Slater and Cook the irony that they have committed themselves to supporting a greater morally wrong course of behaviour escapes them in their pursuit of power and influence at any cost.

Brown can only be congratulated in his determination to stand against those who are determined to corrupt the local and national political scene.