Jack-boots and beans
Has anyone noticed how trendy vegetable gardening is?
For once I’m up with the trend, I’ve been vege gardening for about 15 years. I think the popularity of growing your own vege has been driven by a number of factors. The growing price of veges in the supermarket makes grow your own worth the effort. Wider green issues, which are also trendy, are also a factor. People feel good about the small ‘carbon footprint’, the recycling, if you make compost, and you can grow organically.
Another, more theoretical factor is that some people have a desire to return to the land. We often have a romantic idea of what our pre-industrial revolution ancestors lives were like. By growing our own food, as they did, we imagine we can return to the (supposed) idyllic world that existed before factories, cars and supermalls.
The idea that we can create some sort of pre-industrial earthly paradise is a strong ideological thread running through both the political far right and the far left. In NZ the Green Party are the far left and their desire for this can be seen in some of their policies.
Contrary to what some may think the far right in NZ is not ACT but the National Front. The National Front are pretty shadowy, partly because what they believe is deeply unfashionable and often abhorrent. Occasionally they pop up in the news, partly because they have that controversy factor. Today there is an article on Stuff about the National Front wanting to start their own community in North Canterbury. It’s pretty standard far right/fascist ideas. What caught my eye was that the community would have a ‘large vegetable garden’.
I, and many NZers have something in common with the National Front! I guess it’s a lesson that there are attractive parts to all political philosophies, and that we should always look a bit deeper. After all political parties want to put their best face forward so we will vote for them.
When I read about the large vege garden I thought of this:
It’s Villandry, a large potager style vege garden in France complete with a Château. I wonder if this is the kind of thing the National Front had in mind?
Filed under Gardening, Politics | Comment (0)Vote Early, Vote Often
This is a picture of women voting in 1893 election, the first election women could vote in. Today we have another election here in NZ. Although I live rurally I think it is going to be a bit easier to get to our polling place, the local school hall.
According to the radio as many as 10% of voters have yet to make up their mind. I’m one of those. I have read stuff here, here and here to help me make up my mind. Like Matt and Madeleine I’m torn between voting with my conscience and voting in a way that I know will change the government.
Earlier on in the week I read this from Albert Mohler. Two things struck me particularly. Firstly, Christians often look to the government to provide their security instead of God. This influences their voting behaviour. They vote based on their earthly needs rather than righteousness. Secondly, in democracies we get the government we deserve. The way people vote is reflective on the world view prevailing in the country.
Like Dr. Mohler, my prayer for New Zealand today is that we get a government better than we deserve.
Filed under Politics | Comment (0)