1957: Nash Equilibrium

Was looking at this photo of Walter Nash winning the 1957 election and he’s smiling. The defeated Prime Minister Keith Holyoake was smiling too because what else could he do, mope for the camera?

If Holyoake looks sad, neutral, angry, hurt, or any emotion but joyous, he’s going to look like a looser. His blood will be in the water. The dominant Game Theory strategy for the defeated must always be to smile his damned head off.

“The National Party cheerfully accept the verdict of the magirity,” he said. The reality, of course, is that Keith was far from pleased to have been booted out of office after holding it only 70 days. He proceeded to insult¹ and attack Labour 2.0, bringing it down after just one term.

This is like that too: Labour has a Womans’ portfolio so National must have one too. Nicola Grigg has a portfolio so she needs to do some kind of busy work to make it look more than token.

“In recognition of International Women’s Day, National’s spokesperson for Women Nicola Grigg, has launched a survey looking into the wellbeing of women in the Selwyn electorate. “We know that women have been disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic” – Scoop (March 2021)

Finally, this survey is free campaign advertising for Grigg into homes and in the media.

Sum total: Token self-promotional junk comin’ at ya from grinning looser. How else could it be?

The State is all about doing token things, wasteful things, disingenuous things, in the pursuit of power. Give it up! You’ll be better off.

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1 “The Labour Party won office by fraud..” Holyoake quoted p147, Doughty (1977)

Ref. p133 The Holyoake Years, Doughty (1977)

Image ref. Evening Post; Alexander Turnbull Library

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