#and so many of us who are brutalised and dismissed as not belonging

[pinkcadillaccas]

I don't have any sense of national pride but I do actually have a sense of nationality in general. I was born here, I love the land I live on, I love *some* of the people, we have an evil evil history and present but I want so much to have a country that can take ownership of that and make real change and offer real reparations. Instead I live in a country where enough of the population has voted for a party who's campaign is solely based on hate to win even one seat in parliament, probably 10 or 12. Probably twice as many as the green party. Yes it's going to be a labour wipeout but look at that result and tell me you feel victorious. Tell me you feel proud. Tell me you don't feel disgusted right to the bottom of your heart that even one person you share an island with thought that Reform ideology was one they could get behind.

With any luck, in four years time we will have reduced poverty levels and an attempt at some genuine social infrastructure. But the roots of facisistic hate have woven themselves so deeply into our society that I don't think we have anything to cheer about. I don't think these results indicate any future worth looking forward to.