| | This'll be a tad "in-house" for non-Kiwi SOLOists, but for Kiwi SOLOists not on the Libz libertyloop I post here what I've just said on that loop:
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I confess I hyped up my estimate of the number of votes I thought we'd get yesterday. I said 10,000. My quiet, private estimate was 3000. In the event, it was many fewer than that still. But there are no grounds for finger-pointing, recriminations or self-reproach. History was simply against us on this occasion. The National resurgence was a tide too powerful not to engulf us.
Some of you will be dejected; younger campaigners possibly in shock, even. No point in going into denial - wanton self-pity & getting leglessly pissed are entirely acceptable & understandable at this stage. But when you come to, think of everything that's been achieved. All that's missing is the vote-count to match.
President Scott Wilson hauled the party out of its post-2002-debacle doldrums with alacrity. Libz' systemic dysfunctionality was finally shaken off. The party is a credible entity with a professional look. Scott was the perfect person to drive that process. He'll be sorely missed, but figuring out who his successor should be is not rocket science.
Leaders Darnton & Pistorius are the sexiest of all party leaders. Conventional political wisdom says that's important, & it certainly doesn't hurt us that we conform to the conventional wisdom on this matter. Of course it helps that they espouse the right philosophy as well! These two make an excellent leadership team.
Candidates, office-holders, rank-&-file activists ... all of you smell of roses right now.
Last night I marvelled at the youth of many of those at the Wellington gathering ... at their energy, commitment, passion & intelligence. If these be the future faces of the party, then the party's future is bright indeed. Better yet, they are already the faces of the present.
Although in one sense they were tiresome, the endless loop messages about billboards being defaced or removed were inspiring at the same time. They bespoke a team effort such as we had not seen before. It's all very well being individualists - there are times when we must pull together for individualism! An election is one such occasion, & the billboards were a sign of how well Libz rose to it.
Craig Milmine does a superb job of producing the party newsletter. It's literate, energising, informative, inspirational. A huge asset.
PC's blog has become a force truly to be reckoned with. His commentary & insights are of the first rank. Intelligence, indignation, humour - Not PC has it all. In my view the party should figure out a way to remunerate him, at least nominally, so that Potts doesn't bash him with pots for not doing his day-job!
The Free Radical is still around, & it's still the best libertarian publication in the world. I'm very proud of the current issue, the Election Special, in particular. The heroic Ken Riddle has kept FreeRad afloat, but now is the time for a concerted effort to get subscription levels much higher & the magazine much more visible so that Ken's heroism becomes superfluous. My one personal disappointment, as its editor, is the way FreeRad still gets just taken for granted or is outright ignored. You just don't know what you've got here, folks. It too is a huge asset. Use it. Promote it. Support it. Four years inside the heart of darkness have taught me a lot. I'm now in a position to put that knowledge to good use. The FreeRad will only get better.
In short, courage, comrades! May our spirit be as invincible as our ideas are unassailable!
Linz
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