No Chance to do Right

And yet it has caught up with this nation. Admittedly, there were the markings of a colour bar long before 1946, and in many ways it is only a symptom of a deeper disease. Yet look where even this has led us. Another election, and the Maoris place their confidence in the same party. "To bad," we say, "they backed the wrong horse. They'll know better next time." A third election, and again they vote the same way, overwhelmingly so. And they are still accused, with an indulgent laugh—for remember this colour bar has the subtle kind of approach—of backing the wrong horse.

Consider their choice. They vote the one way, and they are accusal of wanting to be on the winning side all the time, of changing their allegiance always to the party in power. They vote the other way and they are mocked because they couldn't pick the winner. Three timen the name choice looks to us like loyalty and honest belief. But whichever way the Maori voted, he couldn't win. "Pity poor Hori, last as usual."