Wilson on the Brain

Your prolific writer-of--articles, Simon Wilson, has Muldoon on the brain. An assessment of his political writings in Salient throughout 1978 and now this year reveals a bad case of Muldoonitis. Like a number of other other extreme Marxists, he needs Muldoon. Simon Wilson likes to picture Muldoon as the archetypal capitalist politician, trying to stamp the helpless working classes into the ground. Even more so than Muldoon's most fervent supporters (who are upper middle class career women and slow-minded labourers), Wilton clings to every word the man utters. What evil capitalist idea is hidden in Muldoon's latest speech? To be sure, Simon Wilton will carefully study hit subject's words to find some such terror. For Wilson, Muldoon is the centre of the New Zealand political world; in fact, he is the only person who matters in NZ. Wilson respectfully spends his hours pondering the implications of Muldoon's latest words and actions. As I said, he needs Muldoon. People tend to hate Muldoon, and by interminably equating him with "capitalism" Simon Wilson hopes to make them hate capitalism too.

There can be few more ardent followers of Muldoon about. Doesn't Simon Wilson know that Muldoon is out? Last year when he dished up hit election menu the voters had a bad case of food poisoning and voted accordingly. We know now he conned us - again - and we don't need endless extremist articles to remind us of the fact. Today Muldoon is either a joke or a bore not someone to be taken seriously. It is simply a matter of waiting till he is replaced. In all areas he is a failure - as PM, as National Party leader, as Minister of Finance, as a personality, as a promise keeper, etc

And most importantly for Simon Wilton, he has failed as a capitalist as well. The most basic analysis of hit economic record would have revealed this to Simon Wilton. Muldoon's commitment to free enterprise is purely professed. He it actually a sort of socialist-centralist. This is what makes Simon Wilson's weekly onslaught against Muldoon and hit supposed capitalism such twaddle. My advice to him is: cool it on Muldoon - there's no greater way to waste your time.

Caligula.