This  must-read is from Andrew Sullivan, a thoughtful leftist. It acknowledges and explains the blight settling over all the Anglo democracies, though thankfully not yet heavily in our lucky land.

It is consistent with Helen Clark’s gracious warning to New Zealanders (her supporters) to respect the outcome of the election, reported in yesterday’s Stuff.

The democratic blight has been fended off since 2008 by the ‘teflon’ decency of John Key and then Bill English. While those two have lead from the centre the nastier left has been unable to persuade enough New Zealanders to share their hatreds. Ordinary people could see that decency through the media/entertainment elite’s hostile screen. And so most of the country did not catch Jacindamania.

I’m allowing myself to hope that Labour got enough sensible new blood this election to regenerate something positive in its caucus. When their leading elements line up in 2020 they may have a few who have actually experienced the lonely responsibility of building and leading an organization. There will still be almost none who have ever experienced the demands of business and putting their own money at risk. But even if the doctrinaire nasties remain the majority, many of them are genuinely stupid. A critical mass of incomers like Greg O’Connor could be the nucleus for rebuilding.