Forget the election, it’s the referendums that matter.
Every election is important, although some more than others. The election announced last week for September 19 is not set to be an unusually significant one.
The polls are close, but the safer bet is in on the crowd-favourite Prime Minister winning a second term with a coalition that could include any combination of the minor parties — including the possibility of a resurgent Māori Party.
If the poles do reverse, and the blue team win a majority, the course of history will not change significantly. For better or worse National and Labour share core values, although each have a different approach.
The most critical part of the 2020 election will be the two referendums: the vote to legalise cannabis and the vote to legalise euthanasia.
These two diverge from each other in a meaningful way. The first is purely a policy question: which drug policy is most effective at harm reduction? The second is a moral question: is it acceptable to take a human life?
There is a correct answer to the first question. People will debate what that answer is and they will argue what conclusion the evidence shows. But there will be evidence and a correct answer.
But for euthanasia there is no correct answer. Should a human ever take another’s life? Does euthanasia offer a way to die with dignity? If yes, does that mean people who suffer are somehow absent of dignity? If somebody in a particular condition wants to be killed, what does that say about the value of a different individual in the same condition? Can we ever be sure that end-of-life decisions are made without coercion? If we permit people who are terminally ill to take their own lives, how about those with chronic mental illnesses? Is suicide always a bad thing? Will doctors even be willing to carry out euthanasia procedures?
The questions go on, and it is hard to imagine how the issue will be discussed in the public sphere — particularly amidst the noise and chaos of an election.
So while watching the political horse race this year, spare some attention for the referendums. They bear considerable weight.
