A good man is hounded out.

Politics is an ugly game and it generally attracts very nasty people. New Zealand, unfortunately is not unique in that respect. Though one can’t but help to think that Kiwi politics is a bit more disgusting than normal. One exception was Don Brash, who just stepped down as the leader of the National Party.

Brash, unlike his party, has principles and those principles are classical liberal principles. When Brash took the reins of the party it was trailing the power-hungry Labour government by over 20 points. In the most recent polls National was ahead of Labour by several points, some polls showing them ahead by as many as 10.

Labour, under the corrupt leadership of Helen Clark, unleashed a rash of rumors and smears about Brash. Unprincipled members in his own party, smelling blood wanted Brash’s head, so that they could become the next party leader. An unprincipled MP, John Keys, among the worst of them. Watch fo Keys to make his move and try to impose himself on the National Party.

National MP Tony Ryall said the obvious: “This is a man who saved the National Party from electoral oblivion and we will always be grateful to him for that.” Right! Brash had so many knives in his back he could open up a cutlery shop.

The only thing that might save National at the next election, from slipping back into oblivion, is the rash of corrupt acts which Labour has committed open and brazenly -- including the misuse of almost $800,000 in state funding earmarked for their use in parliament for last minute election spending instead. Labour is required to pay the funds back but so far has not done so and I doubt they ever will.

National had pathetic leadership in the past and there is no one of Brash’s stature in the party to take over as leader. Keys is just a mild version of the typical Labour MP.

The beneficiary of this lost, other than Keys, will be the ACT Party. Brash was so similar to their liberal sentiments that many ACT voters deserted for Brash in a tight election where they believed they could finally rid themselves of the odious Clark.

But Clark jumped into bed with the most disgusting of all the Kiwi politicians, a lying, pompous bigot named Winston Peters. Peters typically runs his campaigns on racist premises. His voters are typified by those who are scared much of the time and those who are ignorant all of the time. Just the sort of rabble to elect a would-be Fürher for New Zealand.

Now ACT, New Zealand’s libertarian party (at least the only one worth mentioning) will see their support increase. The only reason many advocates of freedom rushed to National in the last election was because it was close and because Brash was party leader. That is no longer a factor and they will start returning to ACT.

The next election should sweep out the the vermin in parliament like Winston Peters and his band of bigots. The Christian Right party of Peter Dunne should also bite the dust since he has gone two terms as Helen Clarks obedient lap dog helping keep her in power merely for the prestige it offered Dunne.

The final straw, after Labour intentionally spread stories endagering Brash’s marriage, was a smear book written by a far Left hack who has little credibility. He claims to have used stolen emails in a smear directed specifically at Brash. These stolen emails were illegally in the hands of the smarmy Peters. Peters refuses to say how he came into possession of stolen property (itself a crime) and when ordered by a court to return said emails came up with the unlikely story that his own staff, without his knowledge, destroyed the stolen property.

It is a sad for New Zealand in general. It is the death of principles in National. And only the corrupt Clark and bigoted Peters have anything to cheer about. Key will probably get his crown and then work to push National into being a pale imitation of Labour. At least ACT will benefit and that is the silver lining on a very dark cloud.