MercatorNet: New Zealand’s earthquake shows society functioning as it should

Proving that chatting with President-elect Donald Trump is not the most important thing in the world, the New Zealand prime minister, John Key, missed his call the other day. He had more important fish to fry. The Trump earthquake in American politics had been eclipsed by a real earthquake in the northern part of the South Island. Mr Key didn’t see the call when it came in.

The 7.5 magnitude quake was massive. Two people were killed; there have been billions of dollars of damage to roads and buildings; there were 100,000 landslides; and hundreds of people have been stranded. And three cows, whose bizarre escape features on our home page today.

Our Deputy Editor, Carolyn Moynihan, is safe, I am pleased to report. She lives in Auckland, which was not affected by the terrifying quake. From a distance she has been impressed by how calmly Kiwis have reacted and by how efficiently the government has responded. Fixing things is what government does best, she writes. Why don’t they stick to that, and stop meddling in citizens’ private lives? 

Michael Cook 
Editor 
MERCATORNET

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