One of the obnoxious techniques used by "progressives" to rebuild society in their desired image is the redefinition of the English language.
And so it is with the word family. Indeed leftism identified the family as one of the obstacles that lay in the path of the implementation of its agenda many years ago. Those blessed with a good family life are more contented than those who are not. And therefore less inclined to rock the boat.
The Leftist agenda cannot proceed without a pool discontented and unhappy people, which is why the traditional institution of the family has been under assault for the past forty years.
An assault that has been all too successful it seems.
All this springs to mind with the latest brouhaha over Christine Rankin's appointment to the families commission, that political sop that Labour created to placate Peter Dunne.
And I cannot, for the life of me, see this commission doing anything to restore the traditional family to a place of preeminence in our culture. Which makes it totally pointless of course.
In Labour's tender hands it seemed to be intent on redefining the concept of family in new and novel ways, in addition to interfering in the manner in which normal families operate and co-operate.
Who knows how National will use it to further their aims? Everyone suspects that abolishing it is the answer, and given its sad history, I'd have to agree.
The sad thing is that many of those in their prime today who undervalue the family, and often mocking it will wake up one day, alone and quite possibly impoverished and wish they had had a family.
But by then it will be far too late and their only source of succor will be the state. Which will be far from emotionally nourishing assuming it can provide anything above barest nutrition at all. Perhaps not even that.