Bowen Triangle beats Beltway

Rob Hosking uses his politics column in the print edition of last week’s NBR to suggest it’s time the term the beltway to be killed off.

It’s an American import, reflecting the beltway (or motorway, we would call it) which rings the political centre of Washington DC . . . But as a metaphor for New Zealand politics it is about as relevant as calling Parliament Westminster.

Here’s a suggested replacement: The Bowen Triangle.

First the Parliamentary precincts are roughly the right shape, if you include the large public service towers behind the building.

Secondly, it is evocative of the Bermuda Triangle, that mysterious accident-prone quarter of the Caribbean.

The Bowen Triangle is where reality is different from the rest of the world. It is where whole formations of common sense fly into the blue and are never seen again.

And it is full of people seeking the political equivalent of the lost city of Atlantis.

That’s a very persuasive argument and gets my vote.