A friend of mine, who is a staunch supporter of National+ACT, surprised me recently.

A reminder that everyone is an individual, and that the bounds between sympathy and empathy are inscrutable.

This friend’s got no time for Labour or the Greens or Te Pati Maori or anything like that. He thinks that all these parties are good for is ruining the economy, and being weak, irrelevant, or corrupt.

Or all three.

He’s definitely no liberal or leftist or hippie. He’s the opposite of those things.

But he’s also willing to converse, and to listen, is capable of admitting when he’s wrong, is thoughtful, well-read, and cares about people.

So my jaw dropped when he (without a hint of a smile) told me that there should be new law.