With just over three weeks till election day I am feeling increasingly politically homeless. None of the parties currently in Parliament, or aspiring to be, entice me to vote for them. Their policies are either too much of a muchness, too dislocated and small focused, or in some cases too downright crazy to attract my support.

Having previously been a member of the Labour Party for 22 years, and a Labour MP for over 10 years, I still have some residual interest in its activities. But any passing thought that I could vote for them again vanished during the first leaders' debate when Chris Hipkins made it clear that the teachers' unions, not parents, would be calling the shots on education policy if he were to lead the next government. It reminded me of one of the reasons why I quit the party all those years ago. The constant fixations of imposing higher taxes and always doing what the unions wanted had become just too much for me.

But National simply seems to have lost the plot altogether. The "brighter future" the party used to stand for has become lost in a sea of short-term checklists and management-speak gibberish that encourages no-one. And Chris Bishop's housing intensification drive smacks more of neo-Stalinism than the property-owning democracy National used to stand for.

The smaller parties look no more than a collection of snappy slogans masquerading as principles. Often, they are just a reflection of their leaders’ eccentricities and prejudices. And novice Quilae Wong’s political naivete is exposed when she talks about whom she will be telephoning after the election. In reality, it will be the other way round – the major parties will be the ones calling her if they need the Opportunity Party’s numbers to form a government.

According to TVNZ’s Vote Compass and other similar devices, no party comes close to what I am looking for. Yet I am determined to vote meaningfully at the election because I strongly believe that utilising the right to vote is the most important guarantor of the future of our democracy. It should not be shed lightly.

I am seeking a party that will promote traditional liberal values and reinvigorate the concept of liberal democracy, without all the accompanying ideological baggage that has dragged it down in recent years. It is a quest easier stated than achieved.

For me, the starting point should be a recognition that community values are the essential building blocks of our society. Everything springs from the various communities that make up our country so decisions affecting them should be made at the level closest to them. That means giving substance to the concept of localism and establishing more equal partnerships between central and local governments in delivering the services that impact directly on people’s lives. National talked about supporting localism in 2023 but has moved in exactly the opposite direction since then.

But governments at whatever level should neither be too dominating nor prescriptive. Their maxim should always be as little government as possible, as much government as necessary. However, that should never become a licence for governments to abdicate their social responsibilities completely the way the ACT Party advocates.

Supporting communities inevitably means upholding the absolute right to freedom of expression, choice, belief, and association however distasteful, extreme, or quirky that might be. We should never again tolerate or trust the type of “podium of truth” approach taken during the pandemic, as that was the antithesis of liberal democracy. The paramount right to free and open expression is far more about equalising communities’ opportunities than pandering to the government’s wishes.

At the same time, however, governments have a vital role in weaving the different strands of our ethnic and cultural communities into a unified national story. That story must both recognise our cultural, social, and economic diversities but also promote the common interest ahead of divisions and demonstrate what it means to be a New Zealander today. Striving for social cohesion, which acknowledges diversity but does not promote division the way New Zealand First and Te Pāti Māori are prone to do, should be a national priority. Governments should actively promote a common citizenship or sense of nationhood – something Norman Kirk frequently described as the unique bond we share by virtue of living on these islands.

Economic policy should be about regenerating opportunity and prosperity and growing an environmentally sustainable economy. It should embrace new, clean technologies and develop meaningful jobs that reflect the needs of a modern, globalised economy, rather than protect old institutions and ways of doing things.

Too often, the current emphasis is on regulating and controlling change, exemplified by the approach of the Green Party, rather than unleashing innovation. Education and training at all levels should therefore be about equipping people with the key educational and vocational skills they will need to function effectively in this modern global environment, rather than protecting the interests of the educators.

Overall, public services should be flexible, effective, and universally available. They ought to be focused especially on meeting needs compassionately. Service delivery should promote innovation and utilise new technologies where appropriate. Modern public services must become less about one-size-fits-all, and protecting the numbers of public servants, or doing things the safe and cautious way they always have been.

By my reckoning, none of the parties contesting this election yet fit this bill. All are either too beholden to the vested interests behind them, or too idealistic or mechanistic in their views to be able to develop a comprehensive and cohesive approach to government along these lines. As a result, whatever government emerges after this election seems set to continue the slide to mediocrity that has bedevilled us for years now.

And my forlorn search for a place to call political home therefore looks likely continue for a while yet.