GARY JUDD KC: “Two-ticks National”
Wisdom or dogmatic stupidity?
Václav Havel was the last president of Czechoslovakia (1989-1992) and the first president of the Czech Republic (1993-2003). He died in 2011. Before entering politics, he was a playwright, dissident, and leading figure in the Velvet Revolution that ended communist rule. Regarded as a symbol of democracy and human rights, he was arguably the country’s most recognized political figure worldwide. [en.wikipedia.org], [britannica.com]
On 21 September 2026 Prague held a day-long program featuring readings, discussions, concerts, and the unveiling of a Václav Havel Bench, explicitly “to mark the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel’s birth,” although the 90th anniversary was actually not until 5 October 2026. I took the (not very professional) photograph displayed above.
Although some doubt Havel originated it, he is widely regarded as having said, “Keep the company of those who seek the truth — run from those who have found it”. The sentiment fits closely with his lifelong skepticism of ideological certainty and his emphasis on openness, self-questioning, and “living in truth.”
It is a warning against dogmatism and an endorsement of intellectual humility. The first half, “keep the company of those who seek the truth,” praises people who are curious, questioning, and willing to revise their views. They are engaged in the search for understanding rather than claiming certainty.
The second half, “run from those who have found it,” cautions against people who claim to possess the whole truth, beyond doubt or challenge. History provides many examples of political, religious, and ideological movements led by people convinced they had final answers, often with harmful consequences.
In the field of judging, good judges seek the correct answer to a case, but they generally recognize that reasonable minds can differ, that precedent may evolve, and that their own reasoning may be imperfect. A judge who believed he possessed absolute truth and was beyond correction would be a dangerous judge.
Which brings to mind the intellectually humble acknowledgement by Associate Justice Robert H. Jackson, of the United States Supreme Court, in a 1953 case:
“We are not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final.”
But that’s not why I went looking for the photograph in my phone’s Gallery. I remembered I had it after hearing National Party politicians insisting that ‘two-ticks National’ was the only approach.
Gary Judd KC writes at Thoughts from the North
I'm in the Wairarapa. Have always voted National and also ACT since beginning of MMP. This year I have voted the man, not the Party. I refer to Barry Young standing for the Outdoors outfit who have never enamoured me but BY has. My party vote went to NZ 1st, again not my favs but figured had to get out of the rut I've been in for many many elections. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I've been insane for a bloody long time and its National that have made me that way.
Me too Mick, I think having doubt etc makes one look a little further into policys. Too many voters vote for the "person", not the agenda. Theres a lot of candidates I know I dont like, thats NOT the point, its what you believe is the best for the country, unfortunately common sense seems to be rated as a secondry requirement, as shown in America, some of the policys proposed by mainly democrats are quite frankly impossible to instigate, same here.
National are yesterday's news as is labour.
Unfortunately the balance of the left are nut jobs.
My whole life has been plagued by uncertainty and doubt. I always saw this as a personal weakness. Now that I am in my dotage, I understand that it has been my strength.