The middle bunch will side wherever their advantage lies. We have such a thing as "politeness" and it is all it takes. Calling it, derogatorily "political correctness" is counter-productive (if understandable, there are shades of grey), we all need to accommodate differences without buying into them. Over time, unless stoked, the fires of mistrust will die out.

I tend to use the term "courting" as the level of politeness demanded of all of us, I guess a Christian would call it "turning the other cheek". Of course, the consequences must be taken into account. The Nats failed to use their advantage to build respect rather than resentment. I guess that unwittingly we are continuing on that path, except that now we can see where it is going to lead. We're not to blame for creating the conditions, but we are guilty of perpetuating them.

And I think we have a case here that the shades of grey are subtle, very subtle. Robert Heinlein would insist that we do not throw sand into the cogs.