NZ Politics Daily - 18 February (liberation)

The following blog post, highlights the best of political reporting, analysis and comment in New Zealand politics.

The main politics news over the last 24 hours has been the announcement by Act MP Roger Douglas that he’s retiring from Parliament (for the second time). Derek Cheng covers it here, reporting that Douglas has found Parliament frustrating because he had the answers to the economic slump but few have been listening. He also laments the lost of ‘the camaraderie of the old days. "There was more of the club atmosphere. Government and Opposition members used to have breakfast together. We went to the bar. "Now I'm sometimes the sole MP in there. They're scared that the journalists will be up there and someone will say something out of line." Cheng also finally comes up with some hard news about the rumoured new rightwing political party, now known to be titled Reform New Zealand, which has a website and is trying to recruit the necessarily 500 members (as well as a leader) to get registered for this year’s election. [For further highlights of NZ Politics Daily - read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - Bryce Edwards Otago University liberation blog - www.liberation.org.nz state assets privatisation

TV3 has the interesting – but not really surprising – poll results that show that 60% of voters oppose National’s partial privatization of state asset plans (video here; or text here).

John Key has been meeting with two iwi leaders (Waikato-Tainui's Tuku Morgan and Ngai Tahu's Mark Solomon) for a general discussion about the possible sale of state assets to the iwi – Yvonne Tahana reports that the two tribes ‘have assets around $1 billion collectively’ and are keen to be treated as preferentially buyers.

As usual, Chris Trotter is provocatively examining New Zealand’s nationhood, suggesting that the New Zealand state rests on force and the appropriation of Maori land, and that National’s Marine and Coastal Area Bill will undo this state of affairs.

Matthew Hooton asks in today’s NBR (behind a paywall) Why are we doing so badly? He points out National’s until-now false optimism about the economy, and suggests that conditions have actually been fairly favourable to the NZ economy, but neither Labour nor National have any impressive answers for turning things around.

On Pundit, Tim Watkin draws parallels between John Key’s BMW screw-up and Helen Clarks ‘speedgate’ incident: ‘Just like John Key, Clark claimed to know nothing of the offence (ie she was reading and didn't know the car was speeding), yet the criticism was that she should have known and was ultimately responsible. Whatever the claims, the mud stuck to the government’. Watkin says that ‘We don't really want a PM who spend his or her time micro-managing to the point of overseeing the purchase of crown cars’, the issue is ‘small beer’ compared to welfare or superannuation reform, but perception is more important than reality and this has been a significant failure of political management: ‘But these are the kinds of things that chip away at governments; at their credibility. Clark's speeding and her refusal to take responsibility played into the perception that she was her ruthless or detached. This plays into the perception that National governments are run for the wealthy and by the wealthy, with a born-to-rule attitude’.

Green MP Kevin Hague has a very meaningful expression of angst on Frogblog about the John Key and Phil Goff at the Big Gay Out. Hague details his gay credentials, starting by saying ‘I am the gayest man in Parliament. Everybody knows. So it was a bit galling to get essentially upstaged by John Key and Phil Goff’. Not only criticizing National’s record on gay rights, he credibly critiques Labour: ‘perhaps it was the intense heat in Auckland on Sunday that made my blood boil when I heard Phil Goff make the claim that Labour was THE party for our communities. To put that in context, we actually secured human rights protection under a National Government, with Labour failing to implement its policy despite years in office; Labour only went as far as Civil Unions (rather than marriage), 6 Labour MPs voted against Civil Unions, including 3 current MPs (Cosgrove, O’Connor and Robertson), and despite having the opportunity while in Government, Labour declined to do anything for same sex adoption rights. Full legal equality is not Labour policy’.

Will de Cleene has a very thorough and insightful blog post on The Hate State in which he provides ‘Examples of the New Zealand government putting the hate on various minorities and breaking fundamental human rights, 1900 – present’. He starts with ‘The 1901 Opium Act was aimed solely at persecuting Chinese immigrants and their families’, and goes through to the 2000s when ‘Smokers continue to lose rights as humans. It is entirely legal, if not encouraged, to discriminate against smokers as workers, tenants and parents’. And now in the 2010s, ‘Adult Fun is facing regulation on all fronts. Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis users are now mortal sinners damned until they repent’.

Finally, Morgan Godfrey has two very good posts at Maui St. The first, Hikoi 2.0, looks at all the reasons why a second foreshore and seabed hiko is unlikely to be very impressive or effective. His final point is the most interesting: ‘There is not a significant amount of popular discontent with the bill. Yes, many iwi are disappointed, yes, many of the party’s members are disappointed and, yes, many Maori political commentators are disappointed. Yet disappointment among these groups has not translated to popular disappointment. In tough economic times concepts such as mana whenua are relegated to the back of people’s minds. Wages, benefits, prices and so on dominate people’s political thinking. Correcting historical injustice and delivering on the promise of the treaty is such an intangible concept. It lacks immediacy and is ultimately a secondary concern for many Maori’. The second post, Sort it out, Labour, reminds us that ‘Labour has always taken the Maori vote for granted’ but that ‘in 2010, Maori have genuine political alternatives’. Godfery warns Labour that they need ‘to get it together’ or else they might lose another of their monopolies on certain voters: ‘Women love John Key, urban liberals are few and far between and the working class by and large no longer identify with Labour. If Labour does not change tact add they can surely add Maori to the list of disaffected supporters’.

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In additional to these highlights, below are the internet links to all the NZ politics material from the last 24 hours that are either informative, insightful, interesting or influential.

Section 1: Mainstream media

Derek Cheng (NZH): Douglas to bow out of Parliament

TVNZ: Sir Roger Douglas quits politics again

Derek Cheng (NZH): New right-wing party now shopping round

Duncan Garner (TV3): Poll: 60pct against sale of state-owned assets (Video)

TV3: State assets: Key may 'water down' sales (Video)

NZPA: English says voters will be told of asset sale plans

Yvonne Tahana (NZH): Iwi leaders talk asset sales with PM

Chris Trotter (DP): About the nature of law and future of the state

Rosemary McLeod (Press): The pity of Harawira

Simon Cunliffe (ODT): Harawira safety valve in the pressure cooker of our political life

Matthew Hooton (NBR): Why are we doing so badly? [behind paywall]