I’m interviewing National MP Tim Macindoe at 12 noon on Friday as part of University of Otago Vote Chat. What would you like me to ask him? Macindoe seems like a very true-blue, old-fashioned National Party MP, so I’m interested in exploring this ideological outlook. Because although he might seem like a run-of-the-mill conservative, he claims to be ‘blue-green’ politician, and many of his political pronouncements suggest a touch of ‘red toryism’. So what is his vision for New Zealand? Blue, green or red? [Read more below]
On the surface at least, Tim Macindoe seems very much a classic Establishment type – he’s a member of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce, the Agricultural Fieldays Society, and the RSA. And in his maiden speech to Parliament he said he had a ‘desire to see our nation's children taught the values that underpin patriotism, moral courage and good citizenship’. He also sounded like quite a monarchist when he said ‘I am proud of our constitutional heritage and Westminster traditions and a firm believer in the institution of the Commonwealth’.
But there seems to be more to Macindoe that that. For in that same speech he described himself like this: ‘I am: a former teacher, a former public servant, a former Otago University student politician, a former student of Dr Michael Cullen, a former prison tutor - Christchurch Women's Prison no less, a Kiwibank customer, a follower and advocate for the performing arts’. And he gave part of the Maiden Speech to Parliament in te reo. He also committed a significant part of the speech to talking about the environment and climate change.
In many ways Macindoe displays all the classic traits of what is referred to as a ‘Red Tory’. He comes across largely as a ‘compassionate conservative’ – a rather moderate rightwinger with strong social concerns. For example he’s expressed a lot of concern for those at the bottom of the economic heap, about the fact that New Zealand is a low-wage economy, that many social services are not adequate. He was especially proud of John Key’s pre-primeministerial focus on the ‘underclass’. And here’s what he said towards the end of his parliamentary maiden speech: ‘I admire those at the margins of our society who often work long and unsociable hours for modest pay in vital but unseen roles. They deserve the real honours’.
Also, prior to his election, Macindoe was the Chief Executive of Arts Waikato. He’s also a former broadcaster for Community Radio Hamilton. And he used to be a prison tutor at Christchurch Women's Prison. He seems to have some strong green credentials too: a member of the Sustainable Business Network, the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, and the National Party BlueGreens.
So although Macindoe is definitely on the right of the political spectrum and comes from a relatively conservative and Establishment background, his political views are hardly extreme or ordinary. And there’s lots to discuss and ‘unpack’ about his political ideology.
As well as that, I’ll be asking some of the usual questions that I’ve been asking other MPs – about gay marriage, inequality, issues of ethnicity, drug reform, and alcohol use.
If anyone has additional topics and specific questions that they want put to tim Macindoe, please let me know – or participate on the Twittersphere in realtime (see details below). Of course, I may not be able to use all the questions you suggest, but it’s helpful to get ideas from others and it’s useful to know what topics you find particularly interesting.
-----------------
The University of Otago Vote Chat takes place every week until the general election. The interviews occur in front of a public audience at the University of Otago Media Production studios, where the conversation is filmed for livestreaming on the internet and as a podcast for iTunes.
The intention is to make these political meetings rather different from the usual stage-managed and bland affairs that can happen during election campaigns. So there’ll be lots of challenging and quirky questions, and the MP won’t be allowed to revert to simply giving the usual well-rehearsed campaigning speech. The audience can help by heckling, cheering, or merely tweeting their reaction and questions to the Twitter feed – using the hashtag #OUVoteChat2011 – which will be projected up on a screen in the studio.
If you’re in Dunedin there is still the ability to come along and participate and/or watch – but seating is limited to about 45 or so – so turn up early. The Media Production Studio is on the 2nd floor of the Owheo Building, 133 Union Street East (Cnr of Union Street East and Forth Streets). You can see a map here:
http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?q=133+union+street+east+dunedin&hl=en&sll=-41.244772,172.617188&sspn=37.305694,86.572266&vpsrc=0&t=m&z=16
If you want to watch the live-stream of the interviews, go to:
http://www.otago.ac.nz/its/mediaproduction/streaming/mpstudio.html
Eventually all the interviews will be available as podcasts to download from iTunes, but in the meantime you can also watch them on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/user/OUVoteChat
Some weeks there will be more than one politician. Future politicians include Bill English, Tau Henare, and Grant Robertson. To keep up with all the detail, there’s a Facebook “Vote Chat 2011” page here:
http://www.facebook.com/VoteChat2011
