The New Zealand Labour Party's 2015 annual conference will be remembered for the various policies that were jettisoned. But the other major trend from the conference is the discernible shift away from social liberalism on display. This was a point that I made this morning on TVNZ's Q+A programme, and so here's a quick elaboration about this point, via a few quick notes (while in transit):
- For the last decade – especially under Clark, and then Cunliffe - the Labour Party became more associated (rightly or wrongly) with social engineering, social reforms, and identity politics rather than with class politics. This is beginning to change.
- Andrew Little has succeeded in re-orientating the Labour Party from being a party strongly associated with social issues to that of a party more in tune with public concern with traditional economic concerns.
- The party is more focused than ever on traditional left concerns: the economy, the working class, economic inequality, employment, housing, education, health - these are the main topics being discussed this weekend
- The social liberals have been marginalised under Andrew Little and Matt McCarten; the identity politics agenda has nearly been erased from the agenda (or at least strongly de-emphasized)
- This is why Jacinda Ardern could not be appointed to the deputy position – she’s seen as the "chief twitterati" politician in Labour – she’s associated with social issues and those old ideas of the nanny state, gender politics, ethnic agendas etc. In contrast, the other rising star, Kelvin Davis, is seen to be more in line with shift away from "beltway twitterati" politics.
- Similarly, Grant Robertson, who’s from that same social liberal background as Ardern, has now been channelled into a more social democratic economic focus. Traditionally Robertson has had no great interest in economics – being more of an identity politics activist – but is now acting more like Jim Anderton, or Norman Kirk – focused on traditional leftwing issues of work, employment, inequality, etc.
- Unlike a year ago, today there’s no real chance of Little – or anyone else – apologising for their gender. Such identity politics and social liberalism has been nearly exorcised from the public view.
- The social liberals are still a huge part of Labour, but Little and his chief enforcer Matt McCarten have managed to suppress it.
- There are still all sorts of social liberalism evident, and sometimes it's making it's way through to the conference floor, but just not in the heavy way that it used to.
- The new sugar policy could be regarded as typical of social engineering type policies of the Labour liberals. But in many ways this might be seen more as an "ideological burp" rather than a core part of what Andrew Little is attempting to push. In fact, the policy was quite a compromise, especially given that a "sugar tax" was essentially ruled out. And Andrew Little was visibly uncomfortable in his selling of the sugar policy.
- Little has made numerous statements in the past about his intention to shift the party in a direction away from identity politics and social liberalism. And he appears to be succeeding in his goal.
- Obviously the dynamic of social liberalism and identity politics is hardly a black and white situation - and there's plenty of room for debate about whether this shift is a good one or whether it's necessary, but there should be no doubt that something interesting is going on.
