liberation

John Moore: Anzac Day cultural wars

 

Bite-sized alternative political analysis

 

Facts:

 

RSA veterans are upset with plans to have a Muslim prayer at Anzac Day service. The RSA is NZ’s ex-military service organization.

 

A Muslim Imam had been invited to say a prayer at an RSA Anzac service at Titahi Bay, near Wellington. The RSA’s move was an attempt to both show inclusiveness, as well as out of respect to the victims of the Christchurch terrorist attack. However, RSA veterans were less than happy with this move.

A backlash against the proposed Muslim prayer has led to the RSA branch dropping the Muslim prayer from its 6am dawn service. Some RSA veterans felt that the dawn service should only honour NZ and Australian soldiers who have died in wars. The Muslim prayer will be allowed at a 10am civic ceremony.

 

Analysis:

 

This spat over the inclusion of a Muslim prayer points to an ongoing cultural war over the meaning of Anzac Day. Anzac ceremonies were traditionally defined by explicit nationalism and an endorsement of NZ’s participation in various wars. However, over the last few decades the focus of Anzac day has changed.

 

Anzac day has become ostensibly more diverse and inclusive. The day is commemorated now both by conservatives who which to honour NZ soldiers’ participation in wars, and by liberals who want to reflect on the legacy of wars. However, the attempt to include a Muslim prayer at an Anzac dawn service has been met with a sharp conservative reaction.

 

The contradictions with modern Anzac services has been highlighted with this conservative backlash.

 

John Moore: Stoning to death for gays in Brunei – a critical analysis

The Southeast Asian nation of Brunei has implemented the death penalty for homosexuality. Brunei is a small Muslim-majority nation on the island of Borneo. The country is a dictatorship, ruled by its Sultan. The Sultan is Head of State, as well as Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Inspector General of the Royal Brunei Police Force, and Head of Islam. So, what he says goes.

 

The Sultan of Brunei, has been well-known for his playboy lifestyle. However, over the last decade Brunei’s royal family has, on the face of it, embraced a very strict form of Islamic rule. This has now culminated in the implementation of the punishment of death for homosexual sex, and general adultery.

 

The Sultan of Brunei has said the law is necessary for Brunei to be a nation that follows Islamic law. A series of new regulations based on sharia law are now in force. These include the punishment of being whipped or stoned to death for homosexual sex, adultery, sodomy, rape, and blasphemy.

 

Sharia law is based on interpretations of prescribed rules in the Koran – the most important book for Muslims, and the hadith, reports of statements or actions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The implementation of anti-LGBTI+ laws in Brunei is part of an ongoing process of Islamisation of the small Sultanate.

 

There is much speculation on why the Sultan is Islamising his country. Arguments have been put forward that the implantation of strict sharia law in Brunei is being done to distract the population from the nation’s economic decline. Also, the new laws are seen as a way for the country’s royal family to tighten control over its population. There is also speculation that the Sultan has been pressured by the country’s religious leaders, who have apparently been unhappy with the hedonistic lifestyles of most members of the Brunei royal family.

 

Very few people in the West would know where Brunei is. However, the country has very close relations with the West, especially with Britain. And former New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has stated that he is good mates with Brunei’s dictatorial ruler.

 

Brunei was a colony – formerly a protectorate - of the UK up till 1984. And Britain continues to have a strong military presence in the country. Brunei’s close relations with Britain does explain the, up to now, muted protests from Western countries over Brunei’s implementation of draconian Syria law.

 

The New Zealand Government has only made very cautious statements of protest at Brunei’s implementation of death by stoning for gays and adulterers. This country’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters has called Brunei’s homophobic laws “seriously regrettable”. A rather lame statement of disapproval, straight from the diplomatic foreign affairs handbook. And Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that she stands opposed to new a law implemented by the Sultan of Brunei to punish gay sex by stoning offenders to death. A very cautious statement, far short from a complete condemnation of the homophobic regulation now in force in Brunei.

 

In a nod to the Sultan that relations between New Zealand and Brunei will go on as normal, both Ardern and Peters put their official statements against the stoning to death of gays in the context of the country’s general opposition to the death penalty. Both Adern and Peters were indicating here that, although they are obliged to make a formal protest to Brunei because of New Zealand’s formal opposition to the death penalty, good relations will continue with the Islamic Sultanate. What is clearly lacking here from the Jacinda Ardern-led Government is any strong condemnation and sense of moral disgust at the Brunei Sultan’s implementation of strict religious laws.

 

The Sultan of Brunei’s decision to make homosexuality a crime punishable by death is both tragic and farcical. The Brunei royal family is well known for their hedonism. Sex workers have been employed in the palaces of Brunei for decades to serve the needs of the male royals. Alcohol flows freely whenever the royals decide to party. And the Brunei Royal Family have stolen billions from the people of their nation.

 

Now that the economy is hurting, due to low oil prices, the Sultan is acting to bring in draconian religious laws as a way to frighten and threaten his population. Unemployment and poverty are becoming the norm. And a restless population presents a threat to the Sultan’s rule. As with most dictatorial rulers, the Sultan wants to hold on jealously to his immense wealth and power.

 

A critical analysis from a Malaysian Muslim on Brunei:

 

Why is the Sultan of Brunei acting to make homosexuality a crime punishable by stoning to death? Here is a powerful analysis of the situation in Brunei by Sharifah, a Malaysian Muslim and leftwing activist and intellectual:

 

“I think the Sultan is enforcing the new regulation because he is afraid that the development of democracy, of liberal and progressive elements from nearby countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines, will spread to Brunei. It will threaten his monarchy. Brunei might be an oil-rich country. But now it is facing high unemployment and poverty. I guess the Sultan is afraid the people will revolt against him, so he has to strengthen the conservatism of his country. Moreover, there are no elections in Brunei.”

 

 

John Moore: Ardern’s hugs for the Chinese Government, and silence on the mass abuses of Chinese Turkic Muslims

 

Bite-sized alternative political analysis

 

The facts:

 

Jacinda Ardern’s trip to China has brought into question the Government’s lack of protest over China’s treatment of its Turkic-Muslim population. The Chinese Government has received international criticism for its treatment of the Uighur ethnic minority in the northwest of China. Uighur are a Turkic ethnic group who are predominately Muslim. A Uighur independence movement has been calling for an independent Uighur state. The Chinese State firmly suppresses any calls for independence.

 

Currently, up to a million Uighur are interned in what are essentially concentration camps. The Chinese Government is currently imposing forced ideological re-education of Uighur in these camps. What is going on in the detention camps is hard to tell, due to heightened levels of secrecy by the Chinese Government over this issue. However, there have been ongoing reports of Muslims being physically abused and tortured, of being forced to eat pork and drink alcohol, and of being heavily pressured to break from their religious beliefs.

 

The NZ Government has made some very cautious statements of concern regarding the Chinese State’s treatment of Uighur. And NZ prime minister Jacinda Ardern has generally shown annoyance at being pressed on the issue by NZ media.

 

Analysis:

 

The NZ Government has taken a highly pragmatic approach in regard to the Uighur situation in China. Concerns have been raised, but there is no strong protest coming from the Ardern-led Government over China’s appalling treatment of its Uighur Muslim population. The internment of a million Muslim Uighurs in China is one of the most alarming cases of human rights abuses this century.

 

The Chinese State certainly seems happy with how the Ardern Government is dealing with this question. The Global Times, a mouthpiece for the Chinese Government, has praised the New Zealand Government for not following other Western countries in launching "groundless accusations" over China's Uighur policies.

 

We can expect the Ardern-led Government to continue to remain essentially quiet on the grotesque abuses against the Uighur population by the Chinese Government. Jacinda Ardern has shown that, despite her self-declared values of love and compassion, she can be very selective in who she hands out her love and compassion to.

 

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This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9amhere. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

Cartoons about gun control after Christchurch

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 3 April 2019

 

 

Hubbard - 4 April 2019

 

 

Craig - ODT 3 April 2019

 

Murdoch - Stuff 20 March 2019

 

Hubbard - 21 March 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 3 April 2019

 

Tremain - ODT 19 March 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 23 March 2019

 

 

John Moore: Should Jordon Peterson be banned & no-platformed?

Conservative public intellectual Jordon Peterson has been caught up in the reaction against the Islamophobic terrorist attack in New Zealand. The Canadian psychologist and self-help guru initially had his book– 12 Rules for Life –  removed from the Whitcoulls book chain store. And the academic’s visiting fellowship at Cambridge University has been rescinded.

 

The Peterson ban, both by Whitcoulls in NZ and by Cambridge in the UK, can be seen as a reaction against the spreading of alt-right and new conservative ideology. Jordon Peterson promotes conservative values in relation to gender and social hierarchy.

 

The book chain Whitcoulls pulled Peterson's self-help book – 12 Rules for Life – in response to the mosque shootings. Whitcoulls argued that they were showing sensitivity to the wider community. Whitcoulls has now returned Peterson’s book to their shelves.

 

Jordon Peterson is a controversial academic and public intellectual. These bans on Peterson are a reaction against the Professors conservative statements and beliefs on culture, gender, transgenderism, and race. He has been accused by his critics of being sexist, transphobic and a racist. His supporters hail him as an inspirational guru, and as an advocate for young alienated males. Peterson’s critics often label him as an alt-right intellectual who promotes a semi-fascist ideology. Peterson however strongly denies he is alt-right, and argues that he strongly opposes extreme right beliefs.

 

Critics of the author argue that Peterson’s attack on political correctness and his views on race, gender, and transgenderism are beyond the pale. Therefore, his work should be seen as toxic.

 

People certainly have a right to be offended by Peterson. And his ideas do need to be challenged and critiqued. However, a widespread ban on the author would not stop his ideas from being circulated and absorbed. And once we start supporting the banning of certain books and certain ideas, we may quickly find ourselves in an illiberal and censorious society, where any text deemed offensive is withdrawn or banned.

 

Free speech advocates argue that the likes of Peterson should not be banned. Rather, Peterson and other rightwing intellectuals should have their views challenged and debated.

 

In relation to the mosque shooting, the argument has been put forward that new conservative and alt-right figures have acted to normalize hatred against Muslims and other marginalised groups. Therefore, the views of the likes of Peterson, and alt-right figures such as Milo Yianoupolos, Alex Jones, Stefan Molyneux and Laura Southern, must be suppressed.

 

However, political freedom advocates would argue that when the state or public institutions ban certain intellectuals and certain ideas, then we can rapidly descend into a situation of widespread censorship, of draconian government, and of general illiberalism. Also, supporters of free speech would point out that once a precedent is set of banning certain ideas, then the state and public institutions will begin to ban a range of dissident ideas of both the left and right.

 

Expect this debate on free speech and censorship to be one of the major political issues over the next year.

 

 

John Moore: Government action or inaction on climate change

Bite-sized alternative political analysis

The facts:

Jacinda Ardern has stated that she sees climate change as the major issue of the 21^st Century. And she has indicated that her Government will act to be a world leader on tackling global warming.

Tomorrow, striking students will aim to put pressure on the Government to take decisive action on the ongoing threat of global warming. But how active is this Government with dealing with environmental concerns? The long-awaited Zero carbon Bill is on the way. But how radical will this bill actually be, and will it address the necessary steps needed to tackle climate change?  

Analysis:

How far will Green co-leader James Shaw compromise with his Zero Carbon Bill? Many political commentators suspect that NZ First and Labour will act to water-down the bill. There is the real possibility this the bill will be watered down to a set of unspecific targets, and targets that don’t unduly upset farmers and corporations.

James Shaw wants his bill to have cross-party support. On the face it, bipartisan support for tackling global warning seems a great idea. However, for Shaw to gain bipartisan support, that is for all the parliamentary parties to buy into his zero carbon targets, a watered-down bill is almost inevitable.

Shaw has chosen the path of depoliticising zero carbon targets by aiming at across the board parliamentary support for his bill. But such an attempt at a bipartisan compromise on global warming could well lead to political inaction on this pressing issue.

A watered-down bill that pleases all political parties, and has the buy-in of farmers and corporates, would be a useless piece of legislation. Therefore, the pressing question is, is this Government brave enough to take the lead on tackling climate change, to push forward bold policies, and to force other political players to follow?

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This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

 

John Moore: Students on strike for climate change action

Bite-sized alternative political analysis

 

The facts:

A global student strike is happening this Friday. In New Zealand, thousands of students are expected to bunk school and attend climate change protests across the country. Politicians have generally expressed hostility or indifference to the protest. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been non-committal over whether she supports the protests actions or not. However, the Green Party is publicly supporting the protesting students, as are a handful of Labour MPs.

 

Analysis:

This strike action by students against climate change inaction is hugely significant. The politics of climate change tends to be an elite affair, with discussions on global warming usually taking place amongst establishment politicians, corporate representatives, and NGO leaders. But now the issue of climate change is being taken to the streets, with students forming a mass participatory movement to push against Government inaction.

 

But what impact will this student strike have? Certainly, the New Zealand Government will feel the need to defend its programme on tacking climate change in response to the protest. But the big question is what will happen the day after? Will striking students and their supporters keep the momentum up and build an ongoing movement? Or will tomorrow’s protests be a one off symbolic action? Symbolic actions can make an impact, but rarely lead to substantive change.

 

An ongoing movement - in the form of Occupy Wall Street (OWS), #BlackLivesMatter, or #MeToo – could act to place substantial pressure of Governments, who are dragging their feet on climate change. But what will be crucial to the success of a climate change movement is the type of demands that such a movement acts to popularize. Wishy-washy demands and general platitudes will allow Governments to ostensibly embrace the concerns of students, while in reality doing little to tackle the spectre of global warming. And a fatal blow to this new movement of climate change activism would occur if elite politicians, “progressive” corporate leaders, and established NGOs, are able to co-option the movement.

 

 

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This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

John Moore: The politics of gun reform in New Zealand

 

The facts:

 

The NZ Government has implemented comprehensive gun reform in response to the Christchurch Islamophobic terrorist attack. The Government has banned assault rifles and military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) guns. All political parties, apart from Act, support the reforms. Further reforms of gun laws are expected.

 

Analysis:

 

There is an argument that the Government’s gun reforms do not go far enough, and a counter-argument that they go too far. Those pressing for a comprehensive ban on semi-automatic weapons have raised concerns that, with these new reforms, there is not in fact a comprehensive ban on such weapons. For example, the ban does not include semi-automatic .22 calibre weapons. Such weapons are commonly used by hunters and farmers.

 

If the Government had attempted to ban all semi-automatic weapons, it is less than- likely that they would have received the necessary support from a majority of MPs to push through with new gun reforms. NZ First, in particular, would more-than-likely have opposed such a comprehensive ban.

 

The counter-argument against gun reform goes that the Government is being unnecessarily draconian with its gun ban. Gun owners may well feel they are being unfairly punished because of the actions of a “lone-wolf terrorist”. However, the gun lobby has supported reforms in general.

 

The New Zealand Government’s gun reform has caught the attention of American politicians. Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders called for America to follow New Zealand's lead. However, the issue of gun reform is far more politicised in America.

 

Americans have a constitutional right to own guns, a right that dates back to the American Revolution. In the United States, libertarian arguments against gun control dominate American political discourse. In contrast to other Western nations, Americans can be seen as having an inbuilt fear of government, and the ability of government to squash individual rights. The argument against gun control in the US is therefore framed within an anti-state libertarian discourse. American’s right to bear arms is painted as a bulwark against state tyranny.

 

Such arguments are generally absent from the New Zealand debate on gun control. 

 

 

Gayaal Iddamalgoda: Kia Ora Te Whanau (speech to Wellington vigil for the victims of the Christchurch mosque terrorist attacks)

Kia Ora Te Whanau

 

I am Gayaal Iddamalgoda from the Migrant and Refugee Rights Campaign.

 

To be honest with you all, I have struggled to find words to share with you today.

 

Our Muslim friends and neighbours have been hurt so badly by this evil act of terrorism. I don't think I'm alone in trying to process our collective grief, I don't think I'm alone in trying to find every way to comfort our Muslim brothers, sisters and friends.

 

Today, before I came here, I resolved to try and tell you 'the truth' as I see it. There's so much emotion. Please bear with me as I really do feel that words are failing me. And, it is difficult to tell what is true and what is not when I feel so much anger and confusion and I am trying very hard to not let these feelings overwhelm me. I have so many questions. Hard questions that I really think need to be answered by all of us.

 

• Why was our secret service busy surveilling our innocent Muslim neighbours and not the extremists who sought to victimise them?

 

• Why have the police spent over $100,000 of taxpayers money to attack peace activists, protesting weapons conferences and arms dealers while letting racist terrorists acquire semi-automatic weapons?

 

• When will politicians, left and right own up to the fact that they have scapegoated and blamed migrants and refugees, for so long, for social and economic problems that they are not responsible for?

 

• And when will they admit that while they have been doing this, they have allowed unspeakable hatred to brew under their noses?

 

I want answers. I want accountability. I want something to change.

 

But right now, while I wait for these answers, I want to do something to cancel out the hateful, paranoid vision of the extremists and offer instead a vision of hope.

 

Today I call for two things:

 

1. I call upon the New Zealand Government to immediately remove the previous Government's ban on Middle Eastern and African refugees, [that is still in place and based on bogus security concerns]and;
2. I call for New Zealand to triple the refugee quota. I call for these things and hope to say in the single voice we have today; refugees are not blamed, they are not feared, they are not vulnerable when they are in our midst.

 

They are truly welcome here.

 

Please sign the 'triple the quota' petition that is being circulated today.

 

I gave some thought of what I would say to the victims of this tragedy and strangely for me, I thought of something I learned long ago from a holy book I studied when I was young

 

"Better than a thousand useless words is a single word that can give peace'

 

I'm sorry but I do not have such words for you today. I hope you can look at the people gathered here in love and unity and find some strength.

 

Finally, I have a brief but important message for those who committed this crime and their associates. It is the message that good people send whenever fascism dares to rear its ugly head

 

Never, never again

 

 

 

John Moore: The politics of the mosque shootings tragedy

 

New Zealand has now come face to face with 21st Century terrorism and the politics of extreme hate and violence. It is now clear that no country is immune from political violence and extreme sectarian politics.

 

People in this country have expressed their grief and feelings of shock at the terrorist attack that happened on Friday in Christchurch. The attack on Muslim worshippers has been met with a deep sense of humanity and empathy from people in New Zealand. A universal sense of humanity has come to the fore, with a heartfelt sense of solidarity shown towards the victims of this terrorist attack and their communities. It is difficult to comprehend such as evil act as this anti-Muslim attack. And this outpouring of love, of sadness, and of grief after this horrific event points to the ability to make new and lasting interfaith and intercommunity connections.

 

Many questions need to be asked about this terrorist attack. We do need to understand why it happened, and why it took place in New Zealand. And we need to understand the motivations of the terrorist, as well as the warped ideology that he held to.

 

To prevent further terrorist attacks, and to counter extreme nationalist politics, we need to analyse this horrific event, and the person or people connected with this fascistic violent act in Christchurch. For example, do we have an actual base of “extreme rightwing” politics in New Zealand? Certainly, New Zealand does not have a large extreme nationalist movement. However, this country does have a history of small extremist groups that have promoted various forms of fascistic ideology.

 

We are yet to know if Brenton Tarrant had any connections with local extreme right groups or individuals in this country. However, it seems that Tarrant gained his warped world view from the internet and from his international travels. And he was influenced by other “rightwing terrorists” and murderers, including Norwegian murderer Anders Breivik.

 

Norwegian white supremacist Anders Breivik had also released a manifesto before his murderous spree. The possible correlation or connection between Anders Breivik’s manifesto and that of Tarrant’s will be of interest to police, as well as to political scientists attempting to understand the motivations and ideology behind the Christchurch mosque killings.

 

How could this terrorist attack happen in New Zealand? And have we been blind to the rise of extreme reactionary politics in this country? Some commentators are pointing the finger at free speech liberals. Such commentators have argued that New Zealand has allowed alt-right figures to circulate their toxic views in New Zeeland and that such toxic views are the basis behind the Christchurch terrorist attacks.

 

In the last year, alt-right Canadians Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux visited New Zealand and received significant media coverage. And rightwing psychologist Jordon Peterson also recently visited these shores, and received both praise as well as severe criticisms from the media and the general public.

 

Therefore, is it fair to point the finger at “free speech liberals” and at New Zealand’s open-door attitude to alt-figures? Certainly, the rise of the alt-right internationally is having an impact here in New Zealand. Any person can easily access alt-right material online, and the warped politics and pseudo-science of the alt-right has appeal to some alienated young males here.

 

The finger has also been pointed at politicians who engage in a politics of “Othering”. Anti-immigrant politics, especially anti-Chinese sentiments, have been promoted by politicians across the political spectrum. And the NZ First party and its leader Winston Peters’ have flirted with anti-Muslim politics.

 

The argument goes that the politics of Othering - the demonization of the “foreign” Other - provides the necessary fertiliser for more extreme and violent forms of nationalist, communalist and sectarian politics. And a number of New Zealand politicians have all played a role in promoting various forms of xenophobic politics in New Zealand.

 

Winston Peters of NZ First is infamous for his attacks on the Chinese community and has stated that the large presence of Asian immigrants has had a negative impact on New Zealand’s culture. Peters has also played the Islamophobic card, and has stated in the past that Muslims in New Zealand put on a moderate face while hiding their extremism behind closed mosque doors.

 

Don Brash - previously a National Party leader and subsequently an Act Party leader - has spread the falsehood that Maori in New Zealand are privileged and enjoy exclusive beneficial rights. He has also played the xenophobic card with his call to give preferential treatment to immigrants from countries with “our values”.

Phil Twyford of the Labour Party infamously acted to scapegoat Chinese when he claimed that “foreign” Chinese were to blame for New Zealand’s housing crisis. And the Labour Party leader at the time, Andrew Little, targeted immigrants and claimed “high levels of immigration” were to blame for the lack of job opportunities for “New Zealanders”. 

Even the socially progressive Greens have dabbled in anti-immigrant rhetoric, such as when former Green co-leader Russel Norman complained of Chinese investment in NZ and of Chinese businesses using “foreign Chinese workers”. In 2006, the Green Party reacted strongly to proposals from a visiting Chinese minister who put forward the position for allowing increased numbers of Chinese workers here on temporary vistas. A Dominion Post article of 5 October 2006 said, ‘but the Green Party says it would trigger a “race to the bottom” for New Zealand wages and conditions.’ Also: ‘Dr Norman said there would have to be a genuine shortage of New Zealand workers and the Government would have to prove it had made efforts to offer training to local workers to fill vacancies.’ 

 

However, despite the finger pointing, there is no direct link between alt-right figures coming to NZ and this terrorist attack. Neither is there a direct link between anti-immigrant sentiments promoted by mainstream politicians and the actions of extreme nationalist terrorist Brenton Tarrant. Nonetheless, alt-right ideology and the politics of Othering can certainly provide the fertilizer for various forms of toxic xenophobic and racist politics.

 

Once we have moved beyond the grief stage with this tragic event, let us start thinking carefully about how we can act against the rising popularity of this new form of extreme nationalist ideology. And let us have an open discussion, in good faith, that leads to an understanding of this horrific event.

 

 

 

 

 

John Moore: Michael Jackson and the spectre of censorship

Bite-sized alternative political analysis: Michael Jackson and the spectre of censorship

 

The facts:

 

The tainted legacy of Michael Jackson has become world news with the release of a documentary on the deceased artist. The documentary Leaving Neverland puts forward the case that Jackson sexual abused children. Leaving Neverland has most probably destroyed Michael Jackson’s legacy.

 

One political question that has come from the documentaries release is over the censorship of Jackson’s songs. NZME, which owns ZM, The Hits, Flava and Newstalk ZB, has made the decision to no longer play Jackson's songs on air. And similar moves are being taken by other radio stations nationally and internationally.

 

Analysis:

 

The big question is, can we differentiate an art product from its creator? And in this case, can we differentiate the musical legacy of Jackson, form Jackson the person? A problematic question, but nonetheless, people generally can and do differentiate an art product from its maker.

 

Some of the world’s greatest artists and authors have had tainted pasts and had questionable attitudes. For example, the English language’s greatest writer William Shakespeare has been accused of racism and anti-Semitism. Should his masterpiece, The Merchant of Venice, therefore be censored due to its alleged racist depiction of Shylock, the plays Jewish Character?

 

And what of film directors such as Roman Polanski and Woody Allan? Polanski was convicted of rape in America. And Allen has been accused of child sexual abuse. Should all the artistic work of both directors therefore be effectively banned?

 

And what of pop and rock stars who had relationships with underage girls, or have been accused of violence against women, or have been convicted of various crimes? In that case, we would need to stop listening to The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, and a whole range of musical artists.

 

Perhaps we should equate an artist’s work with that artist themselves. If an artist is beyond the pale, then perhaps so should ban their artistic work. However, following this logic, media platforms, radio and TV would pretty soon start to look like media outlets in highly censorious countries such as North Korea and Iran. Is that what we want?

 

The concerns about Jackson’s legacy are legitimate. But if we support the effective censoring of his artistic output, we might suddenly find ourselves in a very unpleasant society where censorship is the rule rather than the exception.

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This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Moore: China expert treated as a pariah by Labour Party

Bite-sized alternative political analysis: China expert treated as a pariah by Labour Party

 

The facts:

 

University of Canterbury academic Anne-Marie Brady was blocked by Labour MPs from making to a submission on foreign interference. Professor Brady asked to make a submission to the Justice Select Committee regarding its inquiry into foreign interference in the 2017 general election and 2016 local elections. And in what was a shocking move, the Labour members on the committee voted against Brady giving a submission.

 

The Labour MPs voted against Brady ostensibly on the grounds that her request was late.  However, the National MPs on the committee supported Brady’s request. The Committee Chair is Labour MP Raymond Huo.

 

Raymond Huo has previously been singled out by Professor Brady for his close relations with the Chinese Government. Brady had previously written that Huo works very publicly with the Chinese Government’s “united front organizations” in New Zealand, and that he promotes their policies. 

 

After media scrutiny on the Justice Select Committee’s decision to block Brady, the Committee has now decided to accept Professor Brady’s submission.

 

Analysis:

 

The action of Labour MPs against Professor Anne-Marie Brady was quite extraordinary. Brady is New Zealand’s leading academic researcher on the Chinese state’s involvement in New Zealand affairs.

 

Any inquiry into foreign interference should by necessity involve Professor Brady. Yet Labour Party MPs have actively attempted to silence Brady. Of course, having Brady speak to the Committee will be highly embarrassing for the Committee Chair, Labour MP Raymond Huo. But that’s tough bikkies.

 

If Huo has nothing to hide, then he should be fine with Brady speaking to the Committee. But Labour’s attempts to block Brady just doesn’t look good for the Committee Chair Raymond Huo.

 

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This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

 

 

John Moore: Shane Jones in the shit, but no worries

John Moore’s bite-sized alternative political analysis: Shane Jones in the shit, but no worries

 

The facts:

 

NZ First MP Shane Jones has been accused of dodgy behaviour, and of lying about it. Jones has been found to of backed a project that he had a personal interest in. Specifically, Shane Jones' role in funding a Northland cultural centre has been questioned. The facility in Opononi was given $4.6 million by the Government. And Jones’ support of the centre seems to of been the big reason why the cultural ce­ntre received millions from the Government. Jones is Minister for Regional Economic Development and he is responsible for the $3 billion provincial Growth Fund.

 

Shane Jones had declared a conflict of interest with the Northland cultural centre and its “Manea, Footprints of Kupe” tourism proposal. Jones was to be the chairman of Manea Kupe Ltd. And the NZ First Minister has denied he has had any involvement in the funding for the cultural centre, since he declared a conflict of interest. But Jones seems to be telling fibs.

 

Documents from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) show that Jones did continue to advocate for the project after the point when he declared a conflict of interest. The Minister went to the single ministerial meeting which determined the application, and his advocacy for the Northland centre seems to of swung the Government’s final decision to fund the cultural centre.

 

Analysis:

 

Shane Jones’ dodgy dealings has become a major news story. There will now be pressure on Jacinda Ardern to sack her Regional Economic Development Minister.

Jones has been found to of been loose with the truth.

 

Certainly, politicians lie all the time. But in this case, a Minister’s fibbing is linked with millions of dollars. Shane Jones has control over a three billion dollars fund, a huge amount of money. Yet it seems there is little scrutiny over how this money has been managed up to now.

 

So, has the stink of corruption begun to taint the Government’s provincial fund? Jacinda and her Labour Party colleagues will be highly concerned about any accusations of Government money being misspent? But what can they do?

Shane Jones is a leading member of the New Zealand First caucus, and without this party’s support, Labour can no longer govern. Therefore, will expediency trump clean politics in this case? And will Jacinda stick her head in the sand and let a Minister tainted with dodgy dealings off the hook?

 

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This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Moore: Critical Politics alternative analysis – MPs’ views on student strike, Hillary not for President, Eminem vs the Nats

 

Wednesday 6 March 2019

 

1) NZ politicians have given their views on the upcoming student strike  

 

The facts:

A world-wide student strike to highlight inaction on climate change will take place on March 15. And some New Zealand politicians are throwing a tantrum over students skipping school to attend the climate change protests.

 

Deputy PM Winston Peters was particularly pissed-off with the up and coming strike. Peters sternly stated that attending school is compulsory. And Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was also unsupportive of the strike, saying that the Government was already doing its bit about climate change.

 

National senior MP Judith “the crusher” Collins was scathing of the strike, and indicated she thought it was a waste of time. And National leader Simon Bridges felt the strike was just an excuse for students to muck around.

 

Green MPs were very supportive of the student protest. As surprisingly was Labour MP Damien O’Connor, an MP usually known for his conservative political stance on most matters.

 

Analysis:

The worldwide protest against inaction on climate change is incredibly significant. Although concerns about climate change are widespread, it is almost unheard of to have mass political actions targeting this issue. The politics of climate change tend to be elitist, in the sense that political discussions and decisions on the environment usually take place at conferences and forums involving elite politicians, corporate representatives, and bureaucrats.

Striking students are therefore making history, in the sense that they are transforming the issue of climate change from a problem to be managed by elites to an issue of mass participatory action. That NZ politicians of both the left and right find such a mass participatory event concerning, is therefore not surprising.

Both Jacinda and Simon Bridges have refused to come out in support of the student strike. Perhaps their impotency on dealing with climate change is being exposed here.

The fact that students are acting to politicise the central issue of our time, and are acting to expose the inaction of politicians on climate change, should be welcomed.

  

2) Hillary Clinton is not running for president.

 

The facts:

Hillary Clinton’s dream of becoming President of the United States is all but over. The former First Lady and senator has ruled out running for President in 2020.

Analysis:

Hillary Clinton has made a wise decision to opt out of the Presidential race 2020. She represents the politics of the past, and her mantle has been usurped by a new layer of zeitgeist Democrat politicians. Clinton is very much a Third Way politician, who accepts the prevailing economic coordinates and what was the prevailing liberal capitalist political consensus.

However, politics has taken a radical turn, with a new demand for bold and non-orthodox politicians. Hillary Clinton just doesn’t fit that mould, and so she has been relegated to the dustbin of history.

 

3) And finally, Hip Hop mega star Eminem is still at war with New Zealand’s National Party.

 

The facts:

Representatives of the rap star Eminem are going to the NZ Supreme Court to demand more dollars from the Nats. The National Party was previously found guilty of ripping off one of Eminem’s songs in a party commercial.

 

Analysis:

It is all rather ironic of course that the party of law and order is once again in court for breaking copy right laws.

 

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This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

 

 

John Moore: Critical Politics alternative analysis – Bumbling Kiwi Jihadi, Civil war in CTU, Ticket scalping ban

 

Tuesday 5 March 2019

 

1) Kiwi ISIS jihadist misses home

 

The facts:

A New Zealander who has been active with ISIS for five years is currently being held by Kurdish forces in Syria. The Kiwi jihadist, Mark Taylor, has received international news coverage. Taylor became known as the “bumbling jihadist” for his ineptitude in accidently sharing his, and an ISIS unit’s, location on social media.  

 

In a recent interview, Taylor looked a rather pathetic and sorry character. He made a half-hearted apology for his actions. However, he then completely undercut his apology with a discussion of his previous desires to own a slave while he was an active ISIS member.

 

Analysis:

The least one could say about ex-ISIS member Mark Taylor is that he is not a particularly nice guy. Taylor chose to join and participate in a religious death cult, and he also participated in the group’s propaganda efforts to recruit young Westerners. He may appear very sorry for himself now that he has been captured. But he deserves absolutely no sympathy.

We have an odd situation right now where many liberals find it hard not to show some concern for the position that a number of young ISIS-jihadists from the West now find themselves in. Indeed, for many liberals, the likes of Mark Taylor, or former ISIS bride Shamima Begum, are victims of the former so-called Islamic State. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Taylor, Begum and scores of other young Westerners chose to join a fascist-like group that engaged in the most grotesque forms of crimes against poor and marginalised people in the ISIS self-declared caliphate. Other Westerners have chosen to join forces fighting ISIS, including joining Kurdish forces. One must be judged on one’s moral actions.

Young Westerners who joined Kurdish fighters against ISIS should be seen as heroes. And young Westerners who joined ISIS should be judged as the equivalent of violent bigoted fascists. Does this mean that former ISIS members like New Zealander Mark Taylor should have all their rights taken from them? Absolutely not.

When we demand due process and the rule of law for the likes of Taylor, we should do so on the basis of protecting civil liberties and hard fought for political freedoms. We must not let the state opportunistically use the case of Western jihadist returnees as a way to chip away at our own civil liberties and political rights. The likes of Mark Taylor and Shamima Begum may have embraced fascist like totalitarianism when they signed up to ISIS. We in contrast need to stand up for political freedoms and moral justice.

 

2) The leaders of the Council of Trade Unions and the Public Service Association have egg on their face after a CTU resolution was passed backing striking junior doctors.

 

The facts:

The top leadership of the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) and the Public Service Association (PSA) had refused to come out in support for striking doctors. And the PSA leadership had played an active role in supporting a moderate breakaway junior doctors’ union. CTU union boss Richard Wagstaff has been accused of effectively backing the government and the District Health Boards (DHBs) with their efforts to thwart the activism of the militant Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA).

Two health sector unions – the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) and the NZ Nurses Association (NZNO) - have stood up to the CTU leadership by taking a resolution to the National Affiliate Council (NAC) of the CTU. The resolution condemned the union-busting efforts of the DHBs. The resolution was carried 9 votes to 4, with 2 abstentions.

 

Analysis:

The passing of this resolution in support of striking doctors is a huge slap in the face for the moderate union leadership of the CTU and PSA. What we are witnessing is effectively the start of a civil war within the union movement itself. More radical union leaders are at battle with more moderate union bosses. The very nature and modus operandi of New Zealand’s union movement has now been brought into question.

 

3) And finally, the government proposes banning ticket scalping

 

The facts:

Ticket reselling is to be regulated in New Zealand. The government is planning to effective ban ticket scalping with a range of new regulations.  Measures will include a price cap on resale tickets

 

Analysis:

Music fans are likely to be happy with this move to ban ticket scalping. But is this an opportunistic measure by the government to win brownie points with young voters? New Zealand has a capitalist economy where market forces are seen as the driver of the sale of goods and services. Orthodox economists would therefore ask the Government, why should the sale of tickets suddenly be heavily regulated, when the free flow of goods and services is allowed in most other areas? Perhaps the Labour-led Government wants its capitalist cake and to eat it too.

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This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

 

 

John Moore: Critical politics alternative analysis – Cops with guns, Foreign donation ban, India-Pakistan spat

Monday 4 March 2019

 

1) Does New Zealand still have a consensus on having an unarmed police force?

 

The facts:

New Zealand is only one of a handful of countries where most police officers do not carry fire arms. Yet, last week it was announced that all frontline police in Christchurch would be carrying firearms on their person. This extraordinary move was in response to two related instances where Christchurch police were allegedly shot at.

 

Police Minister Stuart Nash fully backed the decision, but denied that this meant that routine arming of police was on the horizon. Media reports of Christchurch residents’ views on the sudden arming of local police revealed a mix of reactions. Some residents were reported as supporting police carrying guns as a necessity for their safety. Other Christchurch locals expressed fears over police abusing guns.

 

Frontline police in the Canterbury region will no longer carry firearms on their person following the arrest of a young man on Sunday. The man has been charged with using an imitation firearm against Police.

 

Analysis:

The general arming of frontline Christchurch police was an extraordinary move. New Zealand is one of five countries where police are unarmed when they are on patrol. Yet the directive for all frontline police in Christchurch to carry guns was only met with a mooted response by the media and by political commentators and political players.

A serious debate is needed here over whether concerns over police safety should trump a historical consensus over New Zealand having an unarmed police force. Regardless of one’s position on arming the police, a thorough debate on the issue should be welcomed. Police should be prevented from arming by stealth. Such a move would be highly undemocratic.

 

Also, questions need to be asked about the alleged shooting at police, and the subsequent arrest of a culprit for carrying an imitation firearm. This story from the police doesn’t seem to add up.

 

2) The Green Party is pushing for a complete ban on foreign political donations.

 

The facts:

A bill banning offshore political donations has been introduced by Golriz Ghahraman. The Green MP has said the aim of her bill is "stop unfair influence and potential corruption in politics".

 

Ghahraman’s bill would also give prisoners the right to vote, allow Māori to change roll types at any time they choose, and lower the MMP threshold to 4 per cent.

 

Analysis:

We live in a period where the public’s concerns over corruption and interference in politics is at an all-time high. Therefore, the move by the Greens to further regulate political donations in NZ is a smart one. The banning of offshore political donations will appeal to many.

However, would such a move be xenophobic, and act to tap into the worse forms of bigoted fears of the foreign Other? Or, would such a ban strengthen NZ’s democracy and act to push back against alleged foreign interference in this country’s political system?

While the Greens are calling for a complete ban on foreign donations, they are only pushing for greater regulations of local donations. This blanket ban on foreign donations, while allowing for local doantions, does seem to be discriminatory.

3) Tensions between the two nuclear powers India and Pakistan are at an all-time high.

 

The facts:

Over the last week both India and Pakistan have been engaged in military strikes against each other. Earlier last week India carried out air strikes within Pakistani controlled-territory. This was in response to a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir. A Pakistan-based group claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan then retaliated to the Indian air strikes with their own air strikes in Indian-controlled territory.

An escalation of the conflict seemed imminent. However, the return of an Indian fighter pilot by Pakistan has perhaps eased tensions. The Indian air force pilot was shot down in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

 

Analysis:

So, is what is going on between Pakistan and India a big deal? Yes, it’s a fucking big deal! The two countries have enough nukes to wipe each other out. And even a conventional war, without nukes, could lead to millions of deaths.

The current skirmishes between Pakistan and India relate to the ongoing conflict over the region of Kashmir. Kashmir is a majority Muslim area, claimed by both India and Pakistan. An ongoing civil war is occurring in Indian-administered Kashmir.

 

The question of which nation has a legitimate claim over Kashmir is an existential question of identity for both Pakistan and India. Kashmir is a majority Muslim area. Pakistan was founded as a nation for Muslims in South Asia, and on this basis Pakistan claims that Kashmir is an integral part of the Islamic country. India was ostensibly founded as a multi-religious nation-state, and the nation’s founders strongly disagreed with the partition of British India along religious lines. However, the continued rise of Hindu nationalism in India has acted to strengthen Muslim and Kashmiri separatist voices in India.

 

What do Kashmiris actually want? It is generally accepted by South Asian experts that most Kashmiris do not want to be controlled by India. Some Kashmiris just want to be absorbed into Pakistan, while others want to become an independent nation. Also, there has historically been a split within the separatist movement in Kashmir - between secular nationalists against radical Islamists. The Pakistan state and military has tended to support radical Islamists in the Kashmir region.

 

If a full-scale war was to breakout between India and Pakistan, then the conflict over Kashmir would be at the heart of such a war. And such a war could go nuclear.

 

___________

This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

 

The stealthy power of lobbying in New Zealand

Originally published on the Newsroom Pro website in 2018:

 

Lobbyists and PR professionals play an increasingly central role in New Zealand’s political system, and yet the public knows very little about what these people do. But we should. More sunlight shone on the activities of communications professionals active in our democracy would offer greater protection against conflicts of interest and corruption.

 

The hidden persuaders

 

The low visibility of lobbyists and PR professionals is mostly by design. The very nature of their roles involves working behind the scenes – deliberately keeping a low profile, while surreptitiously influencing government and politics on behalf of well-resourced interests. Visibility only invites scrutiny and questioning of their role. So, these agents of influence make a concerted effort to fly beneath the radar.

 

The second reason for their relative anonymity is that their industry is entirely unregulated in New Zealand. Elsewhere in the world, lobbying has been forced to become somewhat more transparent – mostly through laws establishing public registration of lobbying practices.

 

In New Zealand some attempts were made by the Green Party to bring in tighter regulation in 2012. A private member’s bill was progressed, first by Sue Kedgley, and then by Holly Walker, which would have forced lobbying activities involving politicians to have to be declared. But when the bill came to be considered in select committee, the major flaws and overly-simplistic design of the Green legislation became apparent, and the bill was dumped.

 

A third reason that New Zealand society knows so little about lobbying is because the media generally don’t cover the activity much, and when they do, it normally takes the shape of profiles of industry figures, without much probing. This could be partly due to under-resourcing, or perhaps a lack of appreciation of how problematic lobbying can be for the democratic process. Or maybe it’s due to complacency about protecting integrity in politics – after all, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index out today, New Zealand is now officially the least corrupt country on earth.

 

A case study in media coverage

 

Earlier this week I wrote a column for the New Zealand Herald about one particularly concerning lobbying-and-politics relationship – see: The Government's revolving door for lobbyists. The gist of the story is that Jacinda Ardern asked lobbyist Gordon Jon Thompson to be her Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister’s Office for a few months while she put together the new administration. He was hired with the full expectation that he would then return to his lobbying firm, Thompson Lewis, after he finished. And he did that this week – heading straight back into lobbying, taking with him all of his new networks of connections, inside information on the new administration, and the benefits of having hired many of the new staff.

 

Will Thompson’s experience as Ardern’s number one adviser help him in his lobbying activities? One industry insider told me that his firm could now expect a huge increase in customers wanting Thompson’s services, and that he could now start charging significantly higher rates.

 

The story raises plenty of questions about the “revolving door” of elites. This concept – of professionals from government – including politicians and senior public servants – flowing easily into the private sector to be lobbyists, has become so contentious elsewhere in the world that it’s made illegal. France, Canada, Australia, the US, and the USA all have “cooling down” periods that ensure high level political insiders can’t simply shift straight into jobs lobbying the government.

 

So, why did the Thompson story not receive greater media attention? After all, the details were well known.

 

One journalist told me this week, that many in the media won’t write stories – and certainly not negative ones – about lobbyists and spin doctors, because that would be “biting the hand that feeds”. Many of these well-connected lobbyists and party spin doctors provide tip-offs and stories to the journalists.

 

It’s an age-old tool of PR practitioners – to cultivate close relationships with the media, providing them with useful scandals and gossip to write about. It often serves the lobbyist’s cause in their job of influencing public narratives about politics or their clients. But, importantly, it also fosters the symbiotic relationship between the journalist and the PR or lobbying professional – they both benefit from each other, as long as neither turns on the other.

 

Thompson is clearly well thought of by journalists, many of whom regard him as “a mate”. And of course, it is going to be hard for journalists to deal with any stringency with an ex-colleague or someone that they regard as a friend.

 

It’s worth also pointing out that Thompson started out as a journalist, and he has worked in politics, as well as for various corporates. In many ways, he’s become the ultimate “political insider” – and one who is undoubtedly extremely well paid. And of course, he’s not the first – nor will he be the last – journalist to switch sides.

 

So, the story is not only one of New Zealand’s unregulated lobbying industry, but also a reminder of the peculiarities of the very small and closely-networked nature of politics, media and business in New Zealand – and especially in Wellington. There’s something of a harmonious “political class” that underpins how democracy functions – or doesn’t function properly – in this country.

 

As lobbying grows in importance in New Zealand – as it is in the rest of the world – there is likely to be more public demand for investigative work on who the lobbyists are, and how they operate. The public are increasingly suspicious of the influence of “vested interests” on the political system. Journalists – and others – will therefore have to rise to the challenge of digging into this largely unknown sphere.

 

 

Vested interests in political commentary

Originally published on the Newsroom Pro website in 2018:

 

Increasingly, a big part of the media’s coverage of politics involves analysis and commentary, rather than straight news reporting. We see, listen, and read this pundit commentary in all the media – from the Sunday television politics shows, through to even this online column for Newsroom. And as always, there will be various degrees of quality, bias, and usefulness in this commentary. That’s to be expected.

 

But what if some of this commentary is simply PR? What if it’s being informed, not by any attempts to be objective or analytical, but simply because someone is being paid to impart a particular political line? And what if this fact is being deliberately disguised?

 

That’s a situation that many would find repugnant, unethical, or perhaps just boring. Yet there is the suspicion that such political commentary is increasing. There’s a fear that the various pundits and analysts we get explaining and debating politics in New Zealand are representing vested interests. And obviously they often are.

 

Of course, just because someone is financially linked to a certain institution or business – by way of employment or contractual relationship – doesn’t mean that they are representing those clients in their views being imparted, nor that their analysis isn’t robust or useful. It’s always going to be up to the audience to make decisions about that. What to one person might seem like an incisive observation, will be to another person simply a biased hackery. 

 

The crucial factor here is disclosure. The audience needs to know of any conflicts of interest, or simply any significant financial arrangements that the commentator has. And sometimes if those disclosures are known, it might be inappropriate for that person to be commenting publicly on an issue.

 

But it’s not clear that this disclosure is always taken very seriously by commentators or the media that are hosting them. Some media seem rather lax about such ethics. And when disclosure isn’t made, then it’s hard to know whether the views and information being imparted is simply some kind of PR exercise for a vested interest.

 

That’s why the revelations yesterday about a lobbyist and political spin doctor appearing on the RNZ’s The Panel are worth examining and taking seriously. The minor scandal – or at least, what should be a scandal – was exposed during Parliamentary question time, by a number of questions to the Clare Curran the Minister of Communications. You can watch the five-minute video here.

 

It turns out that a communications adviser – i.e. a spin-doctor – working in the Prime Minister’s Office had been a participant on The Panel in February, under the guise of being an independent commentator. In fact, the person, Tracey Bridges, had been introduced to listeners as being from lobbying/PR firm Senate Communications. According to National’s Melissa Lee, this raised ethical questions for RNZ and the Prime Minister’s Office.

 

The allegations were then confirmed by RNZ – see RNZ’s own report by political editor Jane Patterson: National raises questions about RNZ commentator. According to this, RNZ were not aware the Bridges was now working for the Beehive, and the radio station, and programme manager David Allan is quoted saying “It is a timely reminder for RNZ that we need to be fully transparent about any potential conflicts of interest.”

 

Ethical questions arise from this, not just for RNZ, but also for the Prime Minister’s Office. The most obvious is: Was the Prime Minister aware that one of her spin doctors was appearing on RNZ to talk about government policies?

 

But a much more important question is about Tracey Bridges’ lobbyist status. After all, this story follows on from other revelations about the PM hiring lobbyist GJ Thompson as acting Chief of Staff, who has now gone straight back to his lobbying business. What the PM’s office should, therefore, be asked is: Has Bridges declared her other lobbying clients to Jacinda Ardern?

 

This is highly relevant because Bridges has told RNZ, ironically in her defence, that at the time of her involvement on The Panel, she was working for a number of clients of which the Beehive was only one. This, of course, makes the situation much worse. It appears that the lobbyist is working on the Ninth Floor, while also working for others, which raises obvious issues about potential conflicts of interest.

 

Of course, Bridges isn’t the only PR, lobbyist, or partisan communications flack doing political commentary. There’s plenty of others, offering various degrees of transparency about their work and potential conflicts of interest. The media, especially broadcast media, hosts plenty of such paid professionals as pundits. And on the political right, there’s the obvious example of Matthew Hooton on shows such as RNZ’s Nine-to-Noon. In his case, he seems to go out of his way to frequently declare conflicts of interest in terms of clients. And, his affiliations with National are known, and his lobbying firm, Exceltium is declared. But most importantly, unlikely Bridges, he’s not actually working for Beehive. 

 

Nonetheless, surely, it’s time for a bigger conversation about the use of so many PR pundits in the media. Some of these pundits may well have, like Hooton, earned their place as respected political commentators in their own right. But is it good for democracy that punditry is so awash with people who are representing vested interests?

 

Tracey Bridges is simply the latest case study example of a lobbyist or spin doctor being used in our public political debates. What about all the other media trainers who advice politicians, and then turn up on radio or TV to evaluate their performance – there’s been quite a few of these recently. And normally there’s not even any sort of proper declaration of their conflicts of interests.

 

This might make for good TV or radio – after all these are often talented communications experts. And they obviously come to the broadcasters cheaply, but of course, this is simply because they’re being paid by someone else – which is the problem at the heart of all of this. Quite simply, the examination of politics is being taking over by political insiders.

 

It’s time for a clean-up of this practice. Or at least we should be having a transparent debate about it all.

 

 

 

John Moore: Critical politics alternative analysis – Whaleoil blogger bankrupt, Cohen as Trump’s Judas, Trump and Kim Jong Un

 

Thursday 28 February 2019

 

1) Political blogger Cameron Slater is bankrupt

 

The facts:

The head of the Whaleoil blog site has declared bankruptcy and pulled out of all political work. A post on the Whaleoil site gave details of Cameron Slater’s bankruptcy and his recent stroke which, according to the post, has left Slater incapacitated.

 

Cameron Slater was once one of New Zealand’s leading political commentator. He had very close contacts in parliament, including with former Prime Minister John Key. However, Slater’s star status rapidly diminished after has was implicated in dirty politics by author Nicky Hager. Due to Hager’s expose of dirty politics in New Zealand, Slater went from being the right’s most loved attackman, to being a pariah cut off from political access.

 

Analysis:

Cameron Slater led the blog revolution in Aotearoa, and he acted to transform the nature of political reporting in this country. His coverage of politics was unashamedly biased, and his closeness with the National Party was never a secret. He was once New Zealand’s most well-known political blogger, and was sort after by mainstream media due to his inside knowledge of the goings-on in Parliament.

However, despite his previous popularity, Slater is loathed by many, especially those on the left. He has been written off by his opponents as a gutter blogger, who lacks integrity and morals.

Despite the hatred often levelled at the Whaleoil blogger, Slater has at times played an important role in exposing political scandals. The Whaleoil blogger exposed the hypocrisy of former Conservative Party head Colin Craig, who preached a moral conservative form of politics while at the same time attempting to engage in an extramarital affair.

Slater also exposed details of an extramarital affair of former Auckland Mayor Len Brown. And the blogger revealed how Brown, while engaging in an affair, had been receiving free hotel rooms and upgrades totalling more than $32 000. Casino and hotel operator SkyCity was one of the corporates providing free hotel rooms for the former Mayor. The honourable Mayor Len Brown publicly backed the previous National-led Government's controversial SkyCity convention centre deal.

 

So, love him or hate him, there is no denying that Slater transformed political reporting in NZ, and did at times reveal the hypocritical, if nor corrupt, goings on of some of his political opponents.

 

2) Donald Trump’s former lawyer plays the role of Judas.

The facts:

Donald Trump has been labelled a "racist," a "conman" and a "cheat" by his former lawyer Michael Cohen. In a congressional testimony, Michael Cohen also said that Trump effectively conspired with WikiLeaks, via the President’s political advisor Roger Stone. The WikiLeaks release of emails from Hillary Clinton during the last US Presidential election acted to severely discredit the former Senator and First Lady. Both Michael Cohen and Roger Stone are currently facing prison time.

 

Analysis:

Will these revelations from Trump’s former lawyer act as a fatal blow for the President? Hardly. Republicans can easily dismiss Cohen’s testimony as a desperate attempt to curry favour with prosecutors and the courts, in an attempt to reduce his prison time.

Of course, these accusations do strengthen the case for Trump’s impeachment. But as long as Trump’s party - the Republicans - control The Senate, Trump remains reasonably safe from prosecution and impeachment.  

Also, the use of Trump's former confidants against the President helps to build a narrative that there is a conspiracy against the President coming from the Democrats in collusion with the so-called deep state. Trump supporters at times refer to intelligence agencies such as the CIA and FBI as being part of a deep state acting to thwart the President.

 

3) Trump meets his so-called best friend Kim Jong Un in Vietnam

 

The facts:

The US President and the North Korean leader have met for a second time to nut out a deal of North Korean denuclearisation.

 

Analysis:

For International Relations expert, this meeting is an extraordinary event. Meetings between top international leaders usually involve months of preparation and are carefully managed by Government top officials. Not the case with Trump, apparently. And in the case of North Korea, the position of the US has been to delay any meetings with North Korean leaders until a deal is already in process. However, Trump is his own man and is not afraid to dispense with US protocol.

And in this case, just maybe the President’s erratic and idiosyncratic political mode of operation might just bring peace to the Korean peninsula.

 

___________

This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

John Moore: Critical politics alternative analysis - Vatican crisis, former NZ PM guilty, sunglasses name ban

 

Wednesday 27 February 2019

 

1) The Vatican City State is in crisis-mode as one of its senior leaders has been prosecuted.

 

The facts:

The Vatican State’s former financial head, Cardinal George Pell, has been found guilty of child sexual abuse. He is the highest positioned Catholic and Vatican leader to of received a sex abuse conviction. Cardinal Pell was found guilty by an Australian jury of sexually abusing two boys. The Cardinal was the third highest ranked leader in the Catholic hierarchy.

 

The Catholic Church is currently in crisis mode, with accusation after accusation of widespread sexual abuse of children by church clergy. The head of the Church, Pope Francis, has just led a summit on child sexual abuse in the Church. The Pope lay central blame for the Church’s history of abuse on Satan. Satan is a mythical fallen angel who seduces humans into sinful acts.

 

Analysis:

Under the leadership of the so-called woke pope, Pope Francis, the Vatican has undergone a public relations campaign to manage accusations of abuse and corruption in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis’ down-to-earth manner and ostensible liberalism endeared him to many. However, this latest scandal, with the prosecution of one of Pope Francis’ closest confidantes, is perhaps a turning point for the Church.

The Vatican’s moral standing and political influence may well have received a fatal blow with the prosecution of the Catholic Church’s third highest ranked official. The Pope and his fellow clergy may well blame the figure of Satan for the Church’s woes. But the Catholic Church’s explanations for its own sins, reveal an organisation in deep denial of its inherent contradictions and its endemic corruption.

 

2) Former NZ Prime Minister Jenny Shipley found liable for 6 million dollars.

 

The facts:

The NZ High Court has ruled that Dame Jenny Shipley and five other former company directors are liable for the collapse of property and construction company Mainzeal. Jenny Shipley was New Zealand’s first woman Prime Minister. She was head of a National-led Government from 1997 to 1999.

 

As with many other former senior politicians, Shipley is on several boards from which she receives lucrative compensation. She is chairperson of the China Construction Bank NZ, a subsidiary of the China-controlled bank. Shipley is also an executive board member of the state-funded New Zealand China Council. Her closeness to the Chinese state has been questioned, including by deputy PM Winston Peters.

 

Analysis:

The fall from grace of Dame Jenny Shipley is both a personal blow to the former PM, as well as a blow to New Zealand’s standing on corruption indexes. Shipley has attained several lucrative positions on both private and public boards over the years since she was PM. Shipley, like many former politicians, has been able to leverage her past pubic service, as an elected politician, to gain wealth and power in her post-parliamentary al life.

The light that has been shone on the dodgy activities of the former PM, while acting as a director in a private construction company, point to the endemic rotating door between parliament and lucrative positions in the business world. The term “revolving door” refers to the ease with which politicians and high public bureaucrats can easily shift between public and private roles.

 

3) Sunglasses brand name banned in Aotearoa.

 

The facts:

A Christchurch sunglasses brand has had its trading name banned by the Companies Office. The sunglasses brand’s name is "Happy To Sit On Your Face". The New Zealand Companies Office has told the sunglasses company that the name “Happy To Sit On Your Face" is "offensive". The New Zealand Companies Office is the government agency responsible for administering New Zealand's business registers. The Office has offered no further explanation for its ban.

 

Analysis:

This action by a government agency to ban a company trading name is highly questionable. For some the name “Happy To Sit On Your Face" may be offensive, and for others just a bit of a laugh.

Should the state be acting as a moral-police as it has in this case? And more fundamentally, do people actually have an inherent right to not be offended?

 

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This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

John Moore: Critical politics alternative analysis – Gender identity bill deferred, Muffin Break vs millennials, political Oscars

 

Tuesday 26 February 2019

 

1) Gender self-identification has been put on hold

 

The facts:

An amendment to the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill has been deferred. The amendment would have liberalised the process of declaring gender on birth certificates. The bill would allow for a person to more easily change their gender on a birth certificate through a simple process of self-declaration.

 

The amendment would also have introduced the option of an "X" gender option, alongside Male and Female. There would also be the option of "parent" on a child's birth certificate, as well as "mother" and "father". NZ first MP and Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin has said the bill is currently on hold due to a lack of public consultation over the proposed reforms.

 

Analysis:

So, why has the liberalisation of gender options and gender identification on birth certificates been put on hold? The reality is that the government has now realised that there is in fact significant opposition to such a move. A cultural war on gender-identity has been bubbling away for the past year in NZ over this question of gender self-identity.

This cultural war is not between the usual suspects of liberals versus conservatives. Instead, this cultural war over gender identity is one predominantly between transgender advocates versus trans exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs)/ gender critical feminists.

 

Transgender advocates argue that people should be able to easily change their gender legally. The process should come down to self-identification. However, trans exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs)/ gender critical feminists believe that allowing what they see as “biological men” to self-declare as women acts to erase the category of women. Trans exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs)/ gender critical feminists argue that gender-identity reforms amount to a war on women, and an attack on women’s rights.

 

Expect to see a heating up of this cultural war over the very concept of what it means to be a woman or a man.

 

2) Muffin Break boss criticises so-called entitled millennials.

 

The facts:

Muffin Break general manager Natalie Brennan believes that millennials should be prepared to work for free. And she is aghast that young people want to always be paid when working. The Muffin Break boss has said that millennials should be prepared to do unpaid work in the form of internships, and work experience. But according to Brennan, literally no one is walking through her door to ask for an unpaid job.

 

Analysis:

So, are millennials self-entitled brats? Hardly. What the Muffin Break boss is asking for is for young people to slog their guts out for free, in the process of making profits for her company.

Living costs are at an all-time high in Western countries, and for millennials to survive they must work long hours to pay the bills. Young people just don’t have the option of working for nothing. Even millennials who study full-time generally need at least part-time work to get by. It seems that it is not millennials that are self-entitled, but instead bosses who want to exploit young people.

 

3) Politics simmered away in the background of this year’s Oscars.

 

The facts:

Arguments around identity were present at this year’s Oscars, especially with controversial film Green Book winning best picture. The film has been slammed for portraying a “white savour narrative”. Black director Spike Lee was incensed over Green Book winning best film. Lee was recognized by the Oscars with a win for Best Adapted Screenplay for his film BlacKkKlansman.

 

Analysis:

The Oscars continue being a focus for debates around identity politics, with arguments that the voices of subjugated people continue to be marginalised at the awards. But should art be judged separate from politics? Or should politics be at the heart of art? That is, should artistic endeavours, such as film, be judged and critiqued on the basis of the political message they implicitly or explicitly convey. A question with no clear answer.

 

___________

This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

Cartoons about the proposed capital gains tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scott - Stuff 23 February 2019

 

Body - NZ Herald 25 February 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 26 February 2019

 

Hubbard 23 February 2019

 

Evans - Daily Blog 25 February 2019

 

Bromhead - NZ Herald 26 February 2019

 

Walker - Sunday News 25 February 2019

 

Bromhead - NZ Herald 3 February 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 26 January 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Moore: Critical politics alternative analysis – New rental rules, the war on Lime, Jordon Peterson’s NZ tour

 

Monday 25 February 2019

 

1) The details of the Government's healthy homes standards were released yesterday

 

The facts:

The government is getting tough on landlords. Housing Minister Phil Twyford has announced that every rental home in New Zealand will by law be required to have a heater in the living room and an extractor fan in the kitchen and bathroom. The rules will come into effect from mid-2021.

 

According to the Housing Minister, nearly 600,000 households rent in New Zealand. Twyford estimated that about 200,000 families live in rental homes that do not have ceiling or underfloor insulation. He said that The Ministry of Health has reported that 6000 children are hospitalized each year due to unhealthy homes. The Minister said that such children are nearly four times more likely to be re-hospitalised and 10 times more likely to die in the following 10 years.

 

But is the Government going far enough with its clamp down on unhealthy homes? The Green Building Council has said that the Government’s announcement was not good enough. The New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) is a non-profit membership organisation that promotes better buildings. The Council head Andrew Eagles said that four years is too long to wait for these new standards to become law.

 

And what do landlords have to say about these new rules? A representative for property investors, Andrew King, said the new regulations would lead to rents going up. The head of the New Zealand Property Investors' Federation (NZPI) said that new insulation rules would be the main driver of any increase in rents.

 

Analysis:

The Government's new healthy homes standards are part of its drive against poverty, and especially against the effects of poverty on children. Housing Minister Phil Twyford has put forward a strong case for more stringent regulation of the rental market. His discussion of the health effects on children living in unhealthy homes points to the need for an immediate upgrade of rental properties.

However, these changes will not be enforced for another four years, leaving renters in sub-standard properties up till that time. Added to this, renters are facing an increase in rents, as property investors are forced to upgrade their properties. Any increase in rents will hurt the poorest who will be forced to juggle their budgets to meet this increase in living costs. Therefore, should the government be looking at tightly regulating the actual cost of rental properties for tenants?

 

2) Lime scooter ban

 

The facts:

Lime Scooters have retaliated against a ban imposed on the e-scooters by Auckland and Dunedin city councils. Lime has asked users of its scooters to show their support for the company, by sending emails to local government politicians. So far over 2391 emails had been sent to Dunedin local body politicians via the Lime scooter app.

Both the Auckland and Dunedin city councils have put a ban on Lime on the basis of alleged injuries to riders. Lime has claimed that the problem with its scooters breaks only occurred in very rare circumstances. The company claims the problem has been fixed.

 

Analysis:

Lime has a responsibility to provide safe scooters to the public. And the number of reported accidents should be of concern. Riders also have a responsibility to use the e-scooters sensibly and with caution.

Were the DCC and AC right in taking Lime scooters of our streets? And was safety really the pressing issue? The vast majority of road accidents are caused by cars. Cars are a killer, yet a ban on cars would be rightly seen as unacceptable and draconian. Have local government bureaucrats and politicians therefore acted in a draconian and undemocratic manner with their war on this highly popular form of alternative transport?

 

3) And finally, Jordon Peterson came and spoke and conquered

 

The facts:

The controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson has packed out venues in NZ. And the media has followed the public intellectual with a keenness usually reserved for pop stars. Peterson has been accused by his opponents of being racist, sexist and transphobic. His supporters hail him as a motivational speaker who has saved lives and who has encouraged the transformation of alienated young males in particular.

 

Analysis:

Peterson’s views are rightly controversial. The Canadian psychologist promotes archaic views on gender relations, and flirts with racialist views on race and IQ. However, Peterson is no Nazi. And he is extremely articulate and knowledgeable.

His ideas are becoming increasingly popular, and Peterson can be seen as part of a wave of rightwing anti-PC popular speakers and writers. Peterson's ideas need to be challenged. But the left in NZ has failed to seriously challenge the Canadian psychologist. Peterson needs to be debated and challenged. But decrying him as beyond the pale, and at the same time failing to come up with well researched counter-arguments, means that the NZ left lost in its battle against Jordon Peterson.

___________

This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

 

John Moore: Critical politics alternative analysis – Infrastructure crisis, Lime scooter ban, Feel the Bern 2020

 

Thursday 21 February 2019

 

1) New Crown entity to deal with infrastructure crisis

 

The facts:

The Government is aiming to get serious about New Zealand’s infrastructure crisis. The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission – Te Waihanga – has been set up to deal specifically with what the government has labelled as New Zealand's "unprecedented infrastructure deficit". Transport and urban infrastructure will be the likely focus of the new independent Crown entity. Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones said that this “infrastructure deficit” is most present in “housing unaffordability, congestion, poor-quality drinking water and lost productivity". The Infrastructure Commission will act as a "shop front" for private companies aiming to invest in New Zealand.

 

Analysis:

 

The Coalition Government wants to be seen to be doing stuff. At the moment, the Labour-led administration is facing a serious risk of being seen as a government that is big on talk, but deficient in action. The KiwiBuild scheme, in particular, has been portrayed as an ongoing failure, with only a handful of so-called affordable house being built so far.

 

So now the government is launching a new Crown entity to deal with New Zealand’s infrastructure crisis. As with Kiwibuild, the new Infrastructure Commission will work with private enterprise to boost investment in New Zealand. However, such an approach has so far failed to work with Kiwibuild. Therefore, the Government will need to make sure that The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission – Te Waihanga -  does actually deliver.

 

If the Commission fails to deliver on infrastructure, then this Government risks being seen as a “do nothing” regime.

 

2) Council wars on Lime scooters

 

The facts:

Local Government in Wellington and Dunedin are proposing heavy restrictions on the use of Lime scooters. And the Auckland Transport chairman Lester Levy has issued a stern warning to Lime, stating that its electric scooters could be banned from Auckland by Friday. Concerns have been raised over safety defects with Lime scooters. In particular, concerns have been raised over problems with the scooters’ front wheels locking. This locking problem has allegedly caused several injuries.

 

Analysis:

 

Since the rollout of Lime scooters in NZ, local government has shown a keenness to heavily regulate this alternative form of transport. And the threat of a ban from Auckland City Council bureaucrat Dr Lester Levy points to a full-on war between local government and Lime scooters.

 

Safety should be a central concern with Lime scooters and other forms of e-transport. However, local government politicians and bureaucrats seem to be whipping up hysteria over the use of e-scooters. The dangers of Lime scooters should be compared with the dangers of other forms of transport including cars, bicycles and trucks. There are of course no proposals to ban cars, trucks or bicycles from city roads.

 

3) Bernie is back

 

The facts:

Self-styled democratic socialist Bernie Sanders could be the next President of the United States. The leftwing senator is now officially in the 2020 presidential race. The race for the Democratic presidential nomination will be very tight, with their being 10 contenders at the last count. And the big question is whether Hillary Clinton will throw her hat into the ring.

 

Analysis:

 

The announcement of Bernie Sanders candidacy for Democratic Presidential nominee will enliven the leftwing of the Democrats. The Democrats are currently at war with themselves, with the party’s new leftwing at battle with the centrists who have held reign over the party for decades now. If Bernie does become the Democrats nominee for President, could we see a split in the party, as we are currently witnessing with the UK Labour Party? The groundswell support for self-labelled socialist figures in the Democratic Party points to the ongoing rise of radical and anti-Establishment politics in the United States, both in terms of leftwing radicalism and rightwing populist radicalism.

 

___________

This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

John Moore: Critical politics alternative analysis – Political poll, UK Labour split, Huawei OK in UK

Tuesday 19 February 2019

 

1) Labour up and National down in latest TVNZ poll

 

The facts:

The latest Colmar Brunton poll confirms that Labour is now the most popular political party in Aotearoa. An earlier TV3 Newshub poll had shown Labour jumping ahead of National in support.

In this latest poll, Labour has 45 per cent, up two percentage points The Nats are on 42 per cent, down four percent. And in terms of the minor parties, the Green party are on 6 per cent, up one percent. And New Zealand First is only on 3 per cent, down one percent. 

Jacinda is the most popular politician, on 45 percent as preferred PM. And National MP Judith Collins is dead equal with her leader on 6 percent as preferred PM.

  

Analysis:

Looking at both the latest TVNZ poll and the earlier TV3 Newshub poll, we can safely say that the direction we are witnessing is Labour’s growing support at the expense of National’s. Also, the general direction for the minor parties is one of declining support, with the Greens being just above the 5 percent threshold to get back into parliament. And with NZ First being on only 3 percent, the party would be wiped out if an election were held today.

In regard to the minor parties, the big unanswered question is why are the minor parties are doing so poorly? New Zealand’s proportional electoral system – MMP – is meant to encourage a diversity of political parties. Yet the overwhelming majority of political support is for the two major parties – Labour and National.

Perhaps the reason for such a low level of support for minor parties is that media gives to much attention to Labour and National. Therefore, too little focus is given to the smaller parties. Or maybe the minor parties have failed to differentiate themselves clearly from Labour and National. Or perhaps the shift to a more presidential-style of political leadership, with both the two major parties, has led to the public equating governance with solely the National or Labour parties.

 

2) The UK Labour Party is in crisis, with the resignation of 7 of MPs.

 

The facts:

Seven Labour party politicians have quit over what they have seen as the party’s poor approach to Brexit, anti-Semitism, and other concerns. This is the most significant split in UK Labour since 1981 when four MPs quit to form the centrist Social Democratic Party. It is expected that the seven MPs who have just quit Labour, will form a new centrist political party.

 

Analysis:

A spilt in UK Labour has been on the cards for quite a while now. Centrist and right-of-centre MPs in UK Labour continue to feel deeply uneasy, if not outrightly hostile, about the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. Jeremy Corbyn is significantly to the left of most of his colleagues, and was voted in on the back of overwhelming support from members of affiliated trade unions, the general party membership, and paid-up party supporters.

So, will this right-wing spit from UK Labour hurt the party? Perhaps, but we need to take into account that the seven MPs who have left Labour represent only a small fraction of the overall number of Labour MPs who remain in the party. The seven ex-Labour politicians only make up a small percentage of Labour's 256 MPs.

For Corbyn to effectively push back against this split, he needs to show he is in firm control of his caucus, and that he has the loyal backing of his MPs. If he can achieve this, then any new centrist party is likely to sink without a trace. But that is a big “if”.

 

3) And finally, The UK gives the OK to Huawei

 

The facts:

The Chinese company Huawei has effectivity been give the go ahead to roll out a 5G network in the UK. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre has determined that any possible risk from Huawei’s involvement in UK telecoms projects can be “managed”.

The Trump administration is currently placing pressure on its five eyes partners to ban Huawei from any 5G network involvement. Ostensibly this call for a partial boycott of Huawei is on the basis of security concerns.

 

Analysis:

This dismissal by Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre over security concerns with Huawei will be deeply embarrassing for the NZ government. The Labour-led administration has followed American advice, and effectively banned Huawei from any 5G network involvement in NZ. With the UK now ignoring The Trump administration’s advice on Huawei, will NZ Labour now be seen as cravenly deferring to the United States on security concerns?

 

___________

This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9amhere. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

John Moore: Critical politics alternative political roundup – China-NZ backlash, National Party ad, Dunedin stadium

Monday 18 February 2019

 

1) New Zealand continues to suffer from Chinese blowback

The facts:

New Zealand-Chinese relations continue to deteriorate with reports of a significant drop in students from China enrolling in NZ schools. A large number of last-minute cancellations by Chinese foreign students have been noted, and overall Chinese student numbers are down by over 1000. This comes after a reported drop in Chinese tourist numbers.

 

The drop in both student and tourist numbers coincides with the NZ Government’s ban on Chinese company Huawei from rolling out a 5G network in this country. However, the Labour-led Government has effectively dismissed the link between a drop in student numbers from China, and the Chinese government blowback against New Zealand. Education Minister Chris Hipkins put the decline in Chinese student numbers down to "competition from other destinations, China improving its own education system and the growth of international schools in China".

 

Analysis:

The NZ Government is clearly being disingenuous with its claims that a sudden drop in Chinese student numbers is all down to a competitive international education market. And the Government’s general dismissal of any concerns over Chinese-New Zealand relations points to a desperate attempt by Government Ministers to publicly manage a very serious crisis.

 

The New Zealand economy is already beginning to feel the pain from the Chinese blowback over the Huawei 5G debacle. The NZ Government is now paying for its decision to side with its traditional ally the United States, and agree to the Trump administration’s call for a ban of Huawei’s 5G technology.

 

So, will the public in New Zealand come to see that there is a clear link between a downturn in economic activity between China and New Zealand, and the Huawei debacle? If it does, then this government might also receive blowback from the New Zealand electorate.

 

2) National’s sexist ad on KiwiBuild

 

The facts:

 

National has released an attack ad, pointing out the deficits with the government’s KiwiBuild scheme. The ad has been accused of being deeply sexist. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has labelled the ad as being straight from the "1970s era".

 

The advertisement shows a man explaining to a young woman, in a patronizing tone, how Labour's KiwiBuild scheme has missed targets. The interaction between the supposedly naive young woman and the man has been cited by various critics as an example of "mansplaining".

 

Analysis:

What the hell is National up to with putting out an attack ad steeped in old fashioned gender stereotypes? Can we put this down to the Nats being a male chauvinist party? Not really, as the National party is in fact no longer the party of old white rich men. And the Nats generally project themselves as socially liberal these days.

 

Maybe what is going on here is an example of trolling by the National Party. That is, the party has consciously commissioned an ad that portrays archaic gender stereotypes, and is indeed patronising to women. With this trolling, the Nats have aimed to tap into so-called outrage culture and to get a bite from liberals and leftists. Then the leaders of National can cynically sit back, and decry the alleged hysteria that has been whipped up over this advertisement.

 

Sounds like a conspiracy, right? Perhaps. But National is not adverse from whipping up a cultural war to distract from their own lack of alternative policies and lack of big ideas.

3) And finally, its ten years since the DCC voted to have a mega stadium built in Dunedin

The facts:

The Forsyth Barr Stadium has been hailed as a huge success by many, with the stadium attracting international pop stars as well as top level sporting events. But the actual costs and benefits to the city continue to be in dispute

 

Analysis:

Certainly, the stadium is a great asset for people in Dunedin and the South Island as a whole. But the political process of the decision to build the stadium was deeply undemocratic. Ten years ago, the Dunedin City Council voted 10-5 for the stadium. This was despite an overwhelming majority of city residents being opposed to the stadium being built. A sad day for democracy.

___________

This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Thursday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Also check out the Radio One Week in politics on Friday from 8.30-9.00am

Both the Daily political roundup and the Week in politics can be accessed as podcasts:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

 

Critical politics alternative political roundup with John Moore: Polytechnic reform; Islamophobia in Dunedin; media crackdown in Philippines

Thursday 14 February 2019

 

1) All polytechnics are to merge under a major government reorganisation of the vocational education sector.

 

The facts:

The Labour-led government will set up a new national body – the NZ Institute of Skills and Technology - which will control all of the current 16 independent polytechnics. The institutes of technology and polytechnics sector is currently undergoing a crisis, with plummeting student numbers and rising deficits. The cause of this significant drop in student numbers has been put down to the record low unemployment rate. The argument goes, that young people are choosing employment over study and training due to the strong employment market.

 

Analysis:

The proposed merger of all of New Zealand’s polytechnics is a bold move by the government. Labour has taken an ongoing crisis in the vocational education sector and has utilised this crisis to push through radical reforms. However, it is still open to question whether a centralised model will deliver better education for polytechnic students?

A highly-centralised model of administering the current 16 polytechnics could lead to a more planned and efficient model of education delivery. And savings could be made. However, centralised administrative control more-often-than-not also goes along with heightened bureaucratic control. And so, the voices of polytechnic students, staff, and the wider population may end up being squashed.

Hundreds of jobs could be loss in the process of the governments restructuring of the vocational education sector. And the likely loss of jobs will be of concern to polytechnic workers and employee representatives including the TEU – The Tertiary Education Union.

So, will these bold reforms lead to the government’s vision of a system of training and skills development that is “more flexible and more nimble”, and that will “get people with the rights skills into the right jobs much faster?”

 

 

2) Islamophobic attack in Dunedin

 

Facts:

A woman in Dunedin has told the local media that she witnessed an attack on three Muslim women in the city last week. The women said she saw three skinheads attempt to pull the hijabs off the women. The skinheads allegedly hurled racist abuse at the three Muslim women. The woman was disappointed that no one other than her intervened to stop the attack.

 

Analysis:

Hate-fuelled crimes are seldom reported in Dunedin. And specific attacks on Muslims seem to be very rare. However, we live in a period where politics based on racism, xenophobia and religious bigotry has become normalised.

New Zealand is certainly not immune from the rise of nationalist and xenophobic politics internationally. And various international alt-right figures are becoming well-known here. For example, more moderate alt-right figure such as Milo Yiannopoulos and Jordon Peterson are becoming popular amongst a layer of youth in New Zealand. And of course, the Trump presidency will have had some impact in normalising xenophobic attitudes in New Zealand.

 

This reported attack on three Muslim women in Dunedin may be an isolated incident. But racism, anti-Islam bigotry and xenophobia are all too present in this country. Therefore, the reportage of such bigoted attacks may well become more common.

 

3) Press freedom under attack in the Philippines

 

The facts:

The head of a news website critical of the Philippine’s government has been arrested at her headquarters in Manila. The Philippine’s government has accused the CEO of Rappler news site of "cyber-libel" over a news article on a businessman's alleged ties to a former judge.  Philippine’s President Rodrigo Duterte has had Rappler in his sights, accusing the news outlet of "fake news”.

 

Press freedom advocates see the Duterte regime as engaging in a war against freedom of the media

 

Analysis:

Philippine’s President Rodrigo Duterte is acting to squash his country’s democratic and political freedoms. His regime is now well known for its brutality, which include the President’s campaign to have both drug dealers and drug users killed by police and by vigilantes.

 

Despite, or perhaps because of, the authoritarian nature of his regime, Duterte remains popular with large layers of the Philippine’s population. Duterte is a populist nationalist in the mould of Trump. He has gained mass support through his get tough on crime polices, and his ostensible advocacy for the poor majority in his country.

 

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This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Friday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9amhere. 

Or listen to this roundup as a podcast:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

Critical politics radio roundup with John Moore: Ardern statement; China-NZ blowback; Iran revolution anniversary

Wednesday 13 February 2019

 

1) Jacinda Ardern gave her opening Statement to Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

The facts:

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern discussed the progress of her Government, as well as the Government’s ongoing agenda. She gave her statement under the three themes of economy, wellbeing and leadership. Ardern also emphasised that this government has been, and will continue to be, a careful manager of the Government books. In this regard, the Prime Minister sited the self-imposed budget responsibility rules of the coalition government.

Analysis:

Ardern’s statement to parliament was aimed to both highlighted the government’s reform agenda, while making clear that the government is a prudent manager of the economy. The government’s wellbeing agenda was emphasised, especially in relation to the wellbeing of youth. Jacinda also emphasised this government’s commitment to raising the material situation for Maori and Pacifica. Overall the PM’s statement will raise the expectations of the general electorate in regards to poverty reduction, Maori and Pacifica advancement, and the shift to sustainable low emissions economy.

However, the government’s reform agenda is still severely restrained by the self-imposed budget responsibility rules. These budget responsibility rules seriously limit the government in terms of spending and investment, and mean that the coalition can, in reality, only have a reform-lite programme. Therefore, heightened expectations of what this government can achieve will only be partially fulfilled.

 

2) Chinese company Huawei is attempting to win the hearts and minds of New Zealanders.

The facts:

Huawei has put out an advertisement in today’s papers, arguing against the Governments ban on Huawei 5G plans in this country. Huawei’s campaign is led with the slogan “5G without Huawei would be like rugby without New Zealand".

This advertising campaign by Huawei is a public response to the decision by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) in December to block a proposal from Spark to use 5G equipment from the Chinese firm. THE GCSB ban on Huawei 5G plans was made because of a claim of a "significant network security risk".

Analysis:

The Labour-led Government will not be happy with this propaganda effort by Chinese company Huawei. The Government’s decision to ban Huawei’s 5G rollout has already led to retaliations by the Chinese government. And now Huawei, with the presumed approval of the Chinese government, is engaging in an ostensibly light hearted campaign against the NZ government.

The government will perhaps come to regret its decision to ban the Chinese company from being involved in NZ’s digital infrastructure, especially as the consequences for New Zealand’s relationship with China become clearer.

 

3) 40th anniversary of the Iran revolution.

The facts:

It’s 40 years since radical Shia Islamists took power in Iran. In February 1979, the Islamic leader the Ayatollah Khomeini ended centuries of monarchic rule in Iran.

Initially a coalition of Islamists, liberals and leftists made up the new revolutionary republican government. However, the Islamists hold on the government and the overall state apparatus eventually became hegemonic. Secular liberals and leftists, who initially supported the Iran revolution, generally met an eventual bloody fate at the hands of their former Islamist radical allies.

Analysis:

The 1979 Iran revolution was one of the most significant historical events of the 20th Century. The revolution provided a blueprint and a model for radical Islamists striving for hard-line and militant religious regimes. Despite being a Shia dominated revolution, the Iran revolution influenced many radical Islamists throughout both the Shia and Sunni Muslim world. The consequences of this religious revolution are still playing out today, where Islamic religious identity continues to be a significant dimension of world political struggles.

 

---------------

This political roundup by John Moore is an extension on the five-minute breakfast political roundup that John gives on Radio One Dunedin, Monday to Friday at 9am.

Check out the Radio One Breakfast political roundup streamed live each morning at 9am here. 

Or listen to this roundup as a podcast:
On Radio One Podcasts
On iTunes

 

 

Cartoons of National Party leader Simon Bridges (updated)

 

Murdoch - Stuff 31 July 2019

 

Bromhead - NZ Herald 31 July 2019

 

Hubbard - 30 July 2019

 

Hubbard - 26 July 2019

 

 

Body - NZ Herald 6 July 2019

 

Hubbard - Stuff 6 July 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 4 July 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 28 June 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 27 June 2019

 

Body - NZ Herald 22 June 2019

 

Hubbard - 13 June 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 11 June 2019

 

Tremain - ODT 31 May 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 30 May 2019

 

Hubbard - Stuff 30 May 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 28 May 2019

 

Hubbard - Stuff 21 May 2019

 

Hubbard - Stuff 11 May 2019

 

Tremain - ODT 11 May 2019

 

Emmerson - Herald 2 May 2019

 

Hubbard - Stuff 2 May 2019

 

Craig - ODT 1 May 2019

 

Hubbard - 1 May 2019

 

Murdoch - Stuff 30 April 2019

 

Hubbard - 15 April 2019

 

Hubbard - 28 March 2019

 

Tremain - ODT 14 March 2019

 

Hubbard - Stuff 12 March 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 7 March 2019

 

Bell - Stuff 4 March 2019

 

Body - NZ Herald 2 March 2019

 

Hubbard - 26 February 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 26 February 2019

 

Bell - Stuff 25 February 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 20 February 2019

 

Tremain - ODT 15 February 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 13 February 2019

 

Murdoch - Stuff 13 February 2019

 

 

Body - NZ Herald 9 February 2019

 

Bell - Stuff 4 February 2019

 

Hubbard - 4 February 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 2 February 2019

 

Body - NZ Herald 2 February 2019

 

Body - NZ Herald 28 January 2019

 

Hubbard - 26 January 2019

 

Bell - Stuff 10 December 2018

 

 

 

Murdoch - Stuff 12 December 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 6 December 2018

 

Tremain - ODT 5 December 2018

 

 

Hubbard - 5 December 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 4 December 2018

 

Scott - Stuff 4 December 2018

 

Scott - Stuff 29 November 2018

 

Tremain - ODT 10 November 2018

 

Murdoch - Stuff 7 November 2018

 

Hubbard - 6 November 2018

 

Hubbard - 29 October 2018

 

 

Hubbard - 16 October 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 24 October 2018

 

Scott - Stuff 23 October 2018

 

Hubbard - 24 October 2018

 

Hubbard - 22 October 2018

 

Murdoch - Sunday Star Times 21 October 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 20 October 2018

 

Body - NZ Herald 20 October 2018

 

Slane - Listener 19 October 2018

 

 

Hubbard - 18 October 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cartoons about Waitangi 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 7 February 2019

 

Hubbard - 6 February 2019

 

Murdoch - Stuff 6 February 2019

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 6 February 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 5 February 2018

 

 

Slane - 4 February 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NZ Herald 6 February 2019

 

The Press 6 February 2019

 

 

 

 

 

Cartoons about Labour’s Kiwibuild and the housing crisis

 

Slane - Listener 6 September 2019

 

Tremain - ODT 6 September 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 6 September 2019

 

Murdoch - Stuff 6 September 2019

Hubbard - Stuff 5 September 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 5 September 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 4 September 2019

 

Hubbard - 1 July 2019

 

Bell - Stuff 1 July 2019

 

Murdoch - Sunday Star Times 30 June 2019

 

Murdoch - Stuff 14 June 2019

 

 

Body - NZ Herald 11 February 2019

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 15 February 2019

 

Body - NZ Herald 11 February 2019

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 31 January 2019

 

Tremain - ODT 29 January 2019

 

Scott - Stuff 26 January 2019

 

Slane - Listnener 25 January 2019

 

Tremain - ODT 24 January 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 25 January 2019

 

Hubbard - 22 January 2019

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 22 January 2019

 

Body - NZ Herald 13 November 2018

 

Tremain - ODT 12 November 2018

 

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 2 November 2018

 

Murdoch - Stuff 2 November 2018

 

Craig - ODT 30 October 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top tweets about the resignation of Clare Curran

 

Lesley Hamilton‏ @Lesleycubawelly 

What was Ardern thinking letting Curran resign? When sacking her would have made her look like she had a backbone? Just weird

  

Idiot/Savant‏ @norightturnnz 

Curran's resignation means information in her head or personal gmail is no longer held by the government and can no longer be requested under the #OIA

>Idiot/Savant‏ @norightturnnz 

She has no ongoing obligation to provide information received as a Minister, and all requests for that information basicly get dumped on the floor.

>Idiot/Savant‏ @norightturnnz

Which seems to be a significant flaw in our transparency regime.

 

Luke Easton‏ @3ku1 

Claire Curran resigning now. This is no different to when The media bullied Metiria Turei. Right move tho. It was s distraction for the Labour led govt. And good on Ardern for sticking by her. Loyalty is rare in today’s climate #nzpol

 

Hamish Price‏ @hamishpricenz 

The PM is struggling with the idea that PMs can’t always be nice. Sometimes they have to make tough decisions. She failed, and ended up stringing Curran’s misery along further. Tough day for Curran, awful month for the PM. #nzpol

 

Jacinda 'DJ' Ardern‏ @JacindaArdernNZ 

It is with much personal sadness & public jubilation I advise that Clare Curran has resigned as a minister. Please direct any messages of condolences to her personal Gmail account. #nzpol

 

Ben Thomas‏ @BenThomasNZ 

The ongoing pressure on Clare Curran has been an unacceptable distraction from the performance of Kelvin Davis

 

Hamish Price‏ @hamishpricenz 

Did the PM plan to dump this story at 5pm today, only to realise she’d lied to ⁦@lynchinnz⁩ that Curran’s job was safe and then swiftly decide to announce Curran’s quitting to cover up the lie? #nzpol

 

Ben Thomas‏ @BenThomasNZ 

PM just said Curran’s gmail can still be OIAed now she’s resigned - which is untrue, unless she has already had them archived by the public service

 

Morgan Godfery‏ @MorganGodfery 

The Prime Minister wasn't dishonest in her morning interview with Newstalk ZB - she said she wouldn't fire Clare Curran, and she didn't - but it was bad faith to stop there instead of adding the obvious: I accepted her resignation last night.

> Idiot/Savant‏ @norightturnnz 

Lies of omission are still dishonest, and every time we excuse them in politicians we encourage them to keep on doing it.

 

Matthew Hooton‏ @MatthewHootonNZ 

What does the Prime Minister know about what was in the gmails, and when did she know it? #CurranCoverUp

 

Ben Thomas‏ @BenThomasNZ 

PM just said Curran’s gmail can still be OIAed now she’s resigned - which is untrue, unless she has already had them archived by the public service

 

Lawrence Hakiwai‏ @Omahuson 

Why would you publicly pretend Clare Curran's job was safe when you'd received her resignation the night before? And then after saying she just had a bad day and didn't deserve to be fired, accept that resignation.#nzpol

 

Max Tweedie‏ @MaxBTweedie 

The Prime Minister managed to get round this morning's questions because Lynch asked her if she would fire Curran, and didn't ask a line of questioning about her resignation. Slightly misleading, but factually correct

 

Arlene‏ @ArleneGoss 

If New Zealand's Twitter right start shouting "But her emails" over Clare Curran I'm logging out to hit my head against a wall.

 

Matthew Hooton‏ @MatthewHootonNZ

The only thing for it is for the PM to require Curran to give her gmail password to the Cabinet Office and then independent officials can decide what is official and what is not.

 

David Farrar‏ @dpfdpf

So does the Curran resignation make @melissaleemp the new @JudithCollinsMP :-)

 

Maria Sherwood‏ @MariaSherwood2 

Hey guys, how quickly we forget. Someone's mental health is not a football for you to kick. Leave Curran alone.

 

Martyn Bradbury‏ @CitizenBomber

Clare Curran has done the right thing for the Government by removing herself from being used as a way to undermine its credibility - she has shown grace and should be congratulated for thinking of the movement and not her ego - many respects to you @clarecurranmp #nzpol

 

Bronwyn Hayward‏ @BMHayward 

South Dunedin is a very large electorate- both urban and rural-ironically there are no purely rural electorates left in the Otago region & having the voice of a Minister added status. So the emphasis will now need to be on Curran's renewed focus on wider electorate needs. #nzpol

 

Jane Patterson‏ @janepatterson 

Wow - former Labour Party Minister Marian "boo-boo" Hobbs makes comeback at the Curran presser as the muscle, keeping the media at bay

> Clare Curran‏ @clarecurranmp 

Replying to @janepatterson

That's an incredibly nasty comment Jane. Just show a damn example to other journalists will you

 

Dane Giraud: Progressive opposition to free speech is completely baffling

Twitter’s not the smartest platform to frequent if you’re prone to high blood pressure, but I’m trusting my kicking the bottle (I’m now 6 months sober) means, at the very least, I’m exposing myself to no more danger than what my $12.99 a day habit had become. Our young comedians constantly boasting about how inoffensive their sets are is sure to get a rise, but this is a generation who think you can base an entire act around wearing a ‘onesie’. The costume choice would matter a whole lot less to me if the youngster opened with something like…

“Early today I masturbated with a couch cushion. I guess that makes me more of a dog person”

In the comedy club of my mind for now…

 

Another source of constant frustration is the all but ubiquitous opposition to ‘free speech’ coming from so-called progressives. Responding to Auckland Mayor Phil Goff’s decision to disallow far-Right culture warriors Lauren Southern and Stephan Molyneux from using Auckland council venues we got a lot of cheerleading for Phil, who was clearly on holiday when pro-Hezbollah protesters spewed their bile in Aotea Square a few weeks earlier.

 

A motif of many of the tweets was that free speech advocates must support, or at the very least see some merit, in the ideas of Southern and Molyneux. This is cynical stuff (cynicism, Dane? On Twitter??) and a wild misrepresentation of what the free speech advocate is in fact defending, which is not ideas. As a free speech supporter, I would’ve preferred the couple had been able to come in and given their talk, but the notion that I, a Jew, active in my community, would support anything that sniffs of white nationalism is clearly ludicrous. As a free speech advocate what I’m defending and defending alone is the ‘right for individuals to express their opinions’, opinions I may very well despise, and even consider personally detrimental to me. Yet still the petulant innuendo persists, because, well, it’s mud that could stick and branding an opponent with a searing ‘F’ for fascist is much easier than making a sound and thoughtful argument against a concept that has been central to the actualization of minority rights in the West.

 

Another popular position even expressed by an MP (Golriz Gharahman) during a recent talk she gave on ‘online-hate’ sponsored by InternetNZ (a talk in which she labelled her being called ‘Sweetheart’ during an online debate as ‘low-level hate’. Sweetheart, p-lease!) is that free speech ends at the point your speech has offended someone. FREE SPEECH EXISTS PRECEISELY TO DEFEND OFFENSIVE SPEECH. I mean, think about it for a minute… Why the Hell would ‘harmonious speech’ need protecting? And by this act of defending offensive speech, the concept is ENCOURAGING OFFENSIVE SPEECH; it’s actively seeking to draw out of shadows the most controversial opinions, the most audacious and unsettling presuppositions and it doesn’t give a damn whether they’re right or wrong. It just wants them heard, discussed and either spat or shat out, or absorbed into the bloodstream of society.

 

This was KEY to challenging the power of organized religion in Western societies. Which really does makes the (so-called) progressive opposition to free speech completely baffling, seeing that the church was the seat of the true (not the imagined) patriarchy, which couldn’t finally withstand the advances free expression afforded the West.

 

There was also the commentary that Southern and Molyneux’s event would likely lead to violence against minority groups. I’m not talking about claims of direct incitement; the twitter twits seemed to suggest the general tone of such an event would be enough (the constant lack of specificity in the anti-free speech mob is super concerning and not only from the twitter twats; our own Human Rights Commission, currently seeking the power to restrict our speech, is equally as vague). If this was in fact the case, wouldn’t the easily accessed YouTube, where Southern, Molyneux and far more reactionary voices are archived, have already lead to this spike in violence? In truth, despite this being the greatest era for mass communication, we’ve seen NO such DRAMATIC SPIKE. If thousands of hours of online content where the couple’s same views are repeated ad-nauseum hasn’t opened the gates of Hell, why would a single two-hour live event provide the tipping point?

 

A man I frequently disagree with (but I’m happy now I never blocked) Martyn Bradbury said it best when he said, “Of course far Right polemicists have the right to speak in NZ… but nothing is solved by banning this toxicity – if the Left can’t argue the far Right and win, we’ve lost, not them”.

 

I would agree and would add that the far-Right, as with any movement driven by a culture of victimhood, only has its narratives affirmed when it’s suppressed. But I’ve discovered the control Left aren’t interested in long term strategies to deal with threats like the far Right; I don’t believe they’re interested in politics at all. This is about emotion and the short, sharp thrill they feel when they know they’ve taken something from someone. The control-Left thread symbolic, ultimately empty victories onto a trophy-necklace the way Ed Gein did the teeth of his victims, oblivious that their narcissistic, white saviour act has a far greater risk of creating resentment against the groups they seek to protect by privileging them, than it does of creating harmony. And that dangerous ideas never go away.

 

They grow in the dark.

 

 

Police apologise to Nicky Hager - full media statements

 

Download 20180612 - Press statement Hager

 

The Did Not Vote option was the clear winner in Northcote

The official preliminary election results of the Northcote by-election show that the National candidate Dan Bidois easily won in the weekend, with 10,147 votes. Out of all those who voted, he won about 51% of the vote. And the runner up, Labour’s Shanan Halbert, got 8,785 votes, or about 44% of the vote.

But what about the fact that there was a low voter turnout. According to the Electoral Commission, voter turnout is estimated to be 43.7%. This figure is based on the numbers that have voted, as a percentage of those enrolled. However, the Electoral Commission and Statistics New Zealand previously estimated that in Northcote there is an eligible voter population of 54,790 (of which about nine per cent are not enrolled). So, when you take that into account, the 19,900 who voted, make up an even smaller “real” voter turnout – which is well under 40%.

It also means that the vote for each candidate as a proportion of all eligible voters in Northcote is somewhat smaller than it might initially appear, since about 35,000 eligible voters choose not to vote – which somewhat overshadows the 10,147 who voted for the winning candidate.

So, if the percentages won by the candidates are roughly re-adjusted to take into account those not voting, then they look somewhat less impressive:

 

 

 

Tweets about the false Clarke Gayford rumours news

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social media reactions to Jacinda Ardern at Buckingham Palace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cartoons on the first six months of the new government

 

Hodgson - Dominion Post 23 April 2018

 

Scott - Dominion Post 20 April 2018

 

 

Tremain - ODT 20 April 2018

 

Hubbard - 20 April 2018

 

Evans - Daily Blog 18 April 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 18 April 2018

 

Scott - Dominion Post 13 April 2018

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 13 April 2018

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 5 April 2018

 

Slane - Listener 23 March 2018

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 26 March 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 17 March 2018

 

Scott - Dominion Post 7 March 2018

 

Slane - Listener 2 March 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 22 February 2018

 

Chicane - Southland Times 20 February 2018

 

Yeo - Sunday News 11 February 2018

 

Slane - Listener 9 February 2018

 

 

Evans - Daily Blog 8 February 2018

 

 

 

Scott - Dominion Post 6 February 2018

 

Hubbard - 3 February 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 31 January 2018

 

Hodgson - Dominion Post 18 December 2017

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 14 December 2017

 

Hodgson - Dominion Post 27 November 2017

 

Scott - Dominion Post 25 November 2017

 

Craig - 20 November 2017

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 8 November 2017

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 31 October 2017

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 31 October 2017

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 28 October 2017

 

Cartoons about the environment and mining in NZ

 

 

 

 

 

Slane - Listener 23 March 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cartoons about Hit & Run, and NZ in Afghanistan

 

Murdoch - Sunday Star Times 2 August 2020

 

Tremain - ODT 20 November 2019

 

Hubbard - 19 November 2019

 

 

Hubbard - 29 March 2018

 

Murdoch - Sunday Star Times 18 March 2018

 

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 7 September 2017

 

 

Murdoch - The Press 2 September 2017

 

 

Hubbard - 26 August 2017

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 25 August 2017

 

Yeo - Sunday News 9 April 2017

 

 

Murdoch - The Press 5 April 2017

 

Bromhead - NZ Herald 5 April 2017

 

Hubbard - 5 April 2017

 

Hubbard - 30 March 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cartoons about the Greens in Government

 

Slane - 30 January 2019

 

Hubbard - 1 February 2019

 

Murdoch - Stuff 10 August 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 10 August 2018

 

 

Hubbard - 23 August 2018

 

Hubbard - 30 July 2018

 

 

Hubbard - 11 April 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 10 April 2018

 

Nisbet - The Press 10 April 2018

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 10 April 2018

 

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 26 March 2018

 

 

Nisbet - The Press 24 March 2018

 

Chicane - Southland Times 19 March 2018

 

Chicane - Southland Times 20 February 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 2 February 2018

 

Craig - ODT 19 December 2017

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 30 November 2017

 

Hodgson - Dominion Post 20 November 2017

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 14 November 2017

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 2 October 2017

 

Chicane - Southland Times 30 September 2017

 

Nisbet - The Press 28 September 2017

 

Chicane - Southland Times 19 September 2017

 

 

 

Cartoons about the rotten state of health in New Zealand

 

Cartoons about healthcare in New Zealand over the last year:

 

Murdoch - The Press 4 April 2018

 

 

 

Hubbard - 20 December 2017

 

Body - NZ Herald 18 December 2017

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 12 December 2017

 

Tremain - ODT 12 December 2017

 

Murdoch - The Press 22 November 2017

 

Tremain - ODT 22 November 2017

 

Murdoch - The Press 28 October 2017

 

Hubbard - 10 October 2017

 

 

Murdoch - The Press 30 September 2017

 

Tremain - ODT 29 September 2017

 

Hubbard - 11 September 2017

 

Tremain - ODT 11 September 2017

 

Hubbard - 15 August 2017

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 4 August 2017

 

Hubbard - ODT 11 July 2017

 

Craig - ODT 20 June 2017

 

Chicane - Southland Times 17 June 2017

 

 

Chicane - Southland Times 9 May 2017

 

Scott - Dominion Post 13 May 2017

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 11 March 2017

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 6 February 2017

 

Cartoons about the scandal of RNZ, Carol Hirschfeld and Clare Curran

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 28 March 2018

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 28 March 2018

 

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 29 March 2018

 

 

Hubbard - 30 March 2018

 

Newspaper frontpages:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cartoons about Shane Jones vs Air New Zealand

 

Scott - Dominion Post 23 March 2018

 

Hubbard 24 March 2018

 

Body - NZ Herald 24 March 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 22 March 2018

 

Chicane - Southland Times 22 March 2018

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 22 March 2018

 

Yeo - Sunday News 25 March 2018

 

Nisbet - The Press 22 March 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonus cartoons: Air NZ's Obama visit

 

Hodgson - Sunday Star Times 25 March 2018

 

 

Hubbard 21 March 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 22 March 2018

 

Cartoons about the Labour Party camp controversy

 

 

Scott - Dominion Post 20 March 2018

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 16 March 2018

 

 

Slane - Listener 16 March 2018

 

Hubbard - 14 March 2018

 

 

Nisbet - The Press 15 March 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 17 March 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 17 March 2018

 

Emmerson - March 2018

 

 

 

Top tweets about Simon Bridges being Maori

This is a selection of some of the more interesting tweets about Simon Bridges becoming the first Maori leader of a major party in New Zealand. The most recent tweets are first.

 

Christian @CrikaRika 

People who diminish someone for identifying as Māori because they don't fit a construct of what Māori should be - STOP. Whakapapa Māori? Then ya Māori!

 

Chris‏ @enchantedprune 

I'm no fan at all of National or Bridges, but you don't get to determine how Māori he is. That's little different to going back to the ignorance of "people "only" being quarter or half Māori, so not really "properly" Māori".

 

Conan McKegg‏ @ConanMcKegg 

Dear fellow white political commentators. Can we not have hot takes on what percentage Māori blood Bennett & Bridges are and whether that means they’re really Māori or not. That’s not our call to make. Focus on their work, not their ancestral legitimacy.

 

Workers' Commonwealth‏ @commonweal_nz 

Denying that national party leaders are Maori is the purest ideological form of identity politics that relates a bunch of ethical and political traits to racial, gender, ethnic markers. Its extraordinarily reactionary

 

wabisabi‏ @wabisabist

Beyond disgusting racism/bigotry from @barrysoper to @simonjbridges @paulabennettmp discussing their Maori-ness. Never ever seen him measure a Labour MP’s blood. I saw @WillieJLabour on DNA Detectives. No comment there Barry !

jacindamaniac

 

Mike (Smiley) Low  🙂‏ @RVolutionaryAct 

I'm sorry, but we've only found out recently that Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett are of "Maori Descent", now they're running with it to get voters, but remember, their party has never really represented Maori. #WakeUp people! #nzpol

 

Giovanni Tiso‏ @gtiso

The increasing thinkability of Māori and women leaders for our political parties is simply a good thing. Even if it says little about what PM Bridges or Bennet would be. We can hold both thoughts in our heads.

> Scott Hamilton RTM‏ @SikotiHamiltonR

I see what you mean. But it is striking how easily the NZ elite has been able to incorporate Maori individuals into its institutions, over many decades. I just don't think Bridges' elevation necessarily represents much of a change.

 

m ø n a  💫‏ @monatiresa 

Ahh, and Simon Bridges is embracing his Maori heritage lmao. You've ignored your people's calls for years, particularly concerning the environment, and now you're all about them. Maori aren't stupid. They'll see right through you.

 

Boyd Broughton‏ @boydparatene 

Bridges is Māori He is also annoying. The two are not mutually exclusive.

 

Scott Hamilton RTM‏ @SikotiHamiltonR 

Pundits claim Bridges' elevation to leaders of the Nats is some sort of progressive leap for NZ. Do these folks know that, nearly 90 years ago, NZ had a Maori as acting PM? Was Apirana Ngata's role proof NZ was a bicultural paradise in 1930? Or is identity politics a bit silly?

 

Marxist-Leninist-Māoriist‏ @oriwa_

Nobody loves representational politics nearly as much as shady conservatives. Credulous rubes thinking Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett will do a single damn thing for Māori or the working class in this country are the types of people who would buy their stolen watch back twice.

 

Stephen Berry‏ @sjberrynz 

Huge numbers on the left, Maori and Pakeha denegrating Bridges because either a) not pure enough Maori blood or b) he is plastic c) he betrays his own people. I thought we were passed the days of racial purity and I know we have stopped owning people.

 

Compassionative‏ @CompNativeBlog 

Instead of talking about how Māori Simon Bridges is, let's judge him for what he does, or more importantly doesn't do, for Māori.

 

𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧‏ @deltablues_king 

Simon Bridges: Don’t like his politics but I’m proud there’s a Māori leader of a major political party for 1st time. For those questioning his “legitimacy” as a Māori: Please don’t. I’ve struggled w/ belonging as a Māori and it sux. There are many ways to be Māori. #nzpol

 

paul le comte‏ @five15design 

This all came about from a conversation with a Māori academic leader I respect a lot today. She called Bridges a 'Clayton's Māori', happy to use the badge, but display NONE of the leadership responsibilities that come with it. Her words not mine.

 

Rod Mullin @RodMullin 

Not surprised. Look, I don’t have much time for either Bennett or Bridges, but to suggest they are not Maori enough is pretty offensive. Like there’s one way to be a proper Maori?

 

Bon‏ @galgonemild

My face when people shame Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett for not speaking Te Reo, all the while ignoring the whole urban Māori disengagement from Te Aō Māori thing

 

Scott Hamilton RTM‏ @SikotiHamiltonR 

I think it'd be different if, say, Bridges had won a Maori seat, or had a substantial Maori base within the Nats, & then b/c leader. That really would represent something new & interesting. But he's become MP of p'haps the most prejudiced electorate in NZ, by pandering to it.

 

Moana Maniapoto‏ @moanatribe 

I hear that so much on FB...more galling when it’s Māori on the attack. I find myself defending Bridges, Bennett & Seymour - even though I don’t like their policies.

 

Thom‏ @ThomedySci 

Under 50 *and* Māori. It's great to see how far we've come, but is it... A Bridges Twofer?

 

Ngati Pakeha Kuia @carol_stirling 

It's becoming apparent that the election of Bridges to National Party Leadership is more a PR exercise than anything else. Hoping to appeal to Working Class and Maori electorate. I think voters will see through this tactic.

 

Stephen Berry‏ @sjberrynz 

Personally couldn’t care less about your race. Not interested in your category. Don’t think you’re oppressed because you tick lots of the appropriate boxes. Horrified if you want to dissect somebody’s heritage by their percentage of blood. In NZ u should be better than that.

 

Emma Espiner‏ @emmawehipeihana 

Remember the "How Māori are you?" interview with Hekia Parata? Let's not do that again eh.

 

Sᴀᴍ Aᴘᴘᴌᴇᴛᴏɴ‏ @_nzaf 

Today is the day Simon Bridges finally became Māori.

 

Maddy‏ @Madicattt 

I'm cynical about how long it has taken for Bridges and Bennett to talk about being Māori MPs, but to be fair, there are many Māori around the country who hide their identity. Especially at work.

 

Kiri Allan‏ @KiriAllan 

From this Māori, under 50, proud Westie (Swanson, Te Atatu, Waitakere), to you two Māori, u 50, Westies, congrats to the new leadership team for the @NZNationalParty. While our politics may differ significantly, kudos from this Westie (and Bay of Plenty) kid to my fellow kin.

 

paul le comte‏ @five15design 

Yes, we get it Simon Bridges is Māori... but has anyone ever heard him kōrero or mihi? If this is a moniker he's proud to wear, walk the walk & talk the talk young man

 

Carrie Stoddart-Smith‏ @Ellipsister 

Here’s what I won’t put up with: “Bridges isn’t a ‘real’ Māori” or variations of that. That kōrero is so belittling and reinforces the whole quantum bullshit argument.

> Carrie Stoddart-Smith‏ @Ellipsister 

Similarly, the assumption that as Māori he will represent “all Māori”. Yeah, nah. That’s no one. No one person will ever have a mandate to do that.

 

Laura OC Rapira‏ @laura_oc_rapira

I think it's really great the National Party have two Māori leaders who come from relatively working class backgrounds with roots in West Auckland. Parliament should look like all of us. I also think Simon Bridges' track record on LGBT rights, abortion & climate is terrible.

 

Geoffrey Miller‏ @GeoffMillerNZ 

Amazing to realise that the National Party not only gave New Zealand its first woman Prime Minister, but by 2020 could give the country its first Maori PM too #nzpol

 

Ria Hall‏ @RiaHallNZ 

I detest white left wing media subscribing to talking about ‘how much Māori’ (percentage) someone is. You’re perpetuating an argument that is highly draconian and irrelevant. We don’t base our culture on blood quantum. That’s backwards. If you’re Māori then you’re Māori.

 

Jarrod Gilbert‏ @JarrodGilbertNZ 

Two Maori being elected to lead the National Party makes for an historic day.

> Moana Maniapoto‏ @moanatribe 

It does. Māori who are committed & experienced kaupapa-driven advocates for Māori...not so much.

 

Lizzie Marvelly‏ @LizzieMarvelly 

He has to earn that privilege. Time to walk the walk and do the mahi.

 

Amy Hodgkinson‏ @aehodgkinson 

This is seriously cool, looking at the four largest parliamentary parties (National, Labour, NZF + Greens) with their leader + deputy, five out of seven are Māori. Ka rawe!

 

Morgan Godfery‏ @MorganGodfery 

Will their policies benefit Māori? No. But let's leave that debate for tomorrow. For now, let's acknowledge that this is momentous.

 

Morgan Godfery‏ @MorganGodfery 

It should be to Labour's eternal shame that National beat them to it. You would hope the Greens don't make the same mistake too. Right now, New Zealand's classical liberal and conservative parties are led by Māori. And yet its left parties...

 

Lew‏ @LewSOS 

The New Zealand National Party is now led by two working-class west Auckland Māori people under 50

 

 

Cartoons about Judith Collins

 

 

Below are various cartoons published about Judith Collins over the last two years. For earlier cartoons, see: Cartoons about the comeback of Judith Collins. 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 17 February 2018

 

 

Tremain - Dominion Post 19 February 2018

 

 

Body - NZ Herald 19 February 2018

 

Scott - Dominion Post 16 February 2018

 

 

Nisbet - The Press 19 February 2018

 

Chicane - Southland Times 16 February 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hodgson - Dominion Post 6 November 2017

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 20 September 2017

 

Hubbard - 7 July 2017

 

 

Bromhead - NZ Herald 5 March 2017

 

Hubbard - 6 March 2017

 

Chicane - Southland Times 4 March 2017

 

Moreu - The Press 4 March 2017

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 22 December 2016

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 9 December 2016

 

Nisbet - The Press 8 December 2016

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 6 December 2016

 

Hubbard - 3 November 2016

 

Hubbard - 25 October 2016

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 20 October 2016

 

Scott - Dominion Post 15 October 2016

 

Hubbard - 14 October 2016

 

 

Hubbard - 14 October 2016

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 8 October 2016

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 15 September 2016

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 11 August 2016

 

 

Hubbard - 12 May 2016

 

Chicane - Southland Times 2 May 2016

 

Hubbard - 15 March 2016

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 9 March 2016

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 16 December 2015

 

 

John Moore: Labour ditches the iwi elite

Iwi establishment figures might be fuming at the snubbing they received from prime minister Jacinda Ardern at Waitangi. The up-to-now cosy relationship between iwi elite and government was symbolically broken at Waitangi Day events when Jacinda Ardern directly appealed to general Maori attendees over the heads of tribal leaders.

 

This break with protocol – of government elites cosying up to iwi leaders at Waitangi – was most sharply demonstrated with Ardern’s decision not to attend a breakfast function with Maori VIPs at the Copthorne Hotel. The tradition of the prime minister having breakfast, after the Waitangi service, with a small selection of Maori leaders was dropped, and Ardern chose instead to serve bacon butties to the masses at Waitangi event:

 

When her colleagues Peeni Henare and Kelvin Davis told her [Jacinda Ardern] it was traditional to have breakfast after the service, they said it was usually held at the Copthorne Hotel for a select group of people. Ardern told the crowd, "I said 'Nah, we're having bacon butties'." "We didn't want walls … we think this is a way to show in a really physical way that our job is service," she said.

 

It’s about the economy stupid

 

A bi-partisan consensus has existed for a long time on policy approaches towards Maori. But now Labour has made an about turn, with a jettisoning of the conventional cultural-centred and iwi-focussed approach of the state towards Maori. Instead, the Jacinda Ardern-led government is now taking a more traditional leftwing and economic-centred approach to concerns around Maori poverty, depravation and inequity.

 

The previous alignment of past governments with iwi elites – specifically the Iwi Leaders Forum – and a focus on encouraging and funding a Maori cultural renaissance, has been replaced with a focus on a universal and traditional social democratic approach to tackling economic inequality. Put another way, post-materialist approaches to dealing with Maori inequity are now out, and materialist solutions are now being promoted as the zeitgeist by this new government.

 

Labour’s new class-centred approach to Maori inequality

 

Jancinda Ardern showed her skills at combining style with substance when at the Waitangi events she not only immersed herself in the crowds, but also placed a focus on discussions around Maori policy. During her speech after the powhiri, Ardern announced how this government plans to tackle issues of Maori inequality. Tino rangatiratanga politics is out, and a universal and traditional leftwing approach will now be promoted to deal with issues of Maori poverty and inequality.

 

At Waitangi, Ardern emphasised that the Government would not be taking a “race-based approach” in terms of specifically targeting Maori poverty. Instead the government would tackle Maori inequality by addressing the wider issues of poverty and inequality that exists within all ethnic groups in New Zealand. Arden stated:

 

We are specifically targeting things like poverty. An actual by-product of that is it will positively impact Maori," she said when asked whether Maori should be targeted with affirmative action in an effort to level out rates of inequality.

 

Labour as “class war warriors”

 

Jacinda Ardern’s focus at Waitangi on the question of Maori poverty and inequality is aligned with Labour’s renewed focus on class issues in the Maori electorates. Labour gained a clean sweep of all seven of the Maori seats, and killed the Maori Party in the process, by pushing a leftwing economic programme.

 

Alongside promoting redistributive materialist policies – such as the Labour Party’s Families Package – Labour also led a campaign in the Maori electorates against the Maori iwi establishment. Labour Party campaigners Willie Jackson and Matt McCarten were the key political actors in devising this class-centred approach.

 

Willie Jackson made it clear himself that Labour’s campaign for the Maori vote would focus on material issues of inequality and poverty, and not on sovereignty issues to do with tino rangatiratanga: “We'll get to the foreshore and seabed and other stuff but those are not priorities for us, we were very clear in terms of our campaign don't talk about tino rangatiratanga or foreshore and seabed when you've got families that are sleeping in cars.”

 

The limits of Treaty-based politics

 

Labour’s strategy of taking on the Maori Establishment as a way to regain its position as the party of choice for Maori, points to a failure of iwi-endorsed Treaty-based government policies to uplift Maori materially. Polices such as support for te reo Maori, state funded Maori television, the compensation of iwi for past abuses of the Crown, and a legal recognition given to the Treaty, have all acted to raise levels of Maori pride in terms of their identity and their place as the indigenous people of Aotearoa-New Zealand. However, this focus on culture, race, and sovereignty issues has failed to uplift the majority of Maori in terms of their economic position in New Zealand. And in fact, the emphasis on Treaty and cultural polices has occurred alongside an actual growth in Maori poverty.

 

Maori academic Evan Poata Smith has pointed out that the Treaty settlement process has led to is the rise of a significant wealth gap between a new wealthy Maori class and the rest. Dr Evan Te Atu Poata-Smith has highlighted this new phenomenon in his research on the economic position of Maori in New Zealand:

Inequality between Maori and non-Maori has been an enduring feature of New Zealand society. But in recent decades, it has coincided with another unwelcomed development: the growth of income gaps within Maori communities (Poata-Smith, 2014).

 

Poata-Smith argues that this increasing income gap within Maoridom itself brings into question the very direction of Maori social and economic development over the last few years. He asks the question of which Maori are benefiting from current ideas of Maori development, and which Maori are becoming further disenfranchised and marginalised. Clearly Poata-Smith's critique is a damning indictment on Treaty politics, which has benefited only a few and left the majority of Maori economically disenfranchised and politically marginalised. 

 

Maori class politics is the zeitgeist

 

Labour’s refocus on class and material politics in regards to Maori will be welcomed by many. But the question is still open as to what degree Labour will be able to transform the lives of poor and working class Maori. Nonetheless, class politics is back on the agenda, and Maori class politics is now part of the zeitgeist.

 

 

 

Images and cartoons about Waitangi 2018

 

Slane - Listener 9 February 2018

 

 

Scott - Dominion Post 6 February 2018

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 3 February 2018

 

 

Evans - Daily Blog 8 February 2018

 

 

Body - NZ Herald 3 February 2018

 

 

Hubbard - 7 February 2018

 

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 6 February 2018

 

Nisbet - The Press 6 February 2018

 

Moreu - Timaru Herald 6 February 2018

 

Nisbet - The Press 7 February 2018

 

Emmerson - NZ Herald 7 February 2018

 

 

Cartoons and photos of Jim Anderton