How big is an uprising?

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, September 10th, 2009 - 12 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, Maori seats - Tags:

There was an odd little piece in The Herald on Tuesday:

Uprising would force Super City changes: PM

Prime Minister John Key says the Government will back down on the new Super City boundaries for Rodney and Franklin if there is enough of a community uprising.

Mr Key said he would be happy to overrule the recent decision to divide north Rodney and south Franklin from the Super City if the “community voice” told him to. …

This puzzles me for many reasons. How big an uprising is required? Should they carry pitchforks? Or is it enough to drive a tractor up the steps of parliament? I dunno – seems like Key is asking for trouble. Off hand I can’t recall any previous PM inviting the populace to revolt.

More seriously — why do the good people of Rodney and Franklin get special treatment? By any standards the Hikoi for Maori seats was a good sized uprising. 7000 people marched through the Auckland CBD calling on the government to give Maori a voice on the new Auckland Council (as per the Royal Commission which National promised to support then arbitrarily scrapped). All the Hikoi achieved was a condescending brush off from Key:

The right forum to raise concerns was through the parliamentary process, he said. … ‘I don’t think the hikoi of itself will make any difference really we are going to go through the select committee process, that’s not a white wash we are actually going to listen to what happens there.

We all know how that turned out. Before the Select Committee had even reported back Key announced that the Maori seats were gone. So much for listening. So much for parliamentary process. So much for the Hikoi — obviously not the right kind of uprising.

[Update – looks like the official Rodney and Franklin uprising is under way]

12 comments on “How big is an uprising? ”

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  1. Ron 1
    10 September 2009 at 7:17 am

    When oh when oh when is one of the TV networks going to do a “Lies Jonkey has told” item? It get longer everyday.

  2. Pascal's bookie 2
    10 September 2009 at 7:55 am

    Although dangerous fucking nutjobs fire bombing Key’s electorate office aren’t helping.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10596374

    Catch em, lock em up.

  3. singularian 3
    10 September 2009 at 8:11 am

    Theme song for Auckland uprising – by Muse. ( great song )

    catchpa – broke – not when you make music like this.

  4. ConorJoe 4
    10 September 2009 at 8:17 am

    woah r0b, imagine if the maori hikoi had carried pitchforks.
    There wouldn’t be have enough shipping containers for this government to export away this problem of omissions.

  5. lprent 5
    10 September 2009 at 8:43 am

    Idiotic. So far this government hasn’t listened to anything apart from their navel lint. They ignore hikois and protests, saying people should talk to the select committees.

    Of course a lot of the time they don’t have those either. But that doesn’t matter. They ignore most of the submissions anyway preferring the principle that the only submissions they like Aare ones that they listen to. In the case of ACT they don’t even turn up in case they hear something they do not want to hear.

    So basically this is just more of jonkey’s crap. Throw the arrogant arseholes out at the next available opportunity

    • Herodotus 5.1
      10 September 2009 at 8:52 am

      The Nats are no better/worse than the previous regeime. Elect Fin Act, Seabeb & Foreshore bullying tactics, sect 59 to name a few. There are far too many political commentators and those connected to parties that are one eyed, and play us/them tactis. When ALL are from the same gene pool.

      • Tigger 5.1.1
        10 September 2009 at 10:23 am

        Look Herodotus, I won’t argue history with you, sorry can’t resist the irony there given your name (you do realise that National voted FOR s59 though, right)?. But if we are going to discuss the wider issue of whether National and Labour are the same then consider this – righties are fond of painting the last govenrment as the Nanny State. Well this government deserves it’s own little catchphrase and my vote goes to the Hate State. They hate trees, they hate democracy (why is everything urgent?), they hate Maori, they hate the public sector, they hate unions – their entire world is coloured by the things they want to crush and destory.

        • Herodotus 5.1.1.1
          10 September 2009 at 11:00 am

          Agree Urgency is utilised far to often (Esp at Christmas time). Given me another reason to support my idea of an Upper House !!
          Re History we could all stare at the rear vision mirrow, and whoever we were attacking or supporting find cases to justify our position.
          In summary Kiwis are poorly served in all facits re politics. e.g media, politians etc.
          One thing I have always supported and viewed with admiration Maori know how to create an uprising. Pity the rest of NZ could not learn, but as per Caesar Divide et impera fits as the reason the rest do not “Uprise”. And NZ has been very well divided by manuipuation of politics.

  6. Draco T Bastard 6
    10 September 2009 at 11:29 am

    Evidence so far would suggest that Mr Key would listen to any uprising that supported his position. Any other uprising would be considered improper and arbitrarily ignored.

  7. Zaphod Beeblebrox 7
    10 September 2009 at 2:27 pm

    So the Royal Commission says Rodney is in as a rural council, Government says it is in at first then 1/2 in, submissions to the Select Committee say it should be out, now JK says he is waiting to see pitchforks in the street.
    Talk about confusion.

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