Written By:
Stephanie Rodgers - Date published:
8:30 am, February 10th, 2015 - 19 comments
Categories: david cunliffe, interweb, john key -
Tags: David Cunliffe, facebook, jacinda ardern, john key, populism, social media, winston peters
Feinstein Doak has a post up with the Top Political Facebook Posts of 2014, and the results are interesting:
It seems to defy conventional wisdom about (a) the uptake of social media by ~older generations~ and (b) the demographics of Winston’s fanbase. That being said, it thoroughly plays into the idea of Winston as New Zealand’s ultimate populist politician – always saying exactly what people want to hear.
The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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Or maybe Winston Peters just says what all the others don’t want to say? Hone was the other one who often said what no one wanted said, lest there be ruffled feathers and other unpleasantness.
My best friend, for ever a Green/Labour voter…Voted Winston Peters this time around. Not because she thinks he is that awesome and will have a difference, but because HE will speak up to all and not just some. Maybe she has a point.
There are too many Yes – sayer in the benches, and they come blue, red, green and muddy waters.
Very few of them will ruffle feathers, even less will speak up.
“My best friend, for ever a Green/Labour voter…Voted Winston Peters this time around. Not because she thinks he is that awesome and will have a difference, but because HE will speak up to all and not just some. Maybe she has a point.”
I do wish left wing voters would vote for parties that will actually form a left wing govt. For all Peters’ vocalising abilities, he’s not left wing. Worse, he actively works to prevent left wing govts forming. People who vote for him who want a left wing govt need to wake up.
It’s going to be blooding interesting to see what happens to NZ politics when Peters finally retires.
Winston Peters is where he is because of the inability of the left wing to form government.
The last election, heck Peter effn Dunne is the prime example of the inability of the left wing parties to not only speak to each other but to act together.
To occupied to be purists, however I think it is easy to lament poverty and homelessness when one is occupied and paid well.
Winston Peters is not at fault for the uselessness of the left wing parties.
That’s a gross oversimplification. NZF exists because Peters left a National govt, and as been playing the left and the right against each other ever since, and doing it in deceitful and anti-democratic ways. Whatever one things about him as a powerful politician who doesn’t shirk from saying what he wants or doing what he wants, he’s had a huge negative influence on NZ politics. That’s nothing to do with the left’s performance.
It’s also muddying things to conflate things like the problems within Labour to everyone on the left. Whatever the situation with Dunne at the last election, nothing was going to be possible until the neoliberal elephant in Labour’s living room had been dealt with.
“Winston Peters is not at fault for the uselessness of the left wing parties.”
No he’s not. But he is responsible for his anti-Mana stance, and his anti-GP stance. He believes that democracy is served by preventing the left from being in govt and actively excluding the parties he disapproves of (GP, Mana).
So when people vote for him, that is what they are voting for. Irrespective of what the left parties are doing, there is no way around the fact that Peters is not left wing and actively works against it.
If Labour had it’s way Mana and the Greens would be permanently sidelined as well.
And it’s pretty undemocratic to say that a party with almost 9% of the vote isn’t a valid or useful player in our democracy.
Peters has figured out how to pick up socially conservative votes from both the left and the right, and in NZ that makes him a political player to be reckoned with.
I didn’t say that about NZF. I said Peters is anti democratic, and that left wing voters need to understand what they are voting for. I’ll be interested to see what NZF do once Peters is gone. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are more cooperative.
Left wing voters are pretty smart. They know what they are voting for. And they know when NZ Labour isn’t delivering something worth voting for.
Sorry CV, but that’s a nonsense 🙂 Some left wing voters are smart, some aren’t. Some know what they are voting for, some don’t. I still know people who don’t understand how MMP works.
As for shifting from Labour to NZF, sure. But my point still stands. If you want a left wing govt, Peters is not left wing and actively works against left wing parties.
He believes that democracy is served by preventing the left from being in govt and actively excluding the parties he disapproves of (GP, Mana).
That’s kinda how elections and coalition building in a democracy works isn’t it? I don’t see many politicians actively trying to include parties they don’t like.
And it would appear the voters saw less risk for New Zealand in a Government that included NZF than a Government with too much Green or a Government with any Internet-Mana.
Like it or not parties competing for the centre and voters in the centre have more say than those on the fringes.
Fuck off Pete. You have no idea what I am talking about and I’m not interested in your muddled thinking.
It would help if you could detail in your comments what no one is allowed to talk about so you can maintain a tightly controlled discussion.
DNFTT
As Stephanie Rodgers said: http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdiamonds/2012/02/28/dont-feed-the-trolls-is-bad-science/
Best way to not feed the trole is to talk to other people 🙂
“It would help if you could detail in your comments what no one is allowed to talk about so you can maintain a tightly controlled discussion.”
🙄
everyone here knows that I am talking solely about you and your beige hole sucking agenda. And most people agree with me.
And most people agree with me.
As arrogant as John Key, but he at least does polling.
speaking of arrogance I think it takes a special kind of hubris to deny that so many people here loathe you and wish you were gone.
In the US the number of Facebook users over 55 has grown by over 80% in the three years to 2014. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a similar trend in NZ. So it’s a good tool for Winston to capitalise on.
I think Twitter has a lot more cut-through for the left. There’s a lot more scope for communication between strangers on the #nzpol tag there and some genuinely funny one-liners too.
the demographics of Winston’s fanbase
As I said back in December 2010….http://thestandard.org.nz/nzf-poll-is-wrong/#comment-277609