Where Does Labour Rebuild?
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- Date published:
9:01 am, August 26th, 2024 - 48 comments
Categories: labour, maori party, political parties, Unions, workers' rights -
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It won’t come from the working class. But we know where it will come from.
No one wants to be “working class”. It means “employed as unskilled or semi-skilled manual or industrial work”. None outside the chatrooms of an immaterial activist cabal now refer to themselves as working class. This may be discomfiting for those who remember Labour’s history, but … get over it.
We need to banish the phrase from future progressive activism.
This is where Labour regains future votes, and finds the future MPs to regain power. They are specific, reliable groups that have won Labour to power before.
Let’s remind ourselves of the basics.
Unions. The Labour Party can and should still count on its base in union membership. There are still about 120 unions in New Zealand, covering about 360,000 people. So whoever is running the Labour Party at the moment needs to show they are keeping them sweet. Recommit to MECAs, recommit to rolling back 90 day trials, recommit to stopping low-skill immigration that suppresses wages.
Women. There’s about 2,500,000 women in NZ and most are left-leaning. There’s a massive overlap between women and unions, but they are not the same. Seen in the rise of Jacinda Ardern, putting a female in the number one slot massively expands the potential voter for Labour. People keep whispering about Kieran McAnulty because they like a straight bearded rural-accent non-intellectual country guy forget that on all of those attributes he is useless for bringing fresh women to Labour. By a long way, the most influential and attractive progressive leader in New Zealand over 30 years has been Helen Clark. Volumes more effective, more enduring in policy implementation, more internationally renowned than Ardern or Lange, she continues into her 70s with sustained activism through her Foundation. Find a commanding female that will electrify your base and Labour will win.
Maori. There’s about 900,000 Maori in NZ. Maori continue to be disproportionately voting for Labour than National by a comfortable margin. Without more Maori seats, it is close-to impossible for Labour to form government. That is why, even when Labour lose some Maori seats, the representation of Maori in caucus is high. Te Pati Maori and New Zealand First have shown that Labour do not have a God-given right to Maori support. To regain those seats Labour will not only need to front more of Willie Jackson and Willow-Jean Prime, they also need clear and rational policy positions for a full-on constitutional debate about the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand society. When they answer that convincingly they also stop the drag of Maori votes to TPM and NZF.
Pasifika. Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni said it best last year when she underscored how vital basic public institutions are for Pasifika peoples, and how Labour worked on those for the last six years.
“Health, education, wage growth, you know, all of those things that Pacific people are not necessarily alone on,” Sepuloni said. “But more often than not, because Pacific people often are represented in the low to middle income households. And these things matter. So many of the policies that we’ve implemented over the last six years have had a direct benefit on Pacific peoples.”
At very minimum Sepuloni needs to be locked in at Number 2.
Those are just the basic blocs that keep Labout afloat.
Now let’s look for others.
Volunteers. It’s over 900,000 people. More than 60% of New Zealanders donate to charities, and over 21% of us undertake volunteer work. Each attracts its own loyalty, if you can remember the number of Warriors games Helen Clark attended. Or the number of arts societies she supported. Volunteers can be as default right-wing as Rotary, or hard to pick where they vote as in the RSA or churches, or solid left as in conservation efforts. But all of them think about more than self-interest, and that’s the place to start when seeking to attract new enthusiasm.
Conservationists. The conservation vote from the Green Party’s 330,000 voters is ripe for the picking: since Eugenie Sage left they don’t have a popular environmental champion. In 2024 they’ve become a weak and unstable collection of romanticised graduate sociology try-hards who crumble faster than Dracula under spotlight. A Labour Party that states clearly how the national interest of New Zealand is utterly tied to conservation land in particular national parks and marine reserves – and what we can do about it – is a party ready to start eating the 10-12% popularity that the Green Party has.
Nationalists. The New Zealand First Party got 173,000 votes and 8 seats in 2023. Winston Peters and Shane Jones both represent a deep belief that New Zealand needs strong centralised economic planning and direction similar to that from the 1920s to the mid-1980s. New Zealand’s economy is now controlled by a very small set of large companies who generate a narrow band of mostly low-value products and services, and a relatively weak state with poor and incoherent leadership. NZF over three terms have gained substantial regional deals that are stabilising regional economies while all other forces drain them away. Labour will only have a convincing government in power again when it has leaders and policies that inspire that older generation to believe that there is a thing called New Zealand that exists outside of ANZAC Day and the Olympics, and that there really is an answer to economic decline.
Aucklanders. That’s about 1.7 million people, and again 2023 showed Labour can’t win power without it. The legacy of weak unified regional government in Auckland over 15 years, rapidly rising gang and gun violence, collapsing retail confidence, and a donut central city, has dispirited Aucklanders on top of their usual pains of housing unaffordability and traffic jams. There are so many quick wins to turning back the voter preference of Aucklanders, including: free public transport (for whatever journey stage), real devolution of funding and responsibility, regulating Air B’n’B and unoccupied housing to force availability of flats, a long term deal with central government that might include free civic amenities like pools, free bicycles, etc, and proper state highways that finally start to share Auckland’s capital with the regions north and south, is the way to start turning heads back.
LGBTI. There’s about 170,000 roughly in New Zealand who are LGBTI. They aren’t all snowflake hyper-liberals, and they are a mighty political target. Like many, they find success attractive, and fitness, sport, glamour, professionalism, and human rights respect with a large need for mental health support. Like many activist groups including Maori, there’s a towards excessive theatricality which can be eye-roll inducing. But again they were most closely aligned with Labour under Helen Clark who brought the disparate and fractious LGBTI subsets into policy focus, with real success. Labour, it’s pretty difficult to regain power without LGBTI so they need targeted attention.
Oldies. There are 800,000+ New Zealanders over 65. And Jesus do they vote. Anything Labour can do in the volunteer sector, health sector in particular for those in care, any feint towards national pride recalling a more unified and effective state, anything that enables them to pay their power bills and their rent, anything that assures them of the inflation-adjusted NZSuper, is something that helps bring back older people. This is the long tail of hidden poverty and daily oppression that is poorly covered in the media but is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing voter groups. They intersect with a lot of the above, but just imagine setting the political goal of getting Grey Power off the fence to support Labour.
Wealthy Kiwis. Labour were massively outspent in 2023 and lost. The targeting the Greens, NZFirst, and ACT did of wealthy couples cracking over $350k a year has a really simple lesson: romance them and flatter them and they will share sufficient to pay those ads.
Don’t anyone be fooled into thinking that a working class hero will save anything. Remember, old leftie “working class” darling Jeremy Corbyn got 24,000 votes in his electorate and lost Parliamentary power for Labour, and Keir Starmer got 18,000 electoral votes and led them to the handsomest electoral victory since 1832.
Forget “working class”.
We already know where the numbers are that form the MPs to regain power.
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Aotearoa’s Youngest Member of Parliament, and Te Pāti Māori MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, will travel to Montreal to accept the One Young World Politician of the Year Award next week. The One Young World Politician of the Year Award was created in 2018 to recognise the most promising young politicians between ...2 days ago
- Greens celebrate huge step forward for ADHD community
The Greens welcome today’s long-coming announcement by Pharmac of consultation to remove the special authority renewal criteria for methylphenidate, dexamfetamine and modafinil and to fund lisdexamfetamine. ...2 days ago
- Release: Millions to be spent dividing NZ for no reason
The National Party is wasting millions of dollars allowing David Seymour’s Treaty Principals Bill to be drafted and go to Select Committee. ...2 days ago
- Release: New Zealanders departing our shores at a record rate
The Migration figures released by Stats NZ today show National is continuing to drive Kiwis away from New Zealand in record numbers. ...2 days ago
- Te Tai Tokerau MP Slams Govt Overreach in Scrapping Māori Wards
Mema Paremata for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, has reflected on the decisions made by the councils of the North amidst the government’s push to remove Māori Wards and weaken mana whenua representation. “Actions taken by the Kaipara District Council to remove Māori Wards are the embodiment of the eradication ...2 days ago
- Govt already seeking advice on Treaty referendum
On one hand, the Prime Minister has assured Aotearoa that his party will not support the Treaty Principles Bill beyond first reading, but on the other, his Government has already sought advice on holding a referendum on our founding document. ...3 days ago
- Release: Aged care will be worse off if redesign rushed
New Zealanders needing aged care support and the people who care for them will be worse off if the Government pushes through a flawed and rushed redesign of dementia and aged care. ...3 days ago
- Release: Govt fails hundreds of workers as mills close
Labour is devastated at news hundreds of workers are set to lose their jobs following the closure of Winstone Pulp mills. ...3 days ago
- Job losses from mill closures consequence of Govt inaction
Hundreds of jobs lost as a result of pulp mill closures in the Ruapehu District are a consequence of government inaction in addressing the shortfalls of our electricity network. ...3 days ago
- Ngarewa-Packer devastated for Ruapehu following WPI closure
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru is devastated for the Ruapehu community following today’s decision to close two Winstone Pulp mills. “My heart goes out to all the workers, their whānau, and the wider Ruapehu community affected by the closure of Winstone Pulp International,” said Ngarewa-Packer. ...4 days ago
- Release: Cabinet should stop the Treaty Principles Bill
National Party Ministers have a majority in Cabinet and can stop David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, which even the Prime Minister has described as “divisive and unhelpful.” ...5 days ago
- Release: Staff gagged to keep fast track list secret
The National Government is so determined to hide the list of potential projects that will avoid environmental scrutiny it has gagged Ministry for the Environment staff from talking about it. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour challenges Te Whatu Ora gag orders
Labour has complained to the Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission about the high number of non-disclosure agreements that have effectively gagged staff at Te Whatu Ora Health NZ from talking about anything relating to their work. ...5 days ago
- Greens call on Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned after letter from Christian leaders
The Green Party is once again urging the Prime Minister to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill as a letter from more than 400 Christian leaders calls for the proposed legislation to be dropped. ...5 days ago
- Sign the petition: Keep military-style firearms off our streets
Help us tell the Government that reintroducing military-style firearms should not be up for debate. ...7 days ago
- Vast majority of councils support Māori wards
Councils across the country have now decided where they stand regarding Māori wards, with a resounding majority in favour of keeping them in what is a significant setback for the Government. ...1 week ago
- Release: Government on the wrong side of Māori wards
The National-led government has been given a clear message from the local government sector, as almost all councils reject the Government’s bid to treat Māori wards different to other wards. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki
The Labour Party congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki on being crowned as the eighth Te Ariki Nui – head of Te Kiingitanga. ...1 week ago
- Green Party welcomes new Maaori Kuiini
The Green Party welcomes the coronation of the new Maaori Kuiini, Te Arikinui Nga Wai Hono i te Po, today in Turangawaewae. ...1 week ago
- ECE teachers deserve better than this Government
The Green Party is unsurprised but disappointed by today’s announcement from the Government that will see our Early Childhood Centre teachers undermined and pay parity pushed further out of reach. ...1 week ago
- Urgent intervention needed on supermarkets
The Green Party is calling on the Government to intervene in the supermarket duopoly dominating our supply of groceries following today’s report from the Commerce Commission. ...1 week ago
- Release: Rainbow youth neglected in mental health funding
Labour backs the call from The Rainbow Support Collective members for mental health funding specifically earmarked for grassroots and peer led community organisations to be set up in a way that they are able to access. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Transport in NZ has to be more than just roads
As expected, the National Land Transport Programme lacks ambition for our cities and our country’s rail network and puts the majority of investment into roads. ...2 weeks ago
- Speech: Barbara Edmonds Building Nations 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa, Thank you for your warm welcome and for having my colleagues and I here today. Earlier you heard from the Labour Leader, Chris Hipkins, on our vision for the future of infrastructure. I want to build on his comments and provide further detail on some key elements ...2 weeks ago
- Govt transport plan deepens fossil fuel fix
The Green Party says the Government’s new National Land Transport Programme marks another missed opportunity to take meaningful action to fight the climate crisis. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for public to back Wrybill in BOTY and beyond
The Green Party is calling on the public to support the Ngutu Pare Wrybill not just in this year’s Bird of the Year competition but also in pushing back against policies that could lead to the destruction of its habitat and accelerate its extinction. ...2 weeks ago
- Building consents data bad news for construction
News that the annual number of building consents granted for new homes fell by more than 20 percent for the year ended July 2024, is bad news for the construction industry. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori Pay Tribute to Kiingi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII
Papā te whatitiri, hikohiko te uira, i kanapu ki te rangi, i whētuki i raro rā, rū ana te whenua e. Uea te pou o tōku whare kia tū tangata he kapua whakairi nāku nā runga o Taupiri. Ko taku kiri ka tōkia ki te anu mātao. E te iwi ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Gaps still to be addressed in callouts response
The Government must guarantee New Zealanders will not be at risk after making changes to the way mental health callouts are handled. ...2 weeks ago
- Poroporoaki: Kiingi Tuheitia passing
Haere e te Kīngi o te kotahitangi Haere ki o nui, ki o rahi I te pō ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party pays respects to Kiingi Tuuheitia
The Green Party is paying tribute to the Māori King, Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero XVII, after he passed away earlier this morning. ...2 weeks ago
- Potaka Brings Whakaata Māori to its Knees
Today’s Whakaata Māori announcement is yet another colossal failure from Minister Potaka, who has turned his back on te reo Māori, forcing a channel offline, putting whānau out of jobs, and cutting Māori content, says Te Pāti Māori. “A Senior Māori Minister has turned his back on Te Reo Māori. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National restricts access to disability care homes
With disability communities still reeling from the diminishing of Whaikaha, a leaked document now reveals another blow with National restricting access to residential care homes. ...2 weeks ago
- Need and value at forefront of public service delivery
New Cabinet policy directives will ensure public agencies prioritise public services on the basis of need and award Government contracts on the basis of public value, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis says. “Cabinet Office has today issued a circular to central government organisations setting out the Government’s expectations ...18 hours ago - Minister to attend Police Ministers Council Meeting
Police Minister Mark Mitchell will join with Australian Police Ministers and Commissioners at the Police Ministers Council meeting (PMC) today in Melbourne. “The council is an opportunity to come together to discuss a range of issues, gain valuable insights on areas of common interest, and different approaches towards law enforcement ...20 hours ago
- New Bill to crack down on youth vaping
The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping. “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...2 days ago
- Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed
Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...2 days ago
- Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...2 days ago
- Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups
Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...2 days ago
- Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it
The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...2 days ago
- Targeted supports to accelerate reading
The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...2 days ago
- Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology
With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...2 days ago
- Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...2 days ago
- Driving structured literacy in schools
The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...2 days ago
- Labour’s misleading information is disappointing
Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says. “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them. ...3 days ago
- Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine
The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. “Mpox is obviously a ...3 days ago
- Next steps agreed for Treaty Principles Bill
Associate Justice Minister David Seymour says Cabinet has agreed to the next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. “The Treaty Principles Bill provides an opportunity for Parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the Treaty, including establishing that every person is equal before the law,” says Mr Seymour. “Parliament ...3 days ago
- Government unlocking potential of AI
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced a programme to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uptake among New Zealand businesses. “The AI Activator will unlock the potential of AI for New Zealand businesses through a range of support, including access to AI research experts, technical assistance, AI tools and resources, ...3 days ago
- Promoting faster payment times for government
The Government is sending a clear message to central government agencies that they must prioritise paying invoices in a timely manner, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. Data released today promotes transparency by publishing the payment times of each central government agency. This data will be published quarterly ...3 days ago
- Government releases Wairoa flood review findings
The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...3 days ago
- Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech
E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward. Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...4 days ago
- Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses
Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...4 days ago
- Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test
More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...4 days ago
- Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction
Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...4 days ago
- Māori Education Advisory Group established
The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...4 days ago
- Government welcomes findings of NZ Superannuation Fund review
The Government has welcomed the findings of the recent statutory review into the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis says. The 5-yearly review, conducted on behalf of Treasury and tabled in Parliament today, found the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation ...4 days ago
- First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight
Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...4 days ago
- Have your say on suicide prevention
Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...4 days ago
- Action to grow the rural health workforce
Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...5 days ago
- Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...5 days ago
- Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians
Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris. “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...5 days ago
- Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations
A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report. “It will have the mandate ...1 week ago
- Passport wait times back on-track
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...1 week ago
- New appointments to the FMA board
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...1 week ago
- District Court judges appointed
Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...1 week ago
- Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand
Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...1 week ago
- New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender
New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...1 week ago
- Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...1 week ago
- Improving access to finance for Kiwis
5 September 2024 The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia
As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...1 week ago
- Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer
Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations. “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...1 week ago
- More choice and competition in building products
A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...1 week ago
- Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul
On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...1 week ago
- Universal Road User Charges Needed To Future-Proof Transport Funding
Interim Chief Executive Dom Kalasih says while paying fuel excise at-the-pump was convenient for drivers, changes in vehicle technology and variability in fuel consumption meant it wasn’t an effective way of vehicle users paying a fair contribution towards ...7 hours ago - Government’s Plans For Infrastructure Are “Promising” – Templer
Now, Templer is hopeful these initiatives will help projects get started soon and that there will be consistent management of the pipeline of infrastructure projects and workforce needed to ensure their delivery. ...7 hours ago
- West Papuan independence advocate seeks NZ support against ‘genocide, ecocide’
SPECIAL REPORT: By Te Aniwaniwa Paterson of Te Ao Māori News West Papuan independence advocate Octo Mote is in Aotearoa New Zealand to win support for independence for West Papua, which has been ruled by Indonesia for more than 60 years. Mote is vice-president of the United Liberation Movement for ...7 hours ago - Waitangi Tribunal findings on customary marine title changes no surprise to iwi leader
The Waitangi Tribunal has hit out at the government for blindly adhering to its coalition agreement by making it harder for Māori to get customary marine title. ...10 hours ago - Get set for more extreme weather across Australia this spring and summer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Australia is no stranger to extreme weather. From heatwaves and droughts to flooding rains, hailstorms or fire weather, our continent experiences it all. To help Australians prepare for these hazards, ...11 hours ago
- Are you ready for it? What a Taylor Swift endorsement means for Kamala Harris
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Shortis, Adjunct Senior Fellow, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University As the US Presidential debate wrapped up on Wednesday, commentators and journalists regrouped and drew breath. But then, enter Taylor Swift. The pop superstar posted her endorsement ...11 hours ago
- What the government’s home care changes mean for ageing Australians
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracy Comans, Executive Director, National Ageing Research Institute; Professor, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland pikselstock/Shutterstock The Albanese government has this week announced it will introduce one of the largest reforms to Australia’s aged-care sector to date. The ...11 hours ago
- Government exploring ‘all options’ to deal with demand for aged care – Minister
Minister for Seniors Casey Costello insists the government is not considering any spending cuts. ...11 hours ago
- A billionaire and an engineer have completed the first private spacewalk. But this isn’t just a va...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gail Iles, Associate Professor – Physics, RMIT University Two astronauts have carried out the first-ever commercial spacewalk, using new less-bulky spacesuits designed by SpaceX. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman (who also funded the mission) and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis together spent almost ...12 hours ago
- Samoan journalists blast ‘ridiculous’ media restrictions at Commonwealth summit
By Harry Pearl Restrictions on journalists covering an upcoming summit of Commonwealth nations in Samoa are “ridiculous” and at odds with a government that purportedly values democracy, says the Pacific island country’s media association. The Samoa Observer newspaper in an editorial also condemned the government’s attempt to limit coverage of ...12 hours ago
- The Week in Politics: David Seymour’s dragon soon to be unleashed
Analysis - David Seymour's Treaty Principles Bill is a step closer to Parliament, and Chris Hipkins' hints his party could go into the next election with a radical tax policy. ...12 hours ago
- Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke wins young world politician of the year award
Maipi-Clarke says the award is an honour, as is her day job. ...12 hours ago
- Your gas stove might be making your asthma worse. Here’s what you can do about it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nusrat Homaira, Senior Lecturer, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney Kwon Junho/Unsplash We may think of air pollution as an outdoor problem, made up of car exhaust and smog. But if the air inside our homes is polluted, this can also ...12 hours ago
- The death of printed newspapers has long been predicted – but there are still some pleasing signs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, 2024 Oxford University visiting research fellow RIJS; Professor of Political Communication., La Trobe University Shutterstock This piece is part of a series on the Future of Australian media. You can read the rest of the series here. When ...13 hours ago
- Needs Not Race Directive Threatens Progress We’ve Made As Country
The Government has taken a decision based on ideology which fundamentally impacts Māori without consulting Māori. There’s a clear pattern here of a government again setting out to divide New Zealand. No-one voted for that. ...14 hours ago
- Crown knew it legally had to pay midwives better, court hears
Health ministers' comments prove the Crown knew it breached legally binding agreements to improve midwives' pay and contracts, a lawyer has told the court. ...15 hours ago
- Local Government Freshwater Protections Must Not Be Hamstrung By Anti-nature Government
Successive Govts have failed to regulate NZ’s worst freshwater polluter - the intensive dairy industry, who pollute lakes, rivers and drinking water with contaminants like E coli and nitrate. And now, Luxon’s govt is removing the only effective freshwater ...15 hours ago
- New plan shows Australia’s hydrogen dream is still alive. But are we betting on the right projects...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute Producing hydrogen remains vital to Australia’s prosperity through the net-zero transition, according to a major strategy that lays a national pathway to becoming a global leader in the low-emissions technology. The ...15 hours ago
- A new law aims to tackle online lies – but it ignores expert advice and doesn’t go nearly far en...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Angus, Professor of Digital Communication, Director of QUT Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology The federal government this week introduced a new bill into parliament aimed at cracking down on the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the internet. ...16 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Beige Thoughts’ by Sherry Zhang
A poem by 2024 Young Writer in Residence Sherry Zhang. My favourite beige activity is 2048. I started playing on a 12 hour long flight before my 24th birthday. These transient spaces become forced group meditation. I usually let my death anxiety spiral. This time, I let my arms ...16 hours ago - The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending September 13
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Make It Make Sense by Lucy Blakiston & Bel Hawkins (Moa Press, $37) The bright brains ...16 hours ago
- The psychology of retirement: why do so many athletes struggle to call time?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Tillott, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University Think back to when you met someone for the first time. One of the first questions you asked, or were asked, was likely: “what do you do for work?” It’s a polite, ...16 hours ago
- Principles or raw power: 3 steps NZ can take to resolve its confused stance on Gaza
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images The Gaza crisis is a major moral and legal challenge for New Zealand’s sense of national identity, and to its worldview based on rules and principles rather than ...16 hours ago
- Need medicine in hospital? Our study finds how often IT flaws lead to the wrong drug or dose
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Johanna Westbrook, Professor of Health Informatics and Patient Safety, Macquarie University Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Every time you are prescribed medicine in hospital a computer will prompt your doctor about the appropriateness of the medicine and its dose. Every time health professionals update patient ...16 hours ago
- What one climate scientist wants everyone to know
‘The fight for a habitable planet is on right now, and we need everyone to show up.’ Ellen Rykers gets a reality check from climate scientist Joëlle Gergis. This is an excerpt from our environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. In the summer of 2019, an acrid fug of smoke ...17 hours ago
- Watch: ACT Party leader David Seymour announces policy directive on ‘need, not race’
Cabinet ministers have issued a directive to the public sector, reminding them all services must be delivered based on need rather than race - and that contracts be awarded on value. ...17 hours ago
- Waitangi Tribunal finds failings in government’s handling of Marine and Coastal Area Act chang...
Changes to customary marine title showed a blind adherence to pre-existing political commitments at the expense of Māori, the Waitangi Tribunal has found. ...17 hours ago
- Ngāti Kahungunu Hits Back At The Government’s Stop To Māori Targeted Health Funding
Targeting services to Māori and Pasifika is not a racist agenda, it is simply acknowledging that there are communities that do not access the appropriate primary health services they need when they need them. ...17 hours ago
- A hole lot of fun: Behind the scenes of Celebrity Treasure Island
Tara Ward travels to the Coromandel to watch the reality show’s first day of filming. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s a warm, grey day in March, and Duncan Garner is up to his elbow in a hole. The well-known broadcaster ...18 hours ago
- The real NZ Fashion Week ran out of cash – so these uni students made their own
Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa, the rangatahi-led, do-it-yourself fashion week, opened its first show on Monday. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith reports from the runway. When New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) was cancelled for 2024, it seemed to some the death knell of an industry buckling under financial pressure. To others, a gap ...19 hours ago
- Labour MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene diagnosed with breast cancer
Māngere MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene says she will take leave to undergo surgery. ...20 hours ago
- Can AI talk us out of conspiracy theory rabbit holes?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dana McKay, Associate Dean, Interaction, Technology and Information, RMIT University Tanya Antusenok / Shutterstock New research published in Science shows that for some people who believe in conspiracy theories, a fact-based conversation with an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot can “pull them ...20 hours ago
- Medic at 70: long before Meredith Grey or Doogie Howser, this show shaped the modern medical drama
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kit MacFarlane, Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature, University of South Australia Wikimedia Commons Most of us can think of a TV medical drama that stood out at some point in our lives. The Good Doctor (2017–24) is finishing its seven-year run. ...20 hours ago
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When I saw the post title, I immediately thought Blokes.
A small correction:
In the 2017 UK election Corbyns Labour party got 12,877,918 votes in total.
In the 2019 election Corbyns Labour party got 10,269,051 votes in total.
In the 2024 election Starmers Labour party got 9,708,716 votes.
Corbyn created a very effective coalition on the left including most of the groups mentioned in the article. In a proportional voting system Starmers Labour would be a minority party – the popular vote for the right was much higher.
In the UK the popular vote does not reflect the parliamentary make up by a considerable margin.
No one gives a damn about some other system. Hillary Clinton woulda been in power, Marine Le Pen woulda been in power. Whatever.
Focus on the democratic system you've got and win it. In the UK it's the number of electoral seats you win.
Starmer's seat 2024 18,884
https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001290
Corbyn's seat 2024 24,120
https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001305
Who is in power?
Yes – we have proportional representation here in NZ. That's my point – rather than dismissing the Corbyn teams strategy and policy platform it might, instead, be something that provides insights into how you build a popular (as in number of votes) left wing coalition of the type you are proposing. The dismissal of Corbyn by the left does a major disservice to the real electoral impact he, John McDonnell and others made. This impact is ignored because the UK has FPP.
You've nailed it there. The energy of a Corbyn campaign in an MMP environment with a commitment to the policies of the many before the few would be unstoppable.
Hipkins already sounds deflated and appears to lack the energy to stand firmly in front of the current havoc with clear statements that everything that is currently being done will be overturned by a Labour govt along with all the new and necessary planks towards a green future in electricity, taxing of wealth, creating access to health and education, and re embracing Maori co governence.
He appears to have accepted the destruction but plumping for the lesser evil is no longer good enough. If he can't energise himself then he should step aside and let somebody through who can.
Starmer's victory is entirely due to the giant split in the right-wing vote, and anti-Conservative tactical voting.
Mr Corbyn was essentially sunk by his own party–HQ crawlers and careerists–and his own basic decency by not going in hard and deselecting a number of dodgy MPs. Plus Brexit…he overthought it when all he had to do was say…we will respect the people’s decision on Brexit and implement our “For the Many not the Few” and renationalisation programme.
This is about as clear a statement of commitment to being nothing more than the left of Neo-liberalism as I've ever read. I'll reply when the steam has cleared from the room.
👍👍
The fact is “working class” encompasses most people in society. It hinges on your relationship to capital and whether you exploit others labour or not. Are you an actual business owner or do you essentially just sell your intellectual and physical labour whether it be by contract or hourly rate?
Self employed often think they are their own boss–but are usually brutally beholden to banks and finance companies.
These days after 40 years of neo liberalism NZ style, few might self identify as working class, concentrations of hundreds of manufacturing workers are lesser apart from a few examples in meat processing and the likes of Rio Tinto at Tiwai Pt. But an IT worker, film industry worker, service worker or public servant are all workers none the less. Some like interns just do not get paid!
NZ Labour will not make a substantial comeback until they repudiate Rogernomics and boot all of Roger’s Acts (no pun etc) for something more modern and suitable as we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st century.
ChatGPT: Define "Working Class"
I agree with you though. When I think working class I think it captures anyone who works for someone else. Selling your labour.
Yes, at the dawn of the modern neo liberal era some academics predicted the “atomisation” of the working class, whereby collective thought and organisation would gravitate more to individual identity and aspiration.
There has long been speculation about why people vote against their own material best interests and oppose raising the minimum wage for low paid workers say, “Last place aversion” was an explanation of why in several US studies.
In reality we all work whether paid or unpaid, caring, volunteering etc. But…if we all went on strike society would come to a grinding halt, whereas if CEOs stayed home who would notice?
That's the difference between a Weberian-influenced and a Marxist analysis of class.
The UK Registrar General's classification was influenced by Weber and allocated classes in terms of a hierarchy of occupations. It has various problems, including the way it originally tended to be based on male occupations and their status, power etc, and women didn't fit in so easily, being allocated to their husband's or father's occupation.
Also, the Marxist view that tends to allocate class according to position in the paid work force has been re-worked by Marxist/socialist feminists who have added unpaid labour of women, and their role in reproducing the work force to the exploited working class.
I agree that identifying those categories and measuring them is an excellent way to prioritise political marketing strategies (even though you didn't specify it as such – as an amateur mind-reader I detected it in your sub-text).
Will Labour be sensible enough to follow your advice is the question. If so, they face an immense intellectual challenge: design a set of policies that will secure mass approval from each category. Labour hasn't even got close to doing that historically…
A group you left out- As of June last year, there are 351,759 people receiving a main benefit. That's a significant voting bloc, but the trick is getting us all out to vote.
Given Labour made it quite clear in 2000 exactly what they thought of us by not unwinding the damage done during the 1990s, those of us who remember those years have not forgotten, and most of us who still vote do not vote Labour. 30+ years of continual beating down is enough to stop anyone engaging in the electoral process.
Labour continue to make it crystal clear what they think of us, eg completely ignoring the Welfare working group report, and not using their majority to create fundamental welfare reform. There's no real difference between the Nats and Labour, except the former don't hid what they really think, and we know exactly where we stand with them.
The Greens (and TMP) are the only parties that have remotely sided with us, but there's no real sense of representation, and between all the bashing and just trying to survive, of course voting isn't a priority. if the majority of this group voted, parliament makeup would be very different. It really does begger belief that Labour ignores us as a voting bloc- one can only assume they don't want to upset their middle class voters.
So how to engage with a large voting bloc who have given up?
I noticed this glaring omission as well. It is consistent with Labour strategy of work being the solution to all things. To me the most damning thing the Ardern government did was not separate SLP off from the dole and make it liveable. There really is no excuse for that apart from ideology or ignorance.
I do think Labour are between a rock and a hard place on welfare, and disagree that they are the same as National. Benefits did go up, sanctioned lessened, that isn’t nothing. But Ad’s post appears to be predicated on the same strategy that basically says we will prioritise preventing people falling into the underclass, and we will try and lift up some people already there, but mostly the underclass are on their own and we will have to work around the various fall outs from that. Imo it won’t work for a range of reasons including that NACTF will continue to actively court the underclass via the culture wars while keeping the boot firmly on its neck.
It's also where Ad's voting blocks tend to point to middle-income people, including middle income women in stable jobs, and excludes a focus on men and women on low incomes, in precarious work, single parents, those with disabilities, and many Maori and Pasifika people, etc.
Yes, fair enough that there's a bit of a difference to our lives, depending on who's in power. Although the token benefit 'increases' only really stop them going as far backwards in real terms. But life in general is much less stressful.
I guess my point was Labour spouting off about all these wonderful things they're doing for beneficiaries, and I'm sure to the general public it all sound very excessive. But the public don't hear about all the clawbacks, so think that we've all received the full increase amount, which as you know is total BS. National are sadistic bastards, but at least they don't pretend to anything they're not. Labour pretend they're our friends, which they aren't.
Disagree that the Greens are "weak and unstable"…..give me Chloe as leader rather than Hipkins anytime. Unlike Labour they have clear policies and goals….for instance their Wealth Tax.
But there are green votes to be had….if Labour were to roll out, as a central policy, seriously subsided rooftop solar I think people across the spectrum would be impressed….votes would follow.
In doing this Labour needs to explain clearly that solar power would become a primary source of power (as it has in Oz). As such solar (including grid storage batteries) will enable less permanent dependence on hydro. Hydro would become a flexible power source varying from say 50% to 80% of total power needs. This option would be cheaper than Nationals LNG importation policy.
I think Energy policy can be a winning strategy if a well thought through policy can be developed.
We are in the midst of an energy crisis which isn't going to be fixed by this government. Businesses are already shutting up shop as a direct result of the crisis.
There is a risk Labour will be blamed for it to a degree, so it is important that it develops some robust proposals over the next 12 months so they can go to the election with a credible plan that will show business, that Labour is the way forward on this critical issue.
We where forgotten years ago by you and your ilk ad,
but if I'm starting to get a deep burning rage at the shit whole this country Is becoming then I bet there's plenty of others,
Jobs decimated in my area due to useless governments, the best I can get for my unwell child is a ph call to a Dr in who knows where,
Apart from 2 years over seas and 6 months on the dole I've held up my end of the deal , worked hard paid taxs ,
It's a damn shame,
thanks b. Kind of stunning to see a post on TS saying forget 'working class' that then goes on to forget the working class.
FFS Ad, and this is why you will lose.
You have to work with Te Pāti Māori, not this b.s of getting the seats back. Look at how the party votes fell. You want Te Pāti Māori to go for party vote as well? Because this BS from you, will leave no other way.
It's labour as the only dog in town that caused the problems in the first place. Work with people – that's the answer it MMP FFS.
Yes, there has long been a fundamental non acceptance of what MMP means in NZ Labour top echelons, I have known some of these people since the late 70s/80s and they still dream of Labour being the one party to rule them all. Not a happening thing.
Greens, TPM and Labour could easily win the next election (for what is left of NZ after the current vandals have finished swinging their wrecking ball) if they could agree on housing, CGT and a Wealth Tax.
Too many in Labour are still fine with Tweedledum tweedledee tinkering.
We've just seen what happens when Labour gets an outright majority. Killed by their own timidity!
An opportunity lost in 2020, which I don’t really expect to see again in my life time. Hopefully the new gens can get their act together. Be interesting to see if the Americans can get youth and women to turnout in November.
An opportunity lost in 2020? The global pandemic.
It wasn't Labour timidity, it was getting the civil service to get policy and law sorted out in three years – although less because Ardern left early and then Hipkins scaled things back when he saw the lack of progress.
timidity? The second term was taken up by the global pandemic.
NZ‘s Covid-19 response one of best in world
https://sunlive.co.nz/news/315642-nzs-covid19-response-one-of-best-world.html?post=315642-nzs-covid19-response-one-of-best-world.html
New Zealand Covid response saved 20,000 lives, study says
https://sunlive.co.nz/news/315642-nzs-covid19-response-one-of-best-world.html?post=315642-nzs-covid19-response-one-of-best-world.html
Come on, the last Labour government was killed by taking the very bold step of sealing off Auckland to contain a Covid outbreak there.
At that point they lost Auckland, and lost the 2023 election. And would have known that before they did it.
They put the welfare of the population, ahead of their own political expediency. Not really the mark of a timid government.
And decent public health services?
Really good article and some good points.
Disagree with your take on the wealthy and Labour needing to raise and spend more. Labour spent more money that any other political party for the 2023 election including spending over 1 million more dollars than National!.
https://elections.nz/democracy-in-nz/historical-events/2023-general-election/party-expenses/
Your depiction of what constitutes the working class is so crudely reductionist it's hard to know whether you’re being serious, or taking the proverbial. Assuming the former, the core question is whether the NZLP continues to be the left of neo-liberalism, ie doing NL capitalism’s housework, or it refocuses & opposes it.
You list all the sectors (the memberships of all of which overlap to varying degrees) which the LP could mine for votes by identifying & promising to address issues that matter to that sector. Like a political Christmas present list.
The unions, the largest membership of which currently is in the public sector & much of it in the “white collar” sector of the working class, should get a recommitment to MCEAs, removal of 90 day trials, & “stopping low-skill immigration that suppresses wages. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt & assume you actually mean preventing employers from abusing migrant labour in order to suppress wages, but I’m curious why the unions’ gifts don’t include such things as raising the minimum wage, or requiring all employers to encourage/facilitate union membership…
Many of the people in the white collar TUs will have done quite well out of NLsm, to date at least, & what appeals to them will not necessarily appeal as much or at all to the large number of the employed & unemployed members of the “precariat" who aren’t on your list despite most of them buckling under various forms of debt & living from one pay or benefit day to the next all too often in sub-standard, expensive housing. (Also excluded are all the previously directly employed people who've been forced or conned into becoming self-employed contractors, consultants etc.)
There aren’t 2.5m women; half the total population is female but quite a few are still girls. That aside, you claim, “Most women are left leaning” … In what universe, pray tell? As we're not even allowed to talk about sex-based issues, good luck with recruiting & retaining women.
BTW, your statement that Labour needs to“find a commanding female” sounds like you’re looking for some sort of political dominatrix.
Māori people aren’t a monolithic Labour-voting bloc, & like Pasifika people, they’re disproportionately concentrated in low to middle income households. Ah, that pesky intersection between class & ethnicity again, some of the complications of which are illustrated by your statement about “low-skilled immigration that suppresses wages", a lot of which comes from the Pacific. (A claim about “excessive theatricality” among Māori activists is not a vote winner, BTW.)
The intersections between class & race that need to be addressed are also to be found in the grossly skewed, in terms of class & ethnicity, prison population & the numbers held on remand about which Labour should’ve done more when in office. If it’s to do so in future, it will have to confront the police & the judiciary as well as that bastion of reaction, the law & order lobby.
You note the wide disparity in the political leanings of the large voluntary sector & your notion about gaining votes there is nothing more solid than an appeal to their better natures, given, “all of them think about more than self-interest”. It’s easy to shelve or appear to shelve self-interest when you are financially & socially secure; watch what happens if a party proposes anything which even appears to threaten that security.
The voluntary sector as a source of Labour votes was a hard act to follow but you managed to surpass it with the proposal to poach the conservation-minded members of the LP’s natural ally, not passing up the opportunity to crudely caricature that ally’s current leadership. You pitch conservation as being about protecting existing land & marine reserves which avoids the thorny wider issues of the reliance of the country’s primary industry on a vast array of imported chemicals & energy-hungry irrigation, & our continued reliance on extractive industries that yield short term, private profits while stocking up immense, long term social costs, eg. such phenomena as the world’s leading loss of topsoil, pollution of soil & water….
No populist appeal is complete without a foray into nationalism. Neo-liberalism has global reach & aspires to total global domination. At the same time as it has worked towards total globalisation, it has promoted forms of hyper-nationalism, from breaking former federations into tiny, often barely sustainable nation states, to fomenting appeals to an always idealised former greatness, or a simpler, more stable past, etc.
Your argument in relation to Auckland can be summed up as buying votes by making life a bit nicer for Aucklanders eg, free public transport for Auckland when most of the country outside the main centres has almost no public transport at all.
I’m not at all sure LGBTI people – those disparate, fractious, excessively theatrical people who aren't all snow-flake liberals & who find success attractive but need loads of mental health support will vote Labour if you’re a measure of the understanding of the issues.
The oldies – FFS, if you want to pull more of that bloc into voting Labour, may I politely suggest you dispense with disparaging terminology.
Finally, the wealthy. The only way people wealthy enough to swing elections would fund a Labour campaign is if Labour intended to do nothing that would threaten their wealth, which is hard to square with the LP doing things that would make a tangible, long term difference to those at the other end of the wealth/power spectrum.
Well said. To me Advantages post seems focused on a vote-getting strategy, while jettisoning any principles or aims Labour and the labour movement ever had eg: including making life better for those struggling on low incomes, restoring much need public services so they provide adequately for all Kiwis who need them, re-vitalising the unions, etc.
At a first glance, I agree with your comment.
👏
Good on you for responding.
"Working class" was defined at the top. The rest are categories out of census data.
On unions. I identified them as a group not an exhaustive policy list. It was long enough.
Maori are indeed identifiable as both group and as interests. Don't be squeamish, the stats are super-clear and the Treaty quite unique.
On the Greens and conservation, stop whining, the Greens are weak in it and they've split on precisely that faultline multiple times.
Yes, you buy Auckland votes. It's called redistribution and you need to educate yourself on it.
Yes appeals to nationalism is populist. Democracy really is a popularity contest and it's also about winning votes. Clearly you don't know that. Learn.
If you haven't noticed the departure of LGBTI from Labour to National you have been asleep. Wake up.
You don't like terminology. No one gives a fuck about your feelings. In politics feelings are for losers.
The Greens and NZF and ACT understand you don't win withh VFL and raffles. Rich donors is how you win, and yes, winning in politics is everything.
"Working class" was defined at the top.
Your definition was reductionist to the point of caricature, and illustrated everything that is wrong with being simply the left of Neo-liberalism which, in essence, is a capitulation to Neo-liberal political and economic dogma.
On unions. I identified them as a group not an exhaustive policy list.
Why are there still unions if there is no working class any more? Why are so many of the most vulnerable workers not in unions? Why has the precariat grown so much as advances wrested out of capital and compliant govts by organised labour have been rolled back? Why did Neo-lib compliant govts collude with or even lead attacks on organised labour at precisely the same time as they conceded formal rights to women and marginalised sections of society? Whatever happened to internationalism?
Maori are indeed identifiable as both group and as interests. Don't be squeamish, the stats are super-clear and the Treaty quite unique.
You’d have to clarify your meaning for me to respond to this.
On the Greens and conservation, stop whining, the Greens are weak in it and they've split on precisely that faultline multiple times.
Your insulting tone aside, you sidestep the point I made about the distinction you drew between conservation and wider ecological issues. If you are advocating competing with National in poaching the blue-greens, say so.
Yes, you buy Auckland votes. It's called redistribution and you need to educate yourself on it.
No thank you; it holds no political or critical appeal because it is short termism – expedience over-riding political and economic logic, and natural justice. Buy affluent votes in Auckland; lose more elsewhere.
Yes appeals to nationalism is populist. Democracy really is a popularity contest and it's also about winning votes. Clearly you don't know that. Learn.
Crude nationalism is the refuge of political scoundrels. Democracy is certainly staged as a popularity contest by people for whom it is a means to an essentially un-popular (in the sense of benefitting only a few) political end. For people who purport to be on the left to emulate that level of manipulative cynicism is unacceptable.
If you haven't noticed the departure of LGBTI from Labour to National you have been asleep. Wake up.
If you want to win back those who have seen an advantage in voting for National, I suggest you take account of my comments on the nature of the words you used to describe this diverse group of people, who’ve been lumped together largely for purposes of lobbying for political influence and funding. You should also reflect on the reasons why socially conservative members of the LGB+ aggregation might vote for a right wing party but that would require re-opening a debate which has been banned from this platform.
You don't like terminology. No one gives a fuck about your feelings. In politics feelings are for losers.
Says he with great feeling…..
The Greens and NZF and ACT understand you don't win withh VFL and raffles. Rich donors is how you win, and yes, winning in politics is everything.
Rich donors is almost invariably the way you sell out all those at the ever increasing polar end of the wealth/power spectrum.
When people resort to peremptory instructions – learn, wake up, stop whining – it’s usually evidence they’ve reached the limit of their capacity to construct a reasoned response. Resorting to foot stamping, toy tossing, bullying, and ad hominem attacks is lazy and self defeating behaviour because it generates angry responses, which are never productive, it promotes division, it distracts from the essence of critically important debates, and it stops people engaging. You know, all those things we have to promote in order to build an effective opposition.
Agree with your statements, TWW.
This:
Good question.The neoliberal shift was a time of reconfiguring society in the interests of the dominant classes (patriarchal and capitalist).
It was at a time when more women were entering the work force and higher education. Partly it meant a lot of women, especially in lower paid and more insecure jobs were appropriated as a reserve army of labour. This was at a time when it became necessary for a families with children to have both parents working in order to continue to participate in the increasingly consumerist, user pays, neoliberal society and economy.
Popular feminism also began to be reconfigured around the sexualised, increasingly athletic and gym-honed body displays of girl power. Seemingly breaking previous sex-based stereotypes, while actually marking out women as still being secondary to men and on display for the benefit of heterosexual males.
This was also part of a wider shift to a focus on working on bodily presentation and body modification as a way of creating an identity – something that required increasing consumption of products and services, as predatory capitalists looked for new areas of life to commodify and extract profits from.
This opened the way for liberal feminism to shift away from a sex-based movement, to one of identity construction – open to change and focused a lot on bodily presentation.
These are just part of the widespread changes that occurred in the context of and in concert with the neoliberal shift.
What policies would Labour develop to truly support women in lower paid and more precarious work, and to support single mothers on benefits in significant ways that would attract their votes? And to change the culture and economic system so a lot of women are not so pressured to do more domestic duties than men, while also giving birth and nurturing babies, holding down a job, and not being financially dependent on their partners?
Voters can be simplified into largely four types in the New Zealand context (specifically over the last decade):
Labour won many of the 2, 3, and 4 categories in the 2020 landslide, but most of them disappeared in 2023. Why? Several reasons, but its increasingly clear that it wasnt a vote for National (and their coalition partners).
This same phenomenon, to an extent also happened in 2008. Labour has not delivered in the spirit which it promised. It promises to be transformational, but honestly has not inspired the voter loyalty that would deliver multiple majorities. It has to abandon this incrementalism approach and deliver real results for a great majority of people, and stop being afraid of the opposition – they will still campaign against them regardless.
For example, Labour should be promising to nationalise the generation of electricity, with the aim to providing affordable, clean energy to households and businesses throughout the country. Declare that “the Bradford reforms have failed“. Adding both the Onslow pumped hydro project (which needs to be shovels in the ground within 2 years of coming to power), and a commitment to put solar panels on the roof of Kainga Ora properties and government departments, this is a realistic possibility.
The next government needs to focus reducing the cost of utilities, be it electricity, water, rates, insurance etc; in addition to housing. When people can't afford to pay these, they and their families quality of life is harmed.
Agree on electricity. Starmer's plan to base the new national electricity company in Scotland is also v serious devolution. Imagine that applied to Taranaki.
Onslow isn't coming back. Taranaki wind is the play. With the Danes, Germans, Infratil, Australian plsyers, and NZSuper.
I'll ignore the jibes about the working class (hint – ever wondered why South Dunedin is so Labour? You know, the electorate that produces more party votes for Labour than anywhere else in the country?).
But I thought I'd laugh about this in particular:
Aucklanders. That’s about 1.7 million people, and again 2023 showed Labour can’t win power without it.
Auckland is economically right-wing, socially conservative, and obsessed with culture war. It voted for National/ACT overwhelmingly in early voting, which implied it had made up its mind far quicker than the rest of the country. And yes, Auckland has plenty of people. But most New Zealanders still don't live there.
The South Island has a quarter of New Zealand's population, and is not obsessed with culture war. It traditionally votes to the Left of the North Island, and it swung to National much later in the 2023 campaign, which implies it was willing to give Labour a go.
It's also worth remembering that the Luxon Cabinet is 95% North Island, and is also very Auckland-heavy. Which rather suggests that if Labour focussed on provincial alienation, there are opportunities. Leave the culture war nonsense for the Greens, and realise that appealing to rich right-wingers in Auckland is a lost cause. The key role for Labour in Auckland ought to be getting out the South Auckland vote.
Nice to see some SI analysis