ACT Attacks

Seymour demands Māori and Greens be kept from government.

I was swimming in the harbour of your smile
Splashing in the ocean like a child
I didn’t know what dangers lurked there
Just beyond the waves
Shark attack

Songwriters: Eddie Rayner / Tim Finn.

---

Our next election is most likely to be held on November 7, 2026, so fingers crossed we’re entering the final stretch with this coalition.

What has become clear, especially since the announcement of Labour’s CGT, is that the coalition will not campaign on their own performance but will instead target Labour and its potential allies over what they may have done in the past and what they might do in the future.

NZ First has been relatively quiet, other than complaining that they be given recognition for trade deals in SE Asia, as the PM acts as if he is solely responsible for such agreements, unlike most things his government does, where he denies all knowledge.

Perhaps understandably, NZ First is keeping a low profile at the moment, as it is doing quite well in the polls, so why risk things by rubbing people’s noses in it?

Why bring attention to your pro-fossil-fuel policies when we see dramatic climatic events both here and overseas, and if you’ve expanded your voting base by appealing to the anti-vax set, then keeping quiet during a Measles outbreak, which has been caused by lower than required immunisation levels, is probably for the best.

Understanding that immunisation and climate change are “woke” is much easier when the consequences of not taking them seriously are not so front of mind.

National, of course, have howled at the idea of a CGT targeting not only many of their supporters, but also their own MPs. Nicola Willis has stamped her feet and demanded that it would be catastrophic if the left took over the economy, even though she herself has driven the bus off a cliff while behind the wheel.

David Seymour has focused on the minor parties of the left at a time when his own party is slipping in the polls.

Rather than address the fact that his brand has become known for being anti-Māori, pro-Israel, anti-worker’s rights, anti fair pay for women, pro-privatisation of our schools, regardless of whether they want to become charter schools, and even anti-welfare standards for pigs, he opts to target others.

It’s only natural that ACT would oppose the policies of the Greens; the two are diametrically opposed. What is more surprising is that Seymour seems to believe that he is more intelligent than Chlöe Swarbrick. He also held similar delusions of being smarter than Jacinda.

David Seymour. Image: BeFunky.

Now I’ve seen both Swarbrick and Seymour speak, and I can assure you that it’s no contest. Chlöe spoke eloquently and passionately with a clear vision for what we can achieve without focusing on other parties. Seymour, on the other hand, came across like a cocky fourth former trying out for the debating team. I found him arrogant and juvenile, whereas Chlöe was inspiring.

Unfortunately, Te Pāti Māori are currently making it easy for others to portray them as unstable and ill-disciplined. Without knowing the details, it’s hard to determine whether the issue is due to dictatorial behaviour on the part of the two co-leaders or whether this is more of a coup, with others seeking to take the leadership.

Image: NZ Herald.

One thing that does seem certain is that John Tamihere’s involvement is unlikely to help the situation; he hardly has a reputation as a mature peace-maker. The sooner wise heads prevail, the better.

It may be that this conflict won’t overly harm TPM’s chances in individual Māori electorates, but it is making a rod for Chippys’s back for the opposition to beat him with over the prospect of TPM being in the next government.

If things continue like this, Hipkins will undoubtedly need to distance himself from TPM, and in my view, that would be a great shame. However, realistically, you can’t sell a political party to the public that is struggling to manage itself as being up for helping to govern the country.

Seymour was always going to attack Te Pāti Māori; it was always going to involve some pretty unsubtle dog-whistling, and when he released his videos yesterday to mark Halloween, depicting the horror of the two left-wing parties gaining power, he didn’t disappoint.

Here is his video on TPM. If you’re not into horrors, don’t worry, the only thing terrifying about it is the prospect that the man talking might again negotiate concessions that appeal to his supporters while damaging our country and our society.

My comment posting the clip was, “How pathetic and racist, what an absolute bellend.” I thought the way he described Māori putting their hands in your pockets to take your money was particularly repugnant.

It reminded me of when Jenny Shipley described “Pacific Islanders climbing through people’s windows at night”, which caused such outrage back in 2000 that it was front-page news and she was forced to apologise. No one is going to blink an eye over Seymour’s insinuation here, and I doubt Seymour has apologised in his life.

Penelope commented, “Do we have to copy the hideous behaviour of the USA? Honestly. This dysfunctional, dishonest and manipulative creep needs to go.”

I hate to tell you, Penelope, but we’ve been like the US for some time now—dirty politics, playing the man rather than the ball, and dishonest messaging to deceive voters. The only aspect of American-style politics that is new under this government has been the level of lobbying. It often seems that this government is merely there to meet the demands of lobbyists.

Tim wrote, “Oh, look, it’s trying to be relevant, at least Rimmer on red dwarf knew he was a smegging twat. This midget still has its head up its arse.” A little harsh of Tim there, Seymour isn’t that short - I can’t argue with the rest, though.

Marilyn said, “What an absolutely nasty, racist person! We must keep ACT out, as their 8% has turned into over-the-top policy implementation and political influence.”

I don’t know if Seymour is genuinely racist or whether he pretends to be to gain votes, but either way, I agree with Marilyn. The attacks by this government on Māori and te Tiriti have been a divisive distraction and do no credit to any government MP who remains silent in the face of Seymour’s endless tune upon that whistle.

Patrick posted this as a response:

Take that, Seymour, and Gerry, how out of touch the two of them seem at a time when the world can see we have a rising star in Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who has inspired many. I don’t even want to think about the sort of people that David Seymour inspires.

There were a lot of descriptions of Seymour, “Stephen Miller wannabe”, “arrogant prick”, “nasty little shit”, “dirty stinking racist scumbag”, “an immature little poser”, and those were the more polite ones.

Seymour ended the video with what looks like becoming his catch-phrase for the election, “we must keep them out”. What a positive appeal, no policies or visions for improving the country, just warnings about the opposition and Seymour ending it as if he were a tough guy by delivering his phrase as if saying “they will not pass”.

He also did one for the Greens, confirming yet again his fear of intelligent women, with the focus on Chlöe.

A man who you wouldn’t put in charge of opening a packet of chips expressed horror at the idea of Chlöe being involved in running the government.

Juliet commented, “It’s not even clever.. It’s low grade like he is.”

That stuck me too, as well as the racism and misogyny, just how naff his attack ads are. C’mon, Seymour, you’ve got plenty of funds, I’m sure, from satisfied lobbyists, can’t you do a bit better than wearing a suit to the beach and slapping a horror clip on the front?

What do you think of the two clips? They certainly don’t augur well for an informed debate at the next election.

I’ll leave it there, and have a good Saturday, all you lovely people.

This week has been the worst I’ve experienced for subscriptions, so if you’re not yet a subscriber and enjoy my writing, I would very much appreciate your support for just $2 per week.

If you’re already a subscriber, you might consider upgrading to the patron level or perhaps gifting a subscription to someone who might enjoy reading Nick’s Kōrero. Thank you very much if you’re able to help.

Ngā mihi,
Nick.

To end today, here’s Split Enz with Shark Attack. Go on, David, step a bit closer to the water…