There are certain events in the history of the Labour Party that stick in my mind.
I was just a kid on election night in 1984 when Lange became PM and the country was finally rid of Muldoon. The day Lange resigned was an enormous shock. Less so the day Andrew Little resigned, but I certainly remember it as the day Jacinda became leader. Then the biggest shock of all, the day that she resigned as Prime Minister.
Yesterday was a different kind of day, but one that I think will stick with me for some time, a key moment in this election. With Chris Hipkins calling a press conference to announce who he would, and who he wouldn’t, work with. Then, as importantly, what sort of campaign he would run and who he would represent.
Lately I’ve felt a bit impatient with Labour, wanting them to draw a line in the sand and be really clear what they stand for, and how that’s different to the opposition. They might lose the election, I really hope they don’t, but better to go down fighting, saying this is who we are, than going down with a whimper, too afraid to say much, lest it might offend someone.
Well now they have, and I thought it was bloody great.
I was delighted by Labour announcing that they won't work with New Zealand First, ACT or National, but that they will work with the Greens and Te Pāti Māori.
That provides a clear picture to Kiwis of what they are choosing between. Ruling out the prospect of post polling shenanigans from Winston seeking to extract the largest baubles, or the most pork barrels for the North, that he can obtain.
Sometimes there are worse things than losing.
I imagine those Labour, and Green, MPs who had the experience of working with Winston last term were not exactly excited by the prospect of doing so again. Albeit that it wasn’t looking like a likely outcome, given that Winston had already ruled out working with them.
“New Zealand First has become a party more interested in toilets, rather than a party focused on what matters most to New Zealanders", said Hipkins. “He's seeking to make trans people the enemy in this campaign."
Winston Peters described this as “humbug”, despite the fact that the Party website lists the following election 2023 commitment:
“We will pass legislation to ensure that all new public organisations that provide publicly used facilities, including in areas of sport, education or commercially, must provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. In addition, all current provision of publicly used facilities will not allow anyone access to facilities which are designed for the opposite sex use.”
Humbug indeed.
Hipkins spoke of what we’ve seen from NZF, ACT, and National, seeking to gain votes through playing one group in society off against another. Engaging in the negative attack ads, and the culture wars, that have seen US politics degrade into the cesspool it is today.
Hipkins said the three parties were more interested in imported culture wars than every day issues. He highlighted National MP Simon O’Connor’s post celebrating the US Supreme Court overturning Roe vs Wade, Act leader David Seymour’s comparison of co-governance with apartheid, and New Zealand First’s fixation with which toilet people use.
"Whether you're Māori, Pasifika, Pākehā, gay, straight, born here, migrated here, a man, a woman, trans, young, old or different in your own way, I am in it for you", Chris said.
As an aside, people talk about Culture Wars like they’re a bad thing. But if you replace that term with Social Progress instead, it’s a lot more accurate. A culture war isn’t a battle of ideas, it is one group wanting to hold onto privilege and bigotry, and the other group saying yeah nah, it’s time we left that stuff in the past.
There is no war on Christmas, people aren’t choosing who they are so they can use a particular bathroom, Māori don’t want extra privileges, they just want what’s fair.
The social progress made, and the values of inclusion and acceptance are really important to people on the left, to Labour folks, and to the Greens. I was so happy to hear him talking about this. It wasn’t as polished and rehearsed as some speeches I’ve seen him give, but it was heartfelt and genuine.
Of course these values are not the preserve of the left. Many across the board will no doubt have been dismayed at some of the things our politicians have said. People might have a variety of reasons for wanting to see a change in government, but I’m sure many on the right share these same values of inclusion and acceptance.
I suspect many on the right might also agree with this statement from Chris Hipkins:
“The rhetoric I'm hearing from Winston Peters in this election means I just don't see any compatibility with my vision for an inclusive, progressive and prosperous society,
Winston Peters and New Zealand First are a force for instability and chaos, and that's the last thing the country needs right now.”
Surely people want to know which parties will work together to form a government, we hate not knowing that. After all the games Winston has played, for three decades, surely everyone has had enough by now?
The obvious thing for National, considering they, like Labour, don’t really want to go into coalition with NZF, would be to also rule them out. But Luxon won’t do that.
John Key was prepared to make a principled stand and rule out Winston Peters, refusing to allow the minority party to hold his government to ransom. Christopher Luxon won’t do so, and he looks weak as a result.
Luxon is essentially saying he is happy to win, in any way possible, with anyone who can help him do so. That winning is more important to him than any principles.
The National leader described Chris Hipkins, after his speech, as “desperate and negative”. I wonder how many refinements that phrase went through with focus groups, and how many times we’ll hear it in the next six week?
Apparently what the rest of us might have interpreted as being clear and principled, saying who you’ll work with, who you won’t, and why, to National is being desperate and negative.
There is some irony in there, I’d go looking but I’m worried it would fall on me and squash me as flat as a David Seymour joke about blowing up brown people.
Christopher Luxon said of Hipkins’ speech, “I understand it because he has no record to run on and he has no ideas to take the country forward. We have a very positive campaign.”
There is so much wrong in this single quote.
I’m not sure how Christopher Luxon, a first term MP with absolutely no experience in government, can say that the Prime Minister of New Zealand, who has held multiple ministerial roles through some very hard times for our country, “has no record to run on”? It’s just bizarre.
It was also a bit rich for Luxon to say Hipkins “has no ideas to take the country forward”, when National still won’t release their tax policy, and the rest of what they’ve announced are old policies, tried multiple times before, and proven time and time again not to work - like boot camps for children.
Of course the real reason Luxon was so angry is that far from saying he would not engage in culture wars, Hipkins was actually firing the first volley.
He wasn’t just saying a vote for National is a vote for a New Zealand First coalition, he was also saying it was a vote in support of the bigotry against Māori, trans people, and other groups, that has been coming from the National Party, as well as ACT and NZF.
He was saying - there is the line NZ, I’m not prepared to cross it and target minority groups, are you? To make us think - which side of the line are we on?
I’ve been wanting Chippy to put that line in the ground and show what he stands for, and he has. I think it was a bold move and I admire him for doing it. He spoke for many of us.
“I have news for all those who try to divide us and take us backwards - you will ultimately fail, because Kiwis have always regarded unity as more important than division.”
“I liked the part when the guitarist melted my face off for 4 straight minutes” - someone on YouTube. Certainly a spectacularly good solo, and a very nice cover.
Yep a great statement and a sense the tide is turning on several fronts. Luxons spiteful reaction very interesting, lol. Projection?? 🤔
"Clear and principled" yes.