Yellow Mellow

Parmar ponders prison; Chippy smashes it; Bishop Bails; and Te Pāti Māori wait.

Yellow mellow, yellow mellow
Hello, hello, yellow mellow
Yellow mellow, yellow mellow
Oh, marmalade

Songwriters: Baden Jack Donegal / Nicholas Paul Blom / Mitchell Kenneth Galbraith / Lachlan George Galbraith / Thomas Patrick O'Brien / Angus Owen Goodwin.

---

What a mad day in politics. In yesterday’s newsletter, I expressed hope that politicians from the left would join in protest outside Parliament in solidarity with Te Pāti Māori. But, I didn’t anticipate it happening so soon or in this manner:

As I prepared this last night, that moment above was a good anecdote to a day of high drama, disappointment, and an unpleasant discovery…

Lock ‘em up!

Before we head to Parliament, it’s worth noting that on the day the Te Pāti Māori suspensions were to be debated, we discovered which member of the Privileges Committee had explored the option of imprisoning them.

In what must have been a surprise to few, it was ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar - what an absolute van Velden!

Parmjeet Parmar - when the National Party, which you previously represented, says - yeah, nah, we’re good, and so you have to move to ACT.

How do we have an MP who would even consider locking other MPs up for something that any fair-minded person could see was an emotional reaction under provocation? Warranting some penalty, perhaps, but not being locked behind bars. For god’s sake, what was she thinking?

Actually, scrub that, we know precisely what Ms Parmar was thinking.

A grim opening.

Following a combative Question Time, the debate began, with Collins moving that the three Te Māori Pāti MPs be suspended.

Chair of the Privileges Committee, Judith Collins, reads out the recommendations to suspend the three Te Pāti Māori MPs. Credit: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone.

Anticipating many hours of speeches, I noted, “Bring popcorn, this may take a while.”

I could feel time slowing down and wondered if the image of Maureen Pugh behind Crusher was a still, but then she moved; it was like the reptile section at the Zoo. Not to cast aspersions on the intellect of lizards.

"I am a robust debater", said Judith, "but I follow the rules." Is that right, Judith? History tends to suggest otherwise.

Then Judith said that the haka isn't banned, but they would have needed to seek permission from the speaker first.

Seriously, what planet is she on?

Think about that for a moment, Judith Collins telling the Māori defendants that they could’ve done their haka if only they had obtained the go-ahead from Gerry Brownlee first. Do these people even hear themselves?

Chippy smashes it.

After that, it was over to Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who decisively stated that the three MPs should be censured, that the two leaders ought to be suspended for 24 hours after the budget, and that Hanna should receive no further punishment.

It seemed a sensible compromise to me, and it was good to hear someone talking sense.

Framing the offence, Hipkins pointed out that the non-appearance of Te Pāti Māori MPs at the committee was irrelevant as they are fully entitled to do so. It was good to reduce the noise and focus on the actual issue.

Chippy informed us that the clerk's advice to the committee was that suspension is a rare occurrence and that a lengthy suspension would represent a significant change, which should only occur with broad support. He said the long suspension appeared to have been plucked out of the air, and there was no justification given for its length.

Hipkins laid out that the committee had not followed its own rules, which should have resulted in an escalation from a 24-hour suspension to 7 days, 14 days, and then 21 days, rather than proceeding directly to the severest penalty on the first offence.

Credit: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone.

Chippy was clear and well-spoken; He took a sensible position, and he sounded like a leader. "This is not a tinpot dictatorship or a banana republic", he said.

I thought it was a bloody outstanding speech. If you’re interested, you can read it here.

Even Tau Henare, who knows a thing or two about acting up in parliament, reckoned it was pretty good.

Bishop bails.

After Chippy’s speech, Chris Bishop called to adjourn the debate, so that the TPM members could attend the budget, he said, or was it to close things down?

It made sense to put a hold on things - heck, why not suspend the whole thing until after the election? But why the hell was he doing it now - it just seemed so cowardly.

Was this Bishop’s plan all along or did the National Party see just how badly things were going after Chippy’s outstanding speech and pull the plug?

Maybe that sounds conspiratorial, but if you wanted to adjourn for the stated reasons, why wait until twenty minutes into the debate? To put it another way, do you think they would’ve pulled the plug if Collins had managed an ounce of human warmth and Chippy hadn’t knocked it out of the park?

I find it dishonest of National to take the heat off themselves by dragging this out until June; the whole thing is a farce, and where is the justice for Te Pāti Māori?

By remarkable coincidence, the debate was adjourned just minutes before the protest outside was scheduled to begin.

Irene noted, “No wonder he was sitting there smirking at the beginning, great big girl's blouse.”

At best, if this wasn’t about damage control, then why waste everyone’s time? What a ridiculous game; this matters, and Bishop was playing silly buggers.

The Protest.

Image: BeFunky.

I received an email with photos from your fellow reader Heather, who was at the protest, and I cheekily asked if she had a few words about the afternoon, which she has generously shared:

I arrived just at 3.30 pm. The diverse crowd of tamariki, rangatahi, mothers with babies and many 'mature folk' was relaxed, and I greeted those I knew. The majority were Māori, but there were also many Pākehā. Quite a lot of unions, a good number of Māori wardens amongst the crowd, and a few police well back.

It felt like a safe, inspiring and inclusive environment.

We were greeted by mana whenua and then coached in the 'Ka Mate Haka' by a Ngati Toa representative, who also shared the haka's whakapapa.

The lawyer for the three TPM members spoke of the dangers of the upcoming Regulatory Standards Bill, referring to it as the Treaty Principles Bill, Mark 2.

When the three MPs came out, the crowd surged forward and burst into a rousing 'Ka mate'

They seemed genuinely moved by the crowd, and each spoke from the heart.

I slipped away as Hana finished speaking at 5 pm. Enough standing still (for a nana), and it was quite cool by then.

Thanks very much for the on-the-ground report, Heather, and for the following photos:

Photos: Heather Thompson.

I thought it was a disappointing act by Chris Bishop, the National Party, and their coalition partners, who supported it, wasting the time of the protestors outside without care, because those people don’t matter to them.

Interviewed afterwards, Marama Davidson accurately described it as bullying.

What we saw was a government that knew it could cynically use its majority to impose absurd punishments and then halt the resulting debate when it didn’t suit them, regardless of any concept of justice.

What do you think about that?

Thanks for reading today. I keep much of my mahi open to all. However, if you can afford to contribute, I would greatly appreciate your support.

Gold cardholders are eligible for a permanent 20% discount. Additionally, if you’re a student or your income is currently tight, you're welcome to an introductory offer of 30% off for a year.

To end, this might not be the song some of you were expecting, today it’s 'Yellow Mellow’ by Ocean Alley. Have a good one folks.

Ngā mihi,
Nick.