Hone and a New Left Party
Party hierarchy to decide next step
A hui called to consider a complaint against maverick Maori Party MP Hone Harawira has done nothing to solve the problem and has instead increased tension within the party over his criticism of its coalition with National.
The party hierarchy will now decide what to do next, and the complaint is back in the hands of the national council.
National know that even IF Rodney wins Epsom (a huge IF) the David Garrett hypocrisy means that the raw meat Sensible Sentencing Trust brand is too damaged to bring in the extra ACT MP's to give them the certainty of a majority in Parliament for them to remain as the Government, so National have put enormous pressure on the Stockholm syndrome Maori Party to dump Hone so that the Maori Party can be the new default confidence and supply partner.
That's why Mai Chen has been sent in to do the knife work, National can't rely on the Maori Party for that confidence and supply partner if Hone is in the mix.
The question Hone needs to ask himself as the Maori Party move to expel him is where does he continue his fight for a social justice that now goes beyond the needs of Maori and impacts all beneficiaries and minimum wage earners?
He could chose to be an independent and be one vote against an anti-beneficiary, anti-environmental, anti-worker National Government OR he could form a New Left Party and with his electorate seat provide an entry point to Sue Bradford, Matt McCarten and other prominent left wing politicians to change the MMP math away from the right wing.
If not us? Who?
If not now? When?
posted by Bomber @ 1:10 pm
8 comments
8 Comments:
Hone Harawira has, to date, been a Maori activist. For him to transform himself into something else at this point in his light would require a revolution of mind that I think very unlikely he would undertake. I don't KNOW he won't....but I'd put money on it not happening. Winston Peters - warts and all - remains a more serious and perhaps even sincere 'champion' of the average kiwi in a populist sense.
Here is why I disagree, the issues of poverty confronting Maori are the exact same issues confronting beneficiaries and minimum wage earners, and the simple truth is that Winston will not go with Labour and prop up the Greens and the Maori Party - Winston is the prodigal son going home to National.
The left need better allies than NZ First
Are you sure Hone doesnt want the MP leadership, sinking the hopes of a new left party.....
http://www.3news.co.nz/Maori-Party-takeover-Harawiras-plan-A---blog/tabid/1382/articleID/196264/Default.aspx
The problem with Gowers analysis is that he doesn't factor in that the MP elite won't allow Hone to do that, they are going to throw him out well before he begins his tour - once outside the Party Hone will need to decide what he wants to do - be an independent or form a new party.
It would be great if Hone became the leader of the MP, but that's going to be a harder thing to accomplish than creating something new with Matt and Sue
Bomber
The problems "confronting (long term) beneficiaries" could be easily overcome if the buggers got off their arse and got a job.
big bruv, tell me, where do you propose these jobs come from?
Bomber,
I agree with your general synopsis, ACT is damaged, and can expect unwelcome reviews by the Media leading up to election.
But Hone is dog tucker for the immediate future. The radical left is a dead as comrade Trotsky.
I also agree that Winston would not go with Labour, and the general tenor of Steve Withers comments above.
A straight forward confrontation with John Key will ensue if NZ First gets 5%.
This possibility would be a time to sell out your and Tim's massive reserves of NZ currency Bomber.
The baby boomers could decide this next election, and they will vote for NZFirst, crown ownership of foreshore.
However I don't know how Winston will be able to tell older people he is going to devalue our currency.
"Are you sure Hone doesn't want the MP leadership, sinking the hopes of a new left party....."
If Hone becomes leader of the MP, then the MP becomes a left party and problem solved...simple as that.
While Hone has always put identity (Maori rights) before a class struggle, this may not be the case for much longer.
Hone's ideological stance came about during the 1970s when the class divide was not so prominent, but recently culturalism has resulted in Maori shooting themselves in the foot, leaving them struggling economically, and making little progress culturally.
Hone is the only Maori with any voice/power that is reviving the class struggle and he wants to put it at the centre of the culturalist model.
Power has been taken and maintained by a few since the late 1970s by enforcing neo-libralism with a token touch of culturalism.
Hone is in the process of uniting both cultural and class struggles...as they should be. Its a natural union the should have occurred years ago.
At the moment it seems Hone cannot lose, either the Maori Party will make class a central issue, or he will start a class orientated party from a Maori perspective.
No wonder SDM, big bruv etc are getting the knickers in a knot, the racist and economically unequal society that they profit from and champion looks under threat...best they can hope for is Hone becomes independent and his voice is muffled, but I doubt Hone will let this opportunity pass by doing that.
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