What ever happened to our Trade Unions?

Decision 14

Victory for the right.

The National Party were handed a third term in office when voters overwhelmingly rejected the prospect of a broad left alliance, and returned John Key’s government to the treasury benches. Collecting over 48% of the total votes cast, National increased its majority, and although it does not need coalition partners in order to govern, Key has signaled he will work with United Future, ACT, and the Maori Party. National’s potential partners in government scored barely 2% of the vote between them, yet leaders of all three maybe be rewarded with senior government positions. United Future’s Peter Dunne will almost certainly return to cabinet despite his party polling less (0.22%) than the Legalise Cannabis Party (0.41%).

Despite the millions thrown at their campaigns, both the Conservatives and Internet Mana failed to get a single MP into the house. Colin Craig’s Conservative Party substantially increased their vote from 2011, but fell just short of the required 5% threshold. Kim Dot Com’s Internet Party in conjunction with Mana scored 1.26% of the vote, but Mana leader Hone Harawira lost his electorate seat to Labour, putting an end to the party’s parliamentary hopes.

Defeat for the left.

In what was a resounding defeat for the forces of the left, the Green Party held its ground, polling around 10%. In an election which saw a large swing to the right, this was a remarkably good performance, and augurs well for the future of the Greens.

  

But the real story of the 2014 election was the further collapse of the Labour vote. While Labour did well overall in the electorates, and exceptionally well in capturing all but one of the Maori seats, its party vote sunk to a record low of 24%. 

The Master

So why have so many voters deserted Labour? For the answer, look no further than the master of political savvy, the right honourable, Winston Peters. During this, and every other election campaign in recent memory, Mr. Peters is constantly asked the question: “Who will you support in a potential coalition government?” The answer is always the same: “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Predictably, this recalcitrance on the part of the New Zealand First leader, attracts considerable ire from the frustrated media. Commentators and reporters routinely resort to melordrama and hyperbole: “You owe it to the voters Mr. Peters to declare your intentions” and: “You have a duty to your supporters,” etc., etc. Water off a ducks back to the steadfast Winston, who knows exactly what he is doing. There is absolutely no necessity to prematurely declare any post election intentions. Mr. Peters considerably increased his share of the vote at this election (8.85%), and in all probability a substantial number of those came from disaffected Labour supporters. How many of those voters, and all the others who voted for NZ First, would have given Peters their vote if he had declared a post election promise to negotiate with a potential left coalition? New Zealand First voters voting for a government with the Greens, and maybe even worse, the ‘loonies’ of the Internet Mana Party? No chance! Such a declaration would have sent half of his supporters scurrying over to National or the Conservatives. Similarly, a declaration in favour of National would have alienated his contingent of anti government supporters. Winston just isn’t that stupid.

Herein, at least in part, explains Labour’s dismal result. When David Cunliffe announced he would be looking to form a government with the Greens and NZ First, it was tantamount to an admission of defeat. Along with National, Labour is, and always has been (at least in living memory), the most powerful political party in the country. Labour should not be courting smaller, less signigficant parties; it is up to those parties to ingratiate themselves with Labour. A vote for Labour in this election wasn’t just a vote for Labour; it was a broader vote, a vote for a left wing coalition which potentially, could have included the controversial Internet Mana Party. David Cunliffe ruled out Internet Mana as being part of any new government, but the suspicion remained none the less in the minds of middle-New Zealand voters, that if push came to shove, the left might very well include Dot Com’s party in forming a coalition. This prospect was anathema to the majority of New Zealanders.

Labour owes its past electoral successes, at least in the last half century, by positioning itself at the centre of the political spectrum, and winning votes from average working people and the middle classes. Those same voters have turned against Labour in the last two elections in ever increasing numbers and fled, in the most part, to National and NZ First. The largely conservative voting public were never going to vote for the prospect of a Labour government in thrall to the Greens, or, and, any other so-called ‘extreme’ left wing party. But they may well have voted for a Labour Party that had reiterated its historical identity and distanced itself from other, less appealing, left of centre entities, regardless of any coalition outcome.

‘Brand’ Labour should not be confused with any other party, even if others, such as the Greens, have sought to imitate its social policies. Labour must once again stand alone, and stand proud.

*% election result figures are approximate.            

Election 2014

Greetings from Aotearoa, land of the long white cloud.

The country will decide on September 20th, and if we believe the latest opinion polls, ‘team Key’ (sic) and the National Party are on course for a return to the treasury benches. The party’s re-election campaign has doggedly soldiered on despite the scandalous revelations published in Nicky Hagar’s book Dirty Politics, and the resignation; make that sacking, of a senior government minister.

Whatever the outcome of the election, so-called ‘free market’ capitalism has become firmly entrenched in the New Zealand economy. This is the latest subterfuge of the plutocrats, enabling them to take greater profits and control even more resources. In the ‘free market’ world, super rich banks are allowed to fail, and then bailed out by taxpayers. In the ‘free market’ world, supply and demand is God, and in earthquake stricken Christchurch, where the supply of housing is scarce and the demand high, already struggling families are forced to pay obscenely high rents to rapacious, immoral landlords. 

 “Landlords’ right has its origin in robbery. The landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed.” — Karl Marx

When bush fires ravaged Australia last year, one landlord announced that he would be substantially increasing the rents on his properties, citing the rising 'market demand.' The landlord was publicly vilified on national television by New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell who said: “This sort of bastardry, trying to price gouge off the back of a natural disaster, is unacceptable.” O’Farrell went on to warn landlords that Fair Trading Inspectors would be on the lookout for transgressors and hefty fines would be imposed. But in Christchurch, despite unprecedented earthquake damage and the destruction of so many family homes, the ‘market’ is allowed to dictate the economic climate and the ‘bastard’ landlords free to exploit the earthquake victims. As fair-minded New Zealanders, we should be ashamed for allowing this abhorrent state of affairs to continue.

Credit to Labour’s Grant Robertson as the only politician to speak out against the greed of the landlords. Robertson indicated that if Labour were in government, he would propose a review of the Christchurch housing situation with a view to putting a cap on rents. Hear, hear!

Death by a thousand cuts

Just when it looked as though Judith Collins had made a pact with the devil, Prime Minister John Key finally sacked his Justice Minister just three weeks out from the country’s general election. Collins, who has been embroiled in a plethora of scandals in the past twelve months, finally bit the bullet after yet another damaging email was brought to the attention of the Prime Minister. The publication of ‘Whale Oil’ blogger Cameron Slater’s hacked emails in the book Dirty Politics, implicates Collins in a number of systematic smear campaigns against senior public servants and government officials. Slater remarked that Collins’ demise was: death by a thousand cuts. Collins will now be the subject of a government inquiry, specifically to determine whether, in collusion with Slater and others, she actively undermined former Serious Fraud Office chief, Adam Feeley.

The inquiry will, of course, be a whitewash and Key, if he wins the election, will look to re-instate his number one attack dog as soon as is practicable.

Bully Culture

Judith Collins and her pal Cameron Slater epitomise the sinister ‘bully’ culture, which has sadly become endemic in the political and social life of New Zealand. The emails published in Dirty Politics illustrate a nasty, perfidious mentality, which will stop at nothing to protect its own egocentric interests and destroy its political opponents. In one email, Slater, who is a personal friend of Collins and confidant of Prime Minister Key, labelled the earthquake victims in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs as ‘scum,’ and in another, he celebrated the tragic death of a West Coast man, dubbing him ‘feral.’ The Prime Minister’s flippant obfuscations in regard to the subject of Dirty Politics, are a clear indication of his complicity with Collins and Slater.

New Zealand’s mainstream media are also openly promoting the bully mentality. Right wing commentators on both TV1 and TV3 use so-called 'news' programmes as a platform to regale us with their dumb, ill-informed opinions. Beneficiaries and the unemployed are routinely vilified despite the lack of real, sustainable jobs and struggling families are openly scorned; being poor, after all, is a ‘lifestyle choice.’ It goes without saying that this election is crucial for the future of New Zealand. It is to be hoped that New Zealanders will vote for a more inclusive, fairer society, and put an end to the government of John Key and his arrogant band of National Party bullies.

ELECTION ’14: LFNZ’S PARTY VOTE GUIDE:

• National: Vote here for child poverty, low wages, income inequality, unaffordable housing, iniquitous power prices, and dirty politics.

• Labour: Same old centre-left social democrats, but what to do? Vote here for a desperately needed change of government.

• Greens: Sane, intelligent, caring people – are they really politicians? Vote here for common decency and the vision of a bright future.

• New Zealand First: One man, one voice, one Winston! Seriously?

• Conservatives: Vote here for a return to the 1950’s. Was it just a dream?

• Maori Party: Six years in bed with National? Credibility terminated.

• United Future: A shell company for the inflated ego of its leader. Avoid.

• ACT: Inveterate nihilists and flies of the marketplace. Ignore.

• Internet Mana: A rag-tag bag of rascals, radicals, and sweethearts. Put your protest vote here.

Women in politics; a proud tradition

Judith Collins is cast in the same mould as other Tory/National politicians before her – wait, I’ll get the crosses and the garlic – Margaret Thatcher, Jenny Shipley, and Ruth Richardson. But forget about these unspeakable vampire/zombies. New Zealand women enjoy a proud tradition of altruistic public service:

Labour’s Elizabeth McCombs (1933 – 1935) was New Zealand’s first woman member of parliament.

Labour’s Mabel Howard (1947) the first woman cabinet minister.

Labour’s Helen Clark (1999 – 2008) the first woman (elected), and arguably best ever, Prime Minister.

Pick of the current crop: The Green’s co-leader Metiria Turei, and Labour’s Jacinda Ardern.

NZ's first woman MP, Elizabeth McCombs. What would she think, I wonder, of the dubious Ms. Collins?

FACTFILE:

• New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the vote in 1893.

• New Zealand ditched the undemocratic ‘first past the post’ (FPP) electoral system after a referendum in 1993, and held its first MMP (mixed member proportional) election in 1996.

• The United Kingdom is the only country in Europe which operates the FPP system.

Website: Remarkable Stories from New Zealand and beyond

Read a short story: Ranji and the Price of Fish

Read the novels:

The Black Peacock Club

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1497362490  

The last days at White Cloud Air

http://www.amazon.co.uk/last-days-White-Cloud-Air/dp/1490560645/

Please note: Views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the author and do not represent any other party or parties.

Spies, lies, and dirty tricks.

 

August 2014

Greetings from New Zealand, Aotearoa; land of the long white cloud.

Racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism – or, is it all just political correctness?

With New Zealand’s 51^st parliamentary elections now a matter of weeks away, the ritual political mud slinging has begun in earnest. Labour candidate Steve Gibson has been castigated by his leader David Cunliffe for referring to Prime Minister John Key as ‘Shylock,’ the unscrupulous loan shark from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. Gibson attempted to excuse his utterances on the grounds of ignorance, saying that he did not realise the Shakespearian character was a Jew. Mr. Key, whose mother is a Jewish immigrant to New Zealand, is a former currency trader and the country’s richest ever Premier with a cool $50 million in the bank. Were Gibson’s comments anti-Semitic? If I criticise Israel’s military aggression in Gaza or the money grubbing policies of Goldman Sachs does that make me anti-Semitic? I don’t think so.

Unlike Labour leader Cunliffe, who is insisting on running a ‘clean’ campaign, Prime Minister Key is also casting aspersions against his political opponents. In a recent television appearance Key asserted that internet millionaire Kim Dot Com was Laila Harre’s ‘sugar daddy.’ Ms. Harre is the leader of the newly founded ‘Internet Party,’ bankrolled by the German entrepreneur. Key has been widely condemned for the sexual connotations implicit in his remarks and accused of ‘blatant sexism.’ Key defended his remarks saying that: “If he (Dot Com) wasn’t putting up the money, she (Harre) wouldn’t be there.” Sexist? Yes, I think so, but it says more about Key’s sordid mentality than it does about Ms. Harre’s relationship with her sponsor. Ms. Harre has since declared her candidacy for the seat of Hellensville, the seat currently held by, you guessed it, Prime Minister Key.

New Zealand First party leader Winston Peters has also come under fire for his ‘racist’ joke in a recent speech. Mr. Peters, whose party is against foreign ownership of New Zealand’s lands and resources, declared that ‘two wongs don’t make a white.’ Peters laughed off criticism of his bon mot, insisting the joke was funny, and that it was told to him by a Chinese man in Beijing. New Zealand’s Race Relations Commissioner, Dame Susan Devoy, described the joke as offensive. Dame Susan is a former world squash champion (?). Rascist? Undoubtedly, but then so is half the material of stand-up comics all over the world. Maybe Peters should give up the day job.

    

ACT party leader Jamie Whyte has also been accused of racism for his call to abolish the four Maori parliamentary seats. Whyte declared that parliamentary representation should not be ‘guaranteed on the basis of race.’ Cue Dame Susan who said Whyte’s comments were ‘grotesque and inflammatory.’ The Maori seats were established in 1867 in order to provide parliamentary representation for New Zealand’s ‘indigenous’ peoples. Whyte, who famously stated that he believed incestuous relationships between consenting adults should not be illegal, proved himself quite clueless when he admitted in a recent interview he did not know what ‘Whanau Ora’ was. ‘Whanau Ora’ is a flagship government policy designed to deliver millions of dollars in social services to the community with a particular focus on Maori. Not so much racist in this case as downright ignorant. The ACT party are a truly abysmal lot, and their leader is just another in a long line of muppets.

 

Meanwhile, seven years later….

New Zealand Police Comissioner Mike Bush was greeted with a thunderous haka when he arrived at the eastern Bay of Plenty Te Rewarewa marae. Bush formally apologised to the people of Tuhoe for the damage to the iwi’s ‘credibility and mana’ after the 2007 pre-dawn raid by units of heavily armed police. Hundreds of police officers stormed a small settlement in the Urewera mountain range, breaking into the homes of the shell-shocked residents and terrorising their families. Police claimed that months of surveillance proved the settlement was the centre of a ‘para-military style’ terrorist training camp, claims subsequently dismissed by residents as ‘ludicrous’. Two individuals were eventually sentenced by the courts on firearms offences, but this police operation was an overkill of epic proportions, more akin to the actions of a fascist junta than a western style pseudo-democratic plutocracy.

Kim Dot Com on the other hand, could be waiting some time to receive a similar apology from the police for the raid on his mansion in 2012. In conjunction, make that collusion, with FBI agents, New Zealand police launched a full scale assault on the entrepreneur’s family home with 76 officers armed with semi-automatic weapons and two helicopters. Dot Com’s pregnant wife and three children were also in residence at the time of the raid. Dot Com was arrested, assets worth $17 million were seized, and Dot Com’s bank accounts were frozen. Dot Com was eventually released, but is still wanted by authorities in the United States on charges of racketeering, piracy, and money laundering. Dot Com has vigorously denied the allegations, claiming that the US based Motion Picture Association is engaged in a vendetta against him.   

    The High Court of New Zealand subsequently found that the warrants issued to seize Dot Com’s property were invalid. In a further development, the GCSB (Government Communications Security Bureau) were discovered to have illegally spied on Dot Com. An editorial in the Waikato Times said that the announcement of the illegal spying has ‘heightened suspicions that this country’s relationship with the United States has become one of servility rather than friendship.’ (The law regarding surveillance of New Zealand citizens was quickly amended by parliament to correct the ‘anomaly.’)

A new book by investigative journalist Nicky Hagar, claims that senior figures within the ruling National Party leaked SIS (Security Intelligence Service) documents to right wing bloggers sympathetic to the government. Hagar claims that Prime Minister Key was directly involved in providing confidential material in order to smear, and potentially blackmail his political opponents. The book, Dirty Politics, also alleges the Labour Party’s computers were hacked by members of Key’s personal staff. Some commentators are already describing the allegations made in the book as on a par with the historic Watergate revelations. As politicians and their lackeys reach for their lawyers, the inevitable fall-out is anticipated, with relish.

Factfile:

New Zealand is a member of the ‘five eyes’ international spy network along with USA, UK, Australia and Canada. Satellite ‘listening’ stations at Waihopai and Tangimoana, intercept and process all phone calls, faxes, emails, and computer data communications.

   

Peace activists broke into the Waihopai base in 2008. The three men, a farmer, a teacher and a priest, slashed an inflatable plastic dome covering a satellite dish with a sickle, causing over a million dollars worth of damage. All three were acquitted on charges of burglary and wilful damage when, for the first time in New Zealand, a defence of ‘the greater good’ was used by the defendants. The activists claimed their actions were lawful as information garnered from the spy base caused worldwide human suffering. In a rare and welcome triumph for democracy, the jury agreed.

White House to the Bee Hive: “Godammit, can’t you control the jerk-offs in your pissant country?”

Website: Remarkable Stories from New Zealand and beyond

 

Read a short story: Ranji and the Price of Fish

Novels:

 

 The last days at White Cloud Air 

 

New Zealand 1998. As the century draws to a close, the new digital age is reaching out to the masses. The government is continuing with its fire sale of strategic assets, mobile ‘phones are all the rage and Vitamin V is the new wonder drug on the market. In Auckland four dangerous prisoners escape from Paraparemo prison and in Christchurch a sinister Doctor is sexually assaulting his patients.

Eight years after eluding the British Police, Mark has a new identity and a quiet life in a backwater Canterbury town. But when his wife is brutally attacked, Mark’s new life begins to seriously unravel. Mark sets out for revenge, but he gets more than he bargained for when the hunt for his wife’s assailants leads to the discovery of a criminal conspiracy that goes all the way to the top of the political establishment.

Set against the political background of the times, ‘The last days at White Cloud Air’ is a tale of one man’s resolve in a deadly game of blackmail, extortion and murder.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/last-days-White-Cloud-Air/dp/1490560645/

 

The Black Peacock Club  

 

The job was simple. Find out who stole the priceless Holbein drawings. Steal them back. Sell them to the highest bidder. Get rich. If only. First there was the murder of the art dealer, and then the book went missing. A book of names, secret names, identities of those who would prefer to remain; nameless. Then there was the girl, the politician, and the gangster. Now it wasn’t just the drawings and the book. Now he had to get his hands on the diamonds as well. Tricky. He would have to play it deftly, cloak and dagger, cat and mouse. And what of  the gangster’s captivating wifeazelHHHh, the mercurial chanteuse at the Black Peacock Club? Did she know where to find the drawings? Of course there were other interested parties; Mossad, Odessa, two bent coppers, and an army of Tamil Tigers. And, most of all, the Irishmen. He would have to work fast. Time was a luxury he couldn’t afford.

Brighton, nineteen eighty-four. The annual Conservative Party conference is about to begin, and the gentlemen in Whitehall are nervous. Assassins are abroad and they will strike at the heart of the British Government.

He’s fresh out of prison, and he’s a black man in a white man’s world; Matt Waters has one last chance to redeem himself…….

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1497362490   

 http://nz.linkedin.com/pub/david-crossman/84/9b5/750/

Follow me:  https://twitter.com/crossmanDA