pn788. N: What a Time to be Quibbling! Spaced-out Parliament.

 

What a Time to be Quibbling! 

National wants the 10-member Covid Response Committee to sit so it can scrutinise the government's Covid-response; Labour wants a virtual parliament where our 120 MPs can debate on Zoom, the online technology that facilitates teleconferencing. National says it's untested and wants none of it. So, we're left with a (literal and metaphorical)  spaced-out parliament, one seat occupied out of ten or so. Click here for the original article. 

pn784. Perhaps David Seymour should lead the National Party

Judith and David

There's room for criticism of the government from the opposition, even while we need to remain united against Covid-19. 

 But there's criticism that is directed and helpful, and criticism that sounds more like moaning.   

Two examples of fair criticism were provided today by Maori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa Packer and ACT leader David Seymour.  The "moaning" predictably —because it seems to be her style or even her temperament— came from National leader Judith Collins.  

Debbie Ngarewa Packer accused the government of withholding/delaying key information to Māori such as locations of interest.

 David Seymour questioned the slow turn out of vaccines wondering if we had a sufficient supply to last more than five days, and uncertainty about essential services, wondering why butchers were closed down. 

Judith Collins also spoke of the relatively slow rate of vaccinations (over 70% have now have received or booked their first jab) but she couldn't resist a jab (pun intended) at government. She said it's not enough for the PM to speak from the podium at 1pm daily. "New Zealanders don't need sermons.  We need vaccines in arms right now."   

I like Seymour positive criticism —though I'll never vote ACT —and dislike Collins' constant personal remarks and negativity. I won't be voting National either.

-- ACW

pn760. What David Seymour and the ACT Party are really about

 Got a spare $10,000? Have lunch and a tour of Parliament with ... guess who? David Seymour. TradeMe Advert.

Much of the  ACT party's recent increase in popular polls seems due to the unflappable leadership of David Seymour, with more than a little help from National Judith Collins' raised eyebrows and muttering as she bores even more voters with her wild tales about the Labour's supposed "separatism" policies to share legislature power with Māori.

Some of those polled seem to have forsaken  National, some shifting left to Labour; others right to ACT.  

I suspect most of the former will move back to National, but many who moved to ACT will probably stay there.  A weak National Party (Collins's attempts to retain National Party leadership comes after over 12-months of  internal party blunders) has made ACT stronger. 

pn755. Koha and the Mongrel Mob: looking for solutions, not further conflict and alienation

Prof. Paul Hunt, Chief Human
Rights  Commissoner

Vying for leadership of the political right, both Judith Collins and David Seymour have criticized Human Rights Commissioner Professor Paul Hunt for making a $200 koha while attending a hui in May organized by a Mongrel Mob chapter.  

They say their objection is not about race, but association with criminals, and both call for Hunt's resignation. Seymour went further calling for the Commission's abolition. 

Don't be fooled. Party games apart, the issue is very definitely about race, culture and human rights.

pn727. Collins fails with Māori "separatist" bogey card

 

Toby Manhire, editor of The Spinoff, comments on Judith Collins’s failed attempts over three successive weekends to drum up support by playing the Māori “separatist” bogey card, and asks what National can do with the latest Newshub-Reid poll showing no loss of support for Labour which, with 52.7% (much the same as the last election), could still rule alone.  Click here to read.

Party votes in The Newhub Reid Reseach Poll results of 7-13 May, with a margin of error of ±3.1%, were:

Labour 52.7 +3.7%	National 27.0 +1.4%	Greens 7.1        –0.8%	Act                6.9   -0.7%
Māori 1.2 % – No change	Four other parties totally 4.4% between them, and they were all down on the previous poll.

Preferred PM.  Judith Collins 5.6%, less than John Key (6.7%) who’s not even in Parliament. Chrisopoher Luxon was on 2.4%.

pn723. Politicising the Treaty: Ardern accuses Collins of saying one thing in government and another in opposition

 

In Parliament, Collins  suggested the Government was abdicating its responsibilities to protect all children by handing power to an independent Māori Transition Authority, removing itself  “from the protection of all children, regardless of ethnicity, when a New Zealand child is killed by its own family every five weeks?"

pn604. Rectify ethnic imbalances or watch food prices, a Judith Collins alternative

Judith Collins has queried Countdown's plans for diversity, saying it could be illegal.

The supermarket chain has made a commitment to make 20% of its top level management Maori or Pasifika in the next five years, a little short of their share of our population. 

Collins says this is a dangerous path to follow. They should concentrate on food prices and availability.   

But how then should they address ethnic and other imbalances? Concentrating solely on food prices, to the exclusion of staff and customer issues, seems to be an even more dangerous and futile path to follow. With respect, Judith tends to see most situations as  mutually exclusive eithers or ors.  Countdown — and other businesses — can surely do both.   -- ACW