The more the discontent with this government by its supporters grows, the more it seems the government is determined to show us the middle finger. Much of the issue surrounds the ‘Māorification’ of this country because what they promised they would do is not what they are in fact doing. It would appear that they are taking every opportunity to find pathways to incorporate a Māori perspective into legislation on any flimsy pretext.
This has been continuing and getting progressively worse ever since this government was formed. After campaigning on a platform that all issues of race that were causing angst would be strongly dealt with, we have witnessed the opposite. National was always the most likely of the three to flip-flop and so it has come to pass. It doesn’t seem to occur to the prime minister that his party and the government are presiding over a country that is even more divided now than when he took office.
Race might not appear high on the list of voters’ concerns, but you only have to look at comments on General Debate and Backchat on the Good Oil blog to see where most dissatisfaction is centred. We did not vote for a government which campaigned strongly on the issue to then turn lily-livered and make a half-hearted attempt at best. This is not good enough and it’s basically telling its supporters to suck it up.
I believe this is why the polls are currently showing a close run race in terms of next year’s election. National should be miles ahead of Labour at this point in the election cycle but they’re not. Voters are not giving them credit for good work being done in other areas because they are angered at being given the brush off on the race issue.
If National choose to ignore their voter base, then they do so at their peril. There are many now who would be happy to see National as a junior partner in a future coalition. This, I think, is not beyond the bounds of possibility if the party doesn’t change course. Erica Stanford, who as education minister is doing a good job overall, is risking putting all that at risk by inserting an overreach of Māori into the curriculum as a whole. This is not something the majority of voters agree with.
Things like that are of such importance they need to be campaigned on. It is not on for a party to get elected to office and then subvert the will of the people just because they have a bent to go in a certain direction. It’s shades of the lady who went before. We live in a democracy and the public are entitled to have a say on such matters. We do not expect to be told by the prime minister that, on race, there won’t be a referendum so move on. That is not democracy: it is autocracy and it is abhorrent.
Now we have ACT, of all parties, climbing aboard the bandwagon with some nonsense about lowering the statistics of Māori dying in fires by having the Fire Service realign its Māori department, something I was unaware even existed. Having discovered it, I question the need for it. I’d like to know how much it is costing us, as we fund the Fire Service through our insurance levies. This, amazingly, came from Brooke van Velden, who I thought was one politician who had her head screwed on.
For a start, this is introducing race into the Fire Service and I just don’t see how having a Māori department will alter things one iota. This is all supposedly because Māori, like everywhere else, are over-represented in the statistics when it comes to deaths due to fires. Surely any member of the organisation can educate Māori on the risks involved with fire if indeed that is what they need, and surely fire alarms can be installed on marae or in homes without the need for a Māori department.
It also would appear to be at odds with the ACT Party’s views on race-based policies. David Seymour has been particularly outspoken, especially when talking to the media about these issues. ACT need to wake up to the fact that the public might see an element of hypocrisy in their actions. They are also giving the impression that voting choices in the next election are continuing to narrow. This is not a good look.
The rationale of this government when it comes to race baffles me. They say one thing and then produce legislation that is bound to have a Māori slant buried somewhere in it. If they are serious about ‘one country’, then it’s high time they started practicing what they preach. It is dishonest to say one thing and do another. It is equally dishonest to do something that the voters were unaware of.
Here’s the reality for Christopher Luxon and the National party. They can bang on about the good work they are doing all they like but they will find their low poll numbers will continue. The only way they will improve is by giving their voter base what they want – which is a referendum on both the Treaty of Waitangi and the Māori seats. By not acceding to the wishes of those who support them, they risk being a one-term government, not through people voting for the other side but by those who stay home.
