Below are some of the more interesting and insightful New Zealand politics items from the last 24 hours.
1) Following the unsurprising resignation of Green MP Goriz Ghahraman over allegations of shoplifting, there has been an incredibly polarised reaction from political commentators, journalists, and other politicians. For a sympathetic evaluation of the MP and her downfall, see Anna Whyte’s ‘Ignominious end to a valuable parliamentary career’: Ghahraman quits (paywalled)
Many commentators are empathetically drawing attention to what might have caused Ghahraman to go off the rails. For example, Massey political scientist Richard Shaw is reported saying her downfall was an “ignominious end to what had been a valuable, constructive and useful parliamentary career… But I think the real stories behind this have to do with men abusing women in public life... And the denigration of public life and the increasing extent to which people feel entitled to threaten, to abuse, rhetorically, in person on digital platforms.”
Similarly, Professor Joanna Kidman, the director of He Whenua Taurikura/National Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism says in this article explains: “Often the people who have been targeted are women, people of colour, migrant women, women who are speaking out on issues which are causing intense anger from some sections of the community… It has a really chilling impact on democracy in the longer term, particularly if it does result in mental health issues.”
2) The Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman is even more angry about the treatment of MPs like Ghahraman, noting that she’s a victim of a political system that is not designed for her – just as others like Elizabeth Kerekere and Kiri Allan has found out recently – see: The dramatic exodus of brown women from parliament is no surprise
Chapman says: “As we watch brown woman after brown woman succumb to ‘the pressures of the job’, it’s worth remembering that not all MPs have the same pressures. If you’ve never worried about how your wider community might react to your work or the decisions you make, that’s one less pressure. If you’ve never ignored a casually racist or sexist or homophobic remark at your expense, that’s one less pressure… Do we want good politicians or good representatives of our people? And can both exist within one role? Because $170,000 a year might be enough to buy a fancy dress but it’s small compensation for the complete loss of self.”
3) National-aligned blogger David Farrar thinks it’s a mistake to present Ghahraman as a victim, and is critical of the Green co-leaders for doing so yesterday in their press conference, which he calls, “incredibly tone deaf. You would have thought that Ghahraman was the victim, rather than the actual victims. Trying to excuse what happened as being due to stress from the job is insulting to all the people who are also very stressed but don't shoplift. Yes it seems bizarre that someone who is in the top 1% of income earners would shoplift, but that doesn't make it less worse” – see: The most uncontrite resignation ever
Farrar expected the Greens to be more contrite: “A truly contrite person would actually apologise to the victims. The resignation was stated to be the best thing for Ghahraman's mental health. That isn't why she should resign. The resignation should have been about the fact you can't be an MP and commit serious crimes. Both her statement and the co-leaders statements made it all about her, rather than the victims and the importance of MPs not to repeatedly break the law.”
4) For another conservative critique of how the Greens have responded to the scandal, see Liam Hehir’s Hate the sin, not the sinner (but hate the sin)
5) One public relations professional has spoken out today, suggesting that the scandal has been worse for the Greens because they generally try to take a self-righteousness approach to politics. Pead PR founder Deborah Pead says today: “As a party they need to be mindful of the tone of their future comments. They tend to put themselves on a smug and sanctimonious pedestal. Their moral superiority has been deflated and they need to examine their self-righteousness and be less high-handed with their accusations… The proverb glass houses and stones comes to mind and they would do well to check the shape of the stones they throw… The Greens are not averse to giving as good as they receive which is probably why they are on the receiving end of a lot of public anger. If this climate has caused issues for a colleague, they need to health check others as well” – see Shayne Currie’s How the Greens’ PR machine completely blew up over Golriz Ghahraman (paywalled)
In terms of the mental health factor in Ghahraman’s decline, together with that of Kiri Allan, Pead also asks: “Is the playground too tough? Do we need stronger guard rails? Do our politicians need to be tested for mental resilience? Something needs to change because we can’t keep using stress of the role and mental health to avoid taking responsibility for illegal behaviour.”
6) A new poll came out yesterday, with the following results:
National: 41%
Labour: 28.4%
Greens: 9.5%
Act: 7.8%
Te Pāti Māori: 3.6%
For more details, see Thomas Coughlan’s National soars in new poll, as voters agree country is ‘on track’, Chris Hipkins crashes record low
7) The Labour Government’s Independent Electoral Review final report was released yesterday, and its main recommendations were unsurprising: a lower voting age, a lower MMP threshold to 3.5%, and lengthening the electoral term to four years. There are plenty more recommendations that should now be discussed and debated, however, the new Government has already made it clear which of these recommendations won’t be taken any further – see RNZ’s Government rejects four voting changes as review lands
8) The issue electoral reform recommendation that has gained the most media interest is about the voting age, creating some strong reactions – see Harriet Boucher’s Seymour labels idea of lower voting age ‘dopey’
9) The recommendation to increase the size of Parliament has received a detailed analysis today from Henry Cooke – see: Why we’re eventually going to need more MPs
10) Is the Commerce Commission biased in favour of big companies wanting to merge, and all about just ticking boxes? That’s the allegation made today by consultancy firm Habilis in a submission to the agency. According to one report, the submission “accuses the commission of ‘consultation theatre’ that provides the illusion than consultation has occurred ‘whilst erecting every conceivable obstacle to meaningful engagement with parties other than the applicant... The purpose of the process is clearly to enable officials to tick a compliance box, whilst not burdening themselves with too much work’.”. For more see Andrew Bevin’s ComCom accused of ‘consultation theatre’ in scathing submission
The submission is an important critique, explaining that this alleged mode of operating was leading to businesses with too much power: “It was this approach that had allowed oligopolies to form in the banking sector, the supermarket sector, the electricity sector and in the building products sector, with large participants wielding too much market power”.
11) Every year the public is informed of the “Mood of the Boardroom” survey results on politics, but what about the “Mood of the Workforce”? The Council of Trade Unions has carried out a survey of workers which is summarised by The Post’s Rob Stock: “The mood of the smoko room is fearful and pessimistic over the fate of workers under the new government, but it is also tinged with anger at Labour, the Council of Trade Union’s Mood of the Workforce survey shows” – see: CTU survey shows scepticism over Luxon’s claim to govern ‘for every New Zealander’ (paywalled)
Here’s an excerpt: “The CTU asked survey respondents to rate the performance of the government and its ministers on a scale of one to five, where five was the top score. In all, 61% rated the new government’s performance so far as a one, and another 20% rated it as a 2. But some respondents were not impressed by the previous government’s track record on worker rights, with one saying: “There is no security in the workforce in regards to job stability, and workers rights are abysmal, even under Labour, the working class had nothing, and was (is) at their mercy of their capitalist overlords.” The last 12 months under Labour were not seen as a paradise by many workers, with 43.1% saying their work-life balance had worsened during its last months in office, against 10% who said it got better.”
12) This newsletter is brought to you on the Substack platform, which is currently under fire for allegedly not clamping down on or censoring enough extremist political views, which means some writers are cancelling their newsletters. This week, two New Zealand Substack producers have explained why they are staying – see Bernard Hickey’s Why The Kākā is staying on Substack and Jenny Ruth’s “Just the Business” won't side with censorship
Dr Bryce Edwards is the Political Analyst in Residence, Democracy Project, School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington. This article was first publshed HERE
Many commentators are empathetically drawing attention to what might have caused Ghahraman to go off the rails. For example, Massey political scientist Richard Shaw is reported saying her downfall was an “ignominious end to what had been a valuable, constructive and useful parliamentary career… But I think the real stories behind this have to do with men abusing women in public life... And the denigration of public life and the increasing extent to which people feel entitled to threaten, to abuse, rhetorically, in person on digital platforms.”
Similarly, Professor Joanna Kidman, the director of He Whenua Taurikura/National Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism says in this article explains: “Often the people who have been targeted are women, people of colour, migrant women, women who are speaking out on issues which are causing intense anger from some sections of the community… It has a really chilling impact on democracy in the longer term, particularly if it does result in mental health issues.”
2) The Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman is even more angry about the treatment of MPs like Ghahraman, noting that she’s a victim of a political system that is not designed for her – just as others like Elizabeth Kerekere and Kiri Allan has found out recently – see: The dramatic exodus of brown women from parliament is no surprise
Chapman says: “As we watch brown woman after brown woman succumb to ‘the pressures of the job’, it’s worth remembering that not all MPs have the same pressures. If you’ve never worried about how your wider community might react to your work or the decisions you make, that’s one less pressure. If you’ve never ignored a casually racist or sexist or homophobic remark at your expense, that’s one less pressure… Do we want good politicians or good representatives of our people? And can both exist within one role? Because $170,000 a year might be enough to buy a fancy dress but it’s small compensation for the complete loss of self.”
3) National-aligned blogger David Farrar thinks it’s a mistake to present Ghahraman as a victim, and is critical of the Green co-leaders for doing so yesterday in their press conference, which he calls, “incredibly tone deaf. You would have thought that Ghahraman was the victim, rather than the actual victims. Trying to excuse what happened as being due to stress from the job is insulting to all the people who are also very stressed but don't shoplift. Yes it seems bizarre that someone who is in the top 1% of income earners would shoplift, but that doesn't make it less worse” – see: The most uncontrite resignation ever
Farrar expected the Greens to be more contrite: “A truly contrite person would actually apologise to the victims. The resignation was stated to be the best thing for Ghahraman's mental health. That isn't why she should resign. The resignation should have been about the fact you can't be an MP and commit serious crimes. Both her statement and the co-leaders statements made it all about her, rather than the victims and the importance of MPs not to repeatedly break the law.”
4) For another conservative critique of how the Greens have responded to the scandal, see Liam Hehir’s Hate the sin, not the sinner (but hate the sin)
5) One public relations professional has spoken out today, suggesting that the scandal has been worse for the Greens because they generally try to take a self-righteousness approach to politics. Pead PR founder Deborah Pead says today: “As a party they need to be mindful of the tone of their future comments. They tend to put themselves on a smug and sanctimonious pedestal. Their moral superiority has been deflated and they need to examine their self-righteousness and be less high-handed with their accusations… The proverb glass houses and stones comes to mind and they would do well to check the shape of the stones they throw… The Greens are not averse to giving as good as they receive which is probably why they are on the receiving end of a lot of public anger. If this climate has caused issues for a colleague, they need to health check others as well” – see Shayne Currie’s How the Greens’ PR machine completely blew up over Golriz Ghahraman (paywalled)
In terms of the mental health factor in Ghahraman’s decline, together with that of Kiri Allan, Pead also asks: “Is the playground too tough? Do we need stronger guard rails? Do our politicians need to be tested for mental resilience? Something needs to change because we can’t keep using stress of the role and mental health to avoid taking responsibility for illegal behaviour.”
6) A new poll came out yesterday, with the following results:
National: 41%
Labour: 28.4%
Greens: 9.5%
Act: 7.8%
Te Pāti Māori: 3.6%
For more details, see Thomas Coughlan’s National soars in new poll, as voters agree country is ‘on track’, Chris Hipkins crashes record low
7) The Labour Government’s Independent Electoral Review final report was released yesterday, and its main recommendations were unsurprising: a lower voting age, a lower MMP threshold to 3.5%, and lengthening the electoral term to four years. There are plenty more recommendations that should now be discussed and debated, however, the new Government has already made it clear which of these recommendations won’t be taken any further – see RNZ’s Government rejects four voting changes as review lands
8) The issue electoral reform recommendation that has gained the most media interest is about the voting age, creating some strong reactions – see Harriet Boucher’s Seymour labels idea of lower voting age ‘dopey’
9) The recommendation to increase the size of Parliament has received a detailed analysis today from Henry Cooke – see: Why we’re eventually going to need more MPs
10) Is the Commerce Commission biased in favour of big companies wanting to merge, and all about just ticking boxes? That’s the allegation made today by consultancy firm Habilis in a submission to the agency. According to one report, the submission “accuses the commission of ‘consultation theatre’ that provides the illusion than consultation has occurred ‘whilst erecting every conceivable obstacle to meaningful engagement with parties other than the applicant... The purpose of the process is clearly to enable officials to tick a compliance box, whilst not burdening themselves with too much work’.”. For more see Andrew Bevin’s ComCom accused of ‘consultation theatre’ in scathing submission
The submission is an important critique, explaining that this alleged mode of operating was leading to businesses with too much power: “It was this approach that had allowed oligopolies to form in the banking sector, the supermarket sector, the electricity sector and in the building products sector, with large participants wielding too much market power”.
11) Every year the public is informed of the “Mood of the Boardroom” survey results on politics, but what about the “Mood of the Workforce”? The Council of Trade Unions has carried out a survey of workers which is summarised by The Post’s Rob Stock: “The mood of the smoko room is fearful and pessimistic over the fate of workers under the new government, but it is also tinged with anger at Labour, the Council of Trade Union’s Mood of the Workforce survey shows” – see: CTU survey shows scepticism over Luxon’s claim to govern ‘for every New Zealander’ (paywalled)
Here’s an excerpt: “The CTU asked survey respondents to rate the performance of the government and its ministers on a scale of one to five, where five was the top score. In all, 61% rated the new government’s performance so far as a one, and another 20% rated it as a 2. But some respondents were not impressed by the previous government’s track record on worker rights, with one saying: “There is no security in the workforce in regards to job stability, and workers rights are abysmal, even under Labour, the working class had nothing, and was (is) at their mercy of their capitalist overlords.” The last 12 months under Labour were not seen as a paradise by many workers, with 43.1% saying their work-life balance had worsened during its last months in office, against 10% who said it got better.”
12) This newsletter is brought to you on the Substack platform, which is currently under fire for allegedly not clamping down on or censoring enough extremist political views, which means some writers are cancelling their newsletters. This week, two New Zealand Substack producers have explained why they are staying – see Bernard Hickey’s Why The Kākā is staying on Substack and Jenny Ruth’s “Just the Business” won't side with censorship
Dr Bryce Edwards is the Political Analyst in Residence, Democracy Project, School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington. This article was first publshed HERE
2 comments:
'Mental health' seems to be the latest fashionable unfalsifiable claim designed to deflect responsibility and attract sympathy for diversity hires.
Opps, story 6) there might be a party missing?
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