A new Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll reveals worrying levels of support for political violence across the political spectrum. One in four Te Pāti Māori voters and one in five ACT voters agree that “New Zealanders may have to resort to violence to get the country back on track.”
Younger New Zealanders are far more likely to back political violence — and less likely to have friends with different political views — than older generations.
Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said:
“It’s alarming that so many New Zealanders think violence might be justified to ‘fix’ the country. This isn’t a fringe issue any more; it’s a massive red flag for the health of our democracy.”
“Younger people are not only more open to violence, but they’re also less likely to have friends who see the world differently. That kind of political isolation breeds extremism.”
“It is frustrating that having had staff receive death threats and direct intimidation, the Police take absolutely no interest. It puts off good people from participating in public affairs – although for some that is the very purpose. We should not have to wait for a tragedy for the Police to get their act together.”
“It’s also time for party leaders to take responsibility and tone down the rhetoric before it escalates further. Democracy depends on debate, not intimidation. Once people stop talking to each other and start seeing violence as an answer, we’re in real trouble.”
A new political survey shows one in seven Kiwis believe violence may be necessary in order to “get the country back on track”. . .
The Taxpayer Union – Curia poll interviewed 1000 adults around NZ in early October and asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement: “New Zealanders may have to resort to violence in order to get the country back on track”.
If violence is used to get the country back on track it will be used to keep it there and neither is acceptable.
One in four Te Pāti Māori supporters, or 26% of those surveyed, agreed or strongly agreed with the statement – the highest of supporters for any of the six parties in parliament. This was followed by one in five ACT voters, or 20%.
The support for the statement in the research dropped to 16% for Labour voters, 13% for National voters, 10% for NZ First and 8% among Green voters.
Men were more likely to agree at 18%, than women at 10%, the survey found.
Young people were also more likely to agree – 21% of 18 to 39-year-olds agreed, compared with 14% of people aged 40 to 59 and 6% of people aged 60 and over. Fewer younger NZers said they have friends with different political views.
This is compared with 80% of Kiwis who said they have friends with different political views. . .
My family and friends have a wide range of political views. Sometimes we discuss them, sometimes we debate them but never in anger, and always acknowledging that we have a right to differences of opinion and can hold them without sabotaging our relationships.
There is some comfort that we’re in the majority but there is still a worrying minority who support violence for political ends.
If violence is the answer, people are asking the wrong question and Jordan is right that it is a red flag for democracy.
He is also right that party leaders must take responsibility and Speaker Gerry Brownlee has shown the way with plans to crack down on standards in Parliament:
. . . Supplementary questions would now be entirely at his discretion, he would make more use of the punishments Parliament’s speaker can hand down to MPs and he would seek changes to rules around attendance, dress standards and leave, he said.
“There is no issue with waiata, there is no issue with haka, but there is an issue with the disrespect for process that was shown last Thursday. Standing orders of this House have been developed over the last 171 years to facilitate the legislative process and ensure that in its work the views of those elected to this Parliament could be heard.
“Respect and dignity should be at the front of minds for all members of this House.”
“After nearly two years in this role it’s now regrettably clear that some elected to this House see disruption and dissent as more important than legislative achievement. I respect that all members of this House are equally elected, but I think they equally have responsibility to uphold the dignity of the House.” . .
“From this point I will more critically apply the limited measures available to a speaker to ensure greater respect is shown from members one to the other, and from the dignity of the house, and the processes, are upheld.”
IN parliament the Speaker said he would be engaging with the Business Committee on changes to attendance records, to dress standards, and to leave provisions.
Te Pāti Māori has, at last exhausted his patience. They are routinely absent from the House and select committees and they deliberately disregard parliamentary standards of dress and behaviour. While demanding others respect their tikanga they show no respect for the customs and traditional values of parliament.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is right to label them an activist organisation with no answers to any of the challenges or opportunities we face as a country.
They are activists but they are paid to be MPs and they should behave like them in parliament and out of it. That one in four of their supporters think it’s acceptable to resort to violence is partly their responsibility and it is due in no small part to the way they behave.
However, it’s not just TPM MPs who have let standards slip and the Speaker is right to put his foot down.
MPs can take the lead in behaving respectfully, debating intelligently and showing that violence, in word or deed, is not the answer.
But it’s not just parliament where standards have slipped and all of us have a responsibility to foster improvements with our own words and deeds.
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
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