Kiwi kulcha. Cartography. History. Herstory. Dams. Ordinary Days Beyond Kaitaia. Coal. Rotowaro. Rodney Redmond. Poetics. Musket pa. Five wicket bags. Limestone Country. Allen Curnow. Owen Gager. Huntly. Kahikatea. Te Kooti. The Clean. Base and superstructure. Earthquake Weather. Dune lakes. Epistemology. Middens. Marx. Te Aroha. Time Travel. Te Kopuru.
SO DRIVE SLOWLY. YOU'LL NEED TO. THE MAP SAYS THE ROAD ENDS THERE. NOT TRUE.
What depresses me is not the desire to support a party which takes a progressive stance, on paper at least, on lots of issues - I think that's great. What I find sad is the way that the sellouts by the party leadership are defended by the rank and file, who have, in the course of campaigning, developed a sort of unhealthy solidarity and incapacity for self-reflection.
Russell Norman's refusal to support McD's workers yesterday is defended on the most spurious of grounds, when it should be criticised. I remember hearing endless defences of sellouts by Jim Anderton back in the era when the Alliance was in government. Belonging to a party and endorsing its progressive policies shouldn't stop you from criticising the leadership - especially when they don't act in accordance with these policies!
"From what I understand Russel didn't fully understand the nature of this specific strike and didn't think it appropriate that as a passer-by he speak. He did come across the road find out about the strike and to stand in solidarity with and speak to the strikers.
Just shows he's not an oportunistic, attention-grabbing politician if you ask me. "
A good reply from another visitor to the site:
'You don't need a precise knowledge of the worker's pay demands to go up and say "Hi I'm Russell Norman from the Greens and we support your struggle." Norman didn't do this because he's a capitalist politician who does not stand on the side of the working class.
And what on earth does it matter that he didn't undersand the "nature of this specific strike "?!? Would Norman not have supported the workers if they were too "greedy" or something?
And since when was it "opportunist" and "attention-grabbing" to support low-paid workers taking strike action?"
[For the sake of information I post an interview with Greens Pacific spokesperson and MP Metiria Turie on the Solomon Islands. John]
After recent criticism of Greens policy on NZ Military intervention in East Timor and the Solomon Islands I asked Metiria Turei for comment. I will ask Metiria to check the comment thread a few times so if readers ask genuine questions on this topic they may well get a genuine answer. Strypey: Kia ora Metiria, thanks for fronting up to our "hostile" readers. Why have the Greens supported the coalition government sending NZ troops to the Solomon Islands?
Metiria: The Greens have not opposed the sending of more army personnel and police support to the Solomons. We dont have any specific party position on it, though I personally support the actions NZ have taken since the SI election.
Strypey: Some comments on Aotearoa Indymedia have effectively called you a puppet of colonialism for declaring the Solomons elections free and fair. How do you respond?
Metiria: I have described below a bit of what I learnt from being there in 2004 and 2006.
But first, I strongly recommend that people read the Solomon Star newspaper www.solomonstarnews.com and especially the letters to the editor, to get a sense of what is happening there
And second, the activity in Honiara is only one small part of the Sols. There are hundreds of islands and thousands of people living very poor, ordinary lives. I saw a number of small villages and talked with the people there. They were all trying to get schools and medical centres in thier villages. That was and still is the most important and urgent need.
I was there just before and during the elections. I wanted to stay to see how the government would be formed but was not allowed too.
Strypey: From here it looks suspiciously like NZ police and soldiers are being used to violently suppress legitimate protests. Why would you as a Green and a believer in 'nonviolence' stick up for that?
Metiria: From my experience of being there, talking to people, watching candidates meetings, watching the pre election campaigning, getting various histories and stories about the candidates, and being there to watch the election take place in the remote Small Malaita island, I believe that the protests were not about the formation of a corrupt government, but were encouraged by the opposition MP's in order to pressure government MP's to change thier allegience and support the opposition.
I believe the use of tear gas on the protestors was an unecessary overreaction by RAMSI forces and inflamed the situation. And I believe that providing extra support to RAMSI and the PPF was necessary to help restore some sense of security there.
Strypey: I still don't see how NZ providing support for a police force prone to overreacting with brutal force. But let's focus on the motivation of the protesters - what makes you think they could influence MPs in how they from a government?
Metiria: The Solomons do not operate a cohesive party system, though there are strong moves to encourage this. Therefore the MP's are, in practice, entirely independent of each other. They are vulnerable to pressure by both force and inducement. And there are very significant international interests in the Sols because of the valuable natural resources there. These economic pressures, along with the significant poverty of the community and the dictates of ordinary human behaviour, make the political and economic machinations of the Sols very complex.
There are reports of massive amounts of Taiwanese money being given to MP's to spend as they like - hundreds of thousands of Solomons dollars. The money is supposed to be for the electorate although some have used it to pay legal fees in their defence of charges of corruption. Only one SI MP has ever reported on his use of the money and he only just scrapped back into parliament. At the same time, there is massive Chinese influence as well, so that the political and economic problems of China/Taiwan are being played out in the Sols as well.
Strypey: But hang on, weren't the protests that you accept RAMSI attacking against these corporate influences on Solomons politics?
Metiria: The riots were characterised as anti-chinese and anti-corruption. This is a very simplistic view of what was happening. My understanding is that the MP's who were not part of forming the Government encouraged the protests in order to place pressure on the Government MP's to change sides. This was supported later by the arrest of two MP's for inciting the riots. One of which is Charles Dausebea. Rumor has it that he was responsible for corrupt practices in the civil service just before the tensions. I think he has faced relevant charges in the past. He is now the Minister of Police and was made so while still in prison. To the extent that the protest was an attempt to reconfigure the government, it worked with a number of MP's shifting sides immediately afterwards. It is naive to believe that this government will be any less problematic than the first. There are no clear good guys and bad guys.
Strypey: So you don't believe it was an anti-corruption protest or an anti-Chinese but it certainly targeted the Chinese, why was that?
Metiria: As for the burning of china town, I believe that this was a mixture of political activity and opportunism. I note that the hotel of one of the most powerful Chinese businessmen in the Sols, Tommy Chan, was not torched, yet is only a few minutes walk from the centre of Honiara. I think the decision not to attack his very elaborate hotel was significant. Which goes to the opportunism in the attacks on China town. This was a real tragedy, and fuelled as much by politics as by poverty. There are still hundreds of young men without work or income in Honiara, just waiting for something to do.
Strypey: Any final comments?
Metiria: I understand that the Greens have attracted some criticism for not opposing NZ's involvement post-election. As I say, the tear gas was stupid. But this is not a clear cut case of the triumph of good over evil. The concerns about the tear gassing should not be broadened to undermine the whole of NZ's involvement in the Sols.
Congrats to the left in the USA. All hail President Oprah and VP Dr Phil. As for the Solomons and Indo China our politicans need to stay out but the AUS N NZ military defend our line now... come on civilians face reality otherwise they will invade us in the future if we let them ...they will...we are defending our naval passages and ability to trade goods with the world. What fantasy do you knockers live in WE DEFEND YOUR FREEDOM !
Was WW2 and the Bali bombings a joke? Until a knife wielding hippy barges into your living room LIBERALS just dont get it... your ungrateful arrogance is unbelievable.
Gee, Skyler, you're becoming a political fanatic ;)
ReplyDeleteI oppose the GReens because I oppose capitalism.
ReplyDeleteThe Greens don't:
http://blog.greens.org.nz/2005/09/21/the-greens-and-business/
Isn't that the "Pot calling the kettle black" Maps?!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it's fun uploading pictures on the Vote for Me website!
Russell Norman's refusla to support yesteray's strike by McD's workers is being discussed over at indymedia:
ReplyDeletehttp://indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/76325/index.php
What depresses me is not the desire to support a party which takes a progressive stance, on paper at least, on lots of issues - I think that's great. What I find sad is the way that the sellouts by the party leadership are defended by the rank and file, who have, in the course of campaigning, developed a sort of unhealthy solidarity and incapacity for self-reflection.
Russell Norman's refusal to support McD's workers yesterday is defended on the most spurious of grounds, when it should be criticised. I remember hearing endless defences of sellouts by Jim Anderton back in the era when the Alliance was in government. Belonging to a party and endorsing its progressive policies shouldn't stop you from criticising the leadership - especially when they don't act in accordance with these policies!
From a Greens support on indymedia:
ReplyDelete"From what I understand Russel didn't fully understand the nature of this specific strike and didn't think it appropriate that as a passer-by he speak. He did come across the road find out about the strike and to stand in solidarity with and speak to the strikers.
Just shows he's not an oportunistic, attention-grabbing politician if you ask me. "
A good reply from another visitor to the site:
'You don't need a precise knowledge of the worker's pay demands to go up and say "Hi I'm Russell Norman from the Greens and we support your struggle." Norman didn't do this because he's a capitalist politician who does not stand on the side of the working class.
And what on earth does it matter that he didn't undersand the "nature of this specific strike "?!? Would Norman not have supported the workers if they were too "greedy" or something?
And since when was it "opportunist" and "attention-grabbing" to support low-paid workers taking strike action?"
Word.
[For the sake of information I post an interview with Greens Pacific spokesperson and MP Metiria Turie on the Solomon Islands. John]
ReplyDeleteAfter recent criticism of Greens policy on NZ Military intervention in East Timor and the Solomon Islands I asked Metiria Turei for comment. I will ask Metiria to check the comment thread a few times so if readers ask genuine questions on this topic they may well get a genuine answer.
Strypey: Kia ora Metiria, thanks for fronting up to our "hostile" readers. Why have the Greens supported the coalition government sending NZ troops to the Solomon Islands?
Metiria: The Greens have not opposed the sending of more army personnel and
police support to the Solomons. We dont have any specific party
position on it, though I personally support the actions NZ have taken
since the SI election.
Strypey: Some comments on Aotearoa Indymedia have effectively called you a puppet of colonialism for declaring the Solomons elections free and fair. How do you respond?
Metiria: I have described below a bit of what I learnt from being there in 2004
and 2006.
But first, I strongly recommend that people read the Solomon Star
newspaper www.solomonstarnews.com and especially the letters to the
editor, to get a sense of what is happening there
And second, the activity in Honiara is only one small part of the Sols.
There are hundreds of islands and thousands of people living very poor,
ordinary lives. I saw a number of small villages and talked with the
people there. They were all trying to get schools and medical centres
in thier villages. That was and still is the most important and urgent
need.
I was there just before and during the elections. I wanted to stay to
see how the government would be formed but was not allowed too.
Strypey: From here it looks suspiciously like NZ police and soldiers are being used to violently suppress legitimate protests. Why would you as a Green and a believer in 'nonviolence' stick up for that?
Metiria: From my experience of being there, talking to people, watching
candidates meetings, watching the pre election campaigning, getting
various histories and stories about the candidates, and being there to
watch the election take place in the remote Small Malaita island, I
believe that the protests were not about the formation of a corrupt
government, but were encouraged by the opposition MP's in order to
pressure government MP's to change thier allegience and support the
opposition.
I believe the use of tear gas on the protestors was an unecessary
overreaction by RAMSI forces and inflamed the situation. And I believe
that providing extra support to RAMSI and the PPF was necessary to help
restore some sense of security there.
Strypey: I still don't see how NZ providing support for a police force prone to overreacting with brutal force. But let's focus on the motivation of the protesters - what makes you think they could influence MPs in how they from a government?
Metiria: The Solomons do not operate a cohesive party system, though there are
strong moves to encourage this. Therefore the MP's are, in practice,
entirely independent of each other. They are vulnerable to pressure by
both force and inducement. And there are very significant international
interests in the Sols because of the valuable natural resources there.
These economic pressures, along with the significant poverty of the
community and the dictates of ordinary human behaviour, make the
political and economic machinations of the Sols very complex.
There are reports of massive amounts of Taiwanese money being given to
MP's to spend as they like - hundreds of thousands of Solomons dollars.
The money is supposed to be for the electorate although some have used
it to pay legal fees in their defence of charges of corruption. Only
one SI MP has ever reported on his use of the money and he only just
scrapped back into parliament. At the same time, there is massive
Chinese influence as well, so that the political and economic problems
of China/Taiwan are being played out in the Sols as well.
Strypey: But hang on, weren't the protests that you accept RAMSI attacking against these corporate influences on Solomons politics?
Metiria: The riots were characterised as anti-chinese and anti-corruption. This
is a very simplistic view of what was happening. My understanding is
that the MP's who were not part of forming the Government encouraged the
protests in order to place pressure on the Government MP's to change
sides. This was supported later by the arrest of two MP's for inciting
the riots. One of which is Charles Dausebea. Rumor has it that he was
responsible for corrupt practices in the civil service just before the
tensions. I think he has faced relevant charges in the past. He is now
the Minister of Police and was made so while still in prison. To the
extent that the protest was an attempt to reconfigure the government, it
worked with a number of MP's shifting sides immediately afterwards. It
is naive to believe that this government will be any less problematic
than the first. There are no clear good guys and bad guys.
Strypey: So you don't believe it was an anti-corruption protest or an anti-Chinese but it certainly targeted the Chinese, why was that?
Metiria: As for the burning of china town, I believe that this was a mixture of
political activity and opportunism. I note that the hotel of one of
the most powerful Chinese businessmen in the Sols, Tommy Chan, was not
torched, yet is only a few minutes walk from the centre of Honiara. I
think the decision not to attack his very elaborate hotel was
significant. Which goes to the opportunism in the attacks on China
town. This was a real tragedy, and fuelled as much by politics as by
poverty. There are still hundreds of young men without work or income
in Honiara, just waiting for something to do.
Strypey: Any final comments?
Metiria: I understand that the Greens have attracted some criticism for not
opposing NZ's involvement post-election. As I say, the tear gas was
stupid. But this is not a clear cut case of the triumph of good over
evil. The concerns about the tear gassing should not be broadened to
undermine the whole of NZ's involvement in the Sols.
Strypey: Thanks again for your responses.
NZ needs to stay right out of Indonesia and the Solomons and the Greens know it - they are like Labour - putting a bob each way.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the left in the USA. All hail President Oprah and VP Dr Phil. As for the Solomons and Indo China our politicans need to stay out but the AUS N NZ military defend our line now... come on civilians face reality otherwise they will invade us in the future if we let them ...they will...we are defending our naval passages and ability to trade goods with the world. What fantasy do you knockers live in WE DEFEND YOUR FREEDOM !
ReplyDeleteWas WW2 and the Bali bombings a joke? Until a knife wielding hippy barges into your living room LIBERALS just dont get it... your ungrateful arrogance is unbelievable.
ReplyDelete