Saturday, June 04, 2011

Tito-Rangatiratanga?





This blog has paid attention lately to some of the more paranoid members of the political right, and to their belief that the Mana Party is a collection of commies and Maori radicals united by a desire to recreate Pol Pot's 'Democratic Kampuchea' in New Zealand.

The idea that Maori in general, and radical Maori in particular, represent a sort of fifth column in Kiwi society is not a new one, and one of its most energetic and long-standing proponents is Trevor Loudon, the former vice-President of the Act Party and an inveterate commie-hunter. Loudon, who insists that the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War were merely commie stunts designed to lull the West into a false sense of safety, has over the years linked every Maori activist from Syd Jackson to Tame Iti to one far left conspiracy or other. He also found the time, back in the '80s, to launch a campaign against the owners of Ladas. Loudon apparently regarded Kiwis who purchased the Soviet-made car as politically suspect, and would sometimes confront them in person as they parked their vehicles outside his local supermarket in Christchurch.

I have a couple of sinister photographs to show to comrade Loudon: they were taken recently outside a cafe in Riverhead, on the western edge of Auckland. Unfortunately, I missed out on identifying the owner of the personalised numberplate TITO: he or she nipped up out while I was preoccupied with my oversized rhubarb and lemon muffin.

Riverhead is an old gumdiggers' village, and the gumdigging industry was dominated, at the point of production if not the point of sale, by Dalmatians and Maori. In many parts of Northland, the two peoples intermarried, and in his great poem 'An Ordinary Day Beyond Kaitaia' Kendrick Smithyman celebrates the 'Polynesian Slavic' identity such alliances created.

Some people regarded the confluence of Maori and Dalmatian cultures less happily than Smithyman. In his handsome and disturbing book The Policeman and the Prophet, Mark Derby shows how members of the Anglo-Saxon establishment saw members of both groups as dangerous aliens, who had to be controlled with force. Derby describes, with admirable coolness, a plan by New Zealand's Police Commissioner to intern all of the country's Dalmatians in a giant prison camp on low scrubby land near Cape Reinga.

Could the number plate I spotted in an old gumdigging settlement, with its trumpeting of the name of Yugoslavia's late communist leader, be a sign of a residual danger to the forces of capitalist civilisation? Is there perhaps a danger of an alliance between old-style Yugoslav commies and the hotheads of the Mana Party? The term Tito-Rangatiratanga has a certain ring, doesn't it?

Footnote: this was posted by Maps rather than Skyler. Blogger has locked me out of its site, for some reason I can't, in my primitivist ignorance, even begin to comprehend.

21 Comments:

Blogger Nix Hikoreta said...

hmm I'm not sure what you mean? Tito means to write are you confused with the word "tino"

5:47 pm  
Blogger maps said...

Tito was the name of the communist ruler of Yugoslavia from the end of World War Two until the beginning of the eighties. I was just intrigued that anyone would choose to use his name on a personalsied number plate, and wondering how someone of a conspiratorial cast of mind like Loudon might use the plate...

7:38 pm  
Blogger maps said...

Tito split with Stalin shortly after World War Two, and guided Yugoslavia away from the pro-Soviet Eastern bloc. He became one of the founders of the 'non-aligned movement', which aimed to create a third pole of attraction to rival the Eastern and US-led Western blocs. At home, Tito experimented with the partial decentralisation of power, and with partial workers self-management in factories, without ever considering giving up his own personal power.

I'm not sure if there were ever any individuals, let alone groups, in this part of the world which described themselves as Titoist, but the term was used overseas, often in a derogatory way, but sometimes as a self-description:
http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Titoism

The distinguished British writer Edward Upward left the pro-Stalin Communist Party of Great Britain in 1947-48 partly out of solidarity with Tito, but I don't think he considered himself a Titoist. I remember reading a statement by Hone Tuwhare in which he said he considered himself a socialist, but didn't subscribe to either the 'Soviet, Chinese, or Yugoslav' models of socialism. It's interesting that he considered that a Yugoslav model existed, and that it was important enough to mention...

7:48 pm  
Blogger maps said...

Perhaps Titoism will rise again, though - here's an interesting report:

Admirers flock to the grave of Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz Tito on his birthday
By Jovana Gec, The Associated Press – May 25, 2011

Admirers of Josip Broz Tito from all over the former Yugoslavia flocked to his grave on his birthday Wednesday in a show of growing nostalgia for the late communist dictator.

Hundreds of people arrived by buses or cars, carrying flags, banners, badges and T-shirts bearing Tito's images.

The crowds reflect the sentimentality about the former Yugoslavia — a multiethnic federation that Tito led through the Cold War era, but which disintegrated in bloodshed only a decade after he died in 1980.

"We are here for the birthday of our great hero," declares 75-year-old Vukadin Nesic. "We had a lovely country and a great life."

Unlike the rest of the European Communist countries, the citizens of the former Yugoslavia enjoyed some freedoms such as free travel. Former Yugoslavs also credit Tito with keeping the country out of the Soviet grip, while maintaining good ties with the West.

Most of all, followers now say Tito at least provided jobs, if not political freedoms.

"It was so much better then," lamented Ljiljana Ivancic, 54-year-old clerk who travelled to Belgrade all the way from the Macedonian town of Ohrid. "We had security and peace."

Pensioner Stevco Ranevski, from Belgrade, added: "I can now live half a month on my pension, and after that — trouble." Asked how he survives, Ranevski says: "By miracle."

The nostalgia for Tito's era has mounted steadily for the past 20 years, during which the former Yugoslavia broke up into seven parts in what was Europe's worst carnage since World War II. More than 100,000 people died in the wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo and millions were left homeless and jobless.

Only the northernmost former Yugoslav republic, Slovenia, is now a member of the European Union, while other former republics are legging behind. Their economies are weak, poverty and corruption are widespread throughout the region.

Nadja Novitovic, one of the young people lining up to visit the grave, said she was born after Tito died but has still heard a lot about him. The 19-year-old says Tito's era must have been better and that "no times are worse than these now."

Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

7:59 pm  
Blogger Nix Hikoreta said...

No not at all, in fact they're nowhere related. It just means you know your history very well. They probably wouldn't even know who Tito Stalin's right hand man is! Get a life its just their surname. Did they do something to upset you, as it sounds like it.
Some people are proud of their name they have to put it on their number plate in case they might 4get it is all. Nothing 2do with Stahlin. Coincidence they are supporting the new Mana party, so what.

1:23 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It could also be a reference to a character in Paul Thomas's crime novels, Sergeant Tito Ihaka of the Auckland Police, whose father was a staunch admirer of the Yugoslav dictator. The character nicely combines Trevor's two obsessions, Maori and communism!

6:38 pm  
Blogger Richard said...

Dalis I met in the 70s all were very loyal to Tito. They would talk of him with reverence. Awe almost.

8:32 pm  
Blogger Nix Hikoreta said...

Maybe but a majority of the Tito family wouldn't all know of this same person probably one in ten. A small one percent. They aren't the biggest families like the Smiths or the Patels or the McLeods or the Manuels or the Love Family. They are only but a small faction.
You only need to look at the art of tattoo everyone, people have their surnames over their backs Maria Tutaia has one on her forearm and others on their neck. People put them on their number plates, they have the freedom to do so. Unless you interviewed them and asked them what it means to them then it is just coincidence and the fact that your heading is misleading. Do some real writing and put it down to just coincidence for now, because then your blog would stand for something. Otherwise you mislead the reader into thinking and believing your misinformed unsupported blog.
I can see the relationship to what you are trying to say though. But I wouldn't buy into that angle.
Great knowledge on history I must say.

9:10 pm  
Blogger Skyler said...

I think you're taking a jokey post a bit seriously, te Puhi. We're just having a laugh at people like Trevor Loudon who jump to huge conclusions from trivial things like numberplates...

4:05 am  
Blogger Nix Hikoreta said...

Hey my posts are short and simple is all. Nothing wrong with a joke at all. Thats all it is.

12:35 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Creeping comunism is no joke

Check out Trevor's admirable blog nezeal.blogspot.com for the TRUTH about the brown-red alliance!

2:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@Te Puhi

Wow...really? Did you even read Map's post @7:38PM?

M

9:31 pm  
Blogger Nix Hikoreta said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

10:13 pm  
Blogger Nix Hikoreta said...

No I purely see it from the fact that it is a family name and thats it. Sorry. It means to compose, write.

10:16 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Plots etc DO exist!!!!

12:01 pm  
Blogger Chris Trotter said...

You too, Maps. I'm recognised here - but not on Bowalley Road. God knows what Blogger did to itself - but they haven't fixed it yet.

Appropos of your posting; Trevor Loudon almost certainly has the most exhaustive database of left-wing New Zealanders in the world.

The SIS should contract-out their "Red List" for Trevor to maintain (come to think of it, they probably have done that already ;-)

12:08 pm  
Anonymous Hornykitten said...

I suspect the reference to Tito is more likely a reference to Tito Jackson (of the Jackson 5...)..

10:53 am  
Anonymous jh said...

Typical; you concentrate on loudins lunier ideas, and then you build us up with an example of a looney rightie. But you throw the baby out with the bath water. Louden isn't always crazy:

At easter 1998 Harawira gave a history of Maori struggle to the Asia Pacific Solidarity Conference in Sydney;


The Maori population was about 1 million when the Europeans came. We had a stable society with our own social controls, our own conservation methods, our own rules of behaviour towards one another.

When Pakehas (white people) came, they brought crime and diseases which almost wiped us out. The population dropped to 40,000 between 1800 and 1900. More died from disease than the big wars we had with the Pakehas. The population is now around 500,000-600,000.

8:45 pm  
Anonymous Trevor Landon said...

Hi all,

I seem to have accidentally received this email from Trevor Loudons partner to my email address and I do not have his proper email to forward it to so I thought it best I send it to some people who just might know how to get in contact with him. The email is below:

from: Tracey Loudon traceyjloudon@gmail.com
to: trevor.landon@gmail.com

date: Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 8:52 PM

You come clean with Tammy about what a whore you are too - you tell her how you tried to screw my best friend, had an internet affair which started the week we agreed to have one last effort on our marriage. How you finished it, with the grace I let you have on the three hour goodbye and then you repaid me by continuing contact during our trip to the USA. You come clean for a change instead of clearly telling her I had an affair and then ambiguously saying you are not perfect either. Coward.


You have 24 hours or I email the cow and set the record straight and you will never have any contact with your children as best as I can thwart it. Threats ? Yes. Damn straight. You completely underestimate how upset I am over this and her continued barrage of insults of someone she knows nothing about apart from what you are telling her. And that is telling me of your complete and utter disloyalty to anything that has been between us in the past. In marriage you betrayed me so many times - I guess a leopard doesn't change its spots and it really should be no surprise that you continue in separation.

You cannot fire me if I email her - I never stopped for that reason. I stopped for my dignity but I told you if she didn't stop that that would be it - she hasn't stopped - she has escalated so ball is in your court now.

8:01 pm  
Blogger Unknown said...

It's not that deep. Just the last name of one of our cuzzies from up north.

6:04 pm  
Blogger amirty40 said...

Obrigado pelo excelente conteúdo

گفت و گو کردن درباره مشکلات بعد از ازدواج
تفاوت شخصیتی زن و مرد آیا مشکلی در ازدواج بوجود می اورد؟
عیب جویی در زندگی مشترک چه مشکلاتی به همراه دارد؟

11:24 am  

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