The hikoi comes at a time when the haters are getting bolder. Who would believe that we can live in a country where at a political party conference an interjector can advocate bringing in shooting the natives and that the response from the delegates is laughter. Not one politician had denounced this heinous statement and response - not one! Bloggers are leading the way -
Lew from Kiwipolitico
... the delegates in attendance at the ACT party laughed. At the suggestion that New Zealand implement a system of genocide against its indigenous people which, even back in 1840, was a source of shame for Australia, those in attendance at the annual conference of a New Zealand government party whose ranks include two ministers of the crown laughed.Idiot/Savant from No Right Turn
... This little blurt is very revealing about where ACT is now: deeply racist, willing to voice the previously unthinkable: that people should be murdered based on the colour of their skin to prevent them from irritating rich white people with their demands for justice.Eddie from The Standard
3-time election loser Don Brash spoke at the ACT conference on the weekend. It was an attempt to revive the Owera days with an anti-Maori speech. When he made a ‘they don’t know how lucky they are’ reference to how Australians used to “shoot the natives”, a ACT member yelled “bring that back” and the audience laughed.
and Morgan at Maui Street
... I wonder how well Brash’s Maori bashing will go down this time. A considerable amount of New Zealanders hate Maori culture (rather than Maori people), however in light of the Chch earthquake and the disaster unfolding in Japan issues such as karakia before public functions appear terribly insignificant.This is the tamest line in an awesomely accurate description of brash from Morgan.
We are lucky to have such strong voices out there. Thank you all.
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The first reports I heard of this outburst were that the audience 'groaned' which I interpreted as disappointment at the racist comment.
Kia ora Simon,
Yes they did say that but listening to the audio it sounds a bit different from their reporting. With calvet's bizzare speech and other comments from ACT it is hard to believe that the audience were disgusted with the interjection. Seems part of their grand plan to not go down the gurgler.
Hang on! I said way more than what seems to have been posted...
I'm sure ACT have a disproportionate number of deluded bitter racists. My point was that if Dr. 'I'll give you the' Brash was to be hit by a bus tonight, Maori would still have problems tomorrow.
Try again I'm interested in your views.
First, I think that by focusing on individuals (e.g., Don Brash) we give them more power than they could possibly have. He is a remarkably inept politician (too honest, say his supporters...). Perhaps if he was to go, someone better (more charismatic, less honest!) would take his place. Again, they would have less power than a poll would suggest.
Second, the 'divide and conquer' approach to colonisation is somewhat dated (though no less effective in its dotage). I agree with Karl Marx (via David Harvey): capitalism transforms limits (to its own compound growth) into technical barriers which it then overcomes or circumvents (e.g., by stealing money, appropriating more land, or even enabling tribal corporatisation – see Elizabeth Rata for a cynical but rather prescient view of that).
Three, there is nothing inscribed in stone that says capitalism can continue doing this. Just because it’s worked for two hundred years, doesn't give it another two hundred, or even twenty. What replaces it can only come from the templates available, including Indigenous economic models.
Fourth, Maori have inherited a well-established class system, courtesy of Victorian Britain, that has overseen the tremendous growth of a so-called 'Maori economy' (a highly problematic concept that few of our academics have tackled). The expansion of this economy correlates to the ongoing impoverishment of the great majority of Maori and a large majority of our Treaty partner as well as our Pasifika whanaunga.
I say correlates because the Maori economy is nested with the NZ economy and the wider global economy. Storm-tossed lifeboats is an apt analogy...
No reira, tena koe. Tena koutou katoa. The debate is too important to simply slag old school Pakeha politicians. What can we put in place of what we don't like?!
Kia ora Simon,
Yes brash is irrelevant really other than being a microphone for certain views within the community.
The 'maori economy' is an interesting question - as this maori economy successfully navigates and is part of the wider economy, does it produce inequity inevitably? I suppose structurally, yes, it has to.
It would be interesting to assess the intersection of the two economic circles - is it an appropriation of the model within a maori worldview or a subsumption of the maori world view into the wider capitalist ethos.
Any links you have would be awesome.
By the way - your blog is great - i added it to my list.
Kia ora,
Ae, I'd argue that vital aspects of the Maori economy (land, fisheries, people) have been subsumed into the wider capitalist ethos. Capitalism has had little trouble assimilating socialism (The Third Way), communism (China), First Nations' casino's, Pacific Island tuna, the All Blacks/Ngati Toa's haka Ka Mate!
But I like to think the list cannot be endless as there can be no bottom-line to culture. I'm an optimist!
Thanks for the link, it will be reciprocated!
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