NRT really puts the boot in.
For the past year, political commentator Chris Trotter has been urging Labour to advance its political fortunes by cynically playing the race card. Unfortunately, they seem to have listened to him. Today in Palmerston North (of course), Labour leader Phil Goff gave a speech to Grey Power (of course) attacking the government for dealing with the Maori Party, “reopening” Treaty settlements, and revisiting the Foreshore and Seabed Act. While carefully caveated (of course), the underlying message was loud and clear: “National is in bed with the bloody Maaris”.
Who’d have thought the Labour party might be playing Maori for its own political convenience?
Before the election Clark was clear about the status of the Maori Party, saying they would be the last cab off the rank in coalition talks. But the knife-edge result has levelled the playing field.
Gee, with National’s stirling work on treaty settlements in the 90’s, and now with a close relationship with the Maori party, not to mention Labour’s capituation of it’s “closing the gaps” policiy after Brash’s poll surge, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Labour’s relationship with Maori was for its own good, not that of Maori.
Actually, that sounds a bit dumb. Of course Labour was only in it for itself, it’s all politics, innit?
Goff’s speech was very, very well crafted to make an anti-maori statement sound pro. Brash was never quite so subtle. That subtlety might mitigate some damage. Well, it might have had Winston been out of the picture and National not been in cahoots with Turia. Plus, with Winston and Brash still in the public memory, the strategy is clear.
One thing is crystal clear, the Labour party is ceding the Maori electorate to the Maori party – at least for now. That’s a massive seismic shift from the Labour position a few years ago.