Hipkins criticises COVID response inquiry and US pushes for Gaza ceasefire
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NZ Herald
9 hours ago
- NZ Herald
The rise of a New York socialist and the challenge to Labour here
But it's not enough to be liberal. Cuomo bungled the city's Covid response with horrifying consequences and has faced multiple accusations of sex abuse. These same things have never held back a certain other politician from New York but, with very good reason, they hurt Cuomo. Mamdani won on a platform that included more equitable tax, rent freezes and more public housing, free buses and more subway trains, city-run supermarkets (they already exist in Kansas and Wisconsin and are soon to open in Chicago and Atlanta), and community funding for mental health to ease the burden on police. It's not a revolutionary platform, despite what some people think. But the changes he promotes are far larger than the incrementalism common to governments of the centre-left. And he doesn't own a car. Zohran Mamdani celebrates with his wife Rama Duwaji after winning the Democratic primary in June. Photo / Shuran Huang/ New York Times Also, from the did-you-know department, he's the son of Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, whose movies include the acclaimed Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding and Mississippi Masala. Cuomo, on the other hand, is the scion of one of those powerhouse political families that think they're entitled to run everything in America. It shouldn't be taking the big party machines in our democracies so long to recognise that people have had enough of that. They're pissed off, and with good reason, because as almost everyone knows, our governments are not delivering the security and prosperity they promise. They can't or won't control prices. Nor, despite the endless rhetoric, are they building a more productive economy or taking the climate crisis seriously. Donald Trump is one of many populists around the world who know how to exploit this. But we shouldn't think we're immune in this country just because we don't have a populist leader with enough mass appeal to sweep the establishment and or modern society away. Winston Peters and David Seymour are still tails wagging the dog, despite their best efforts to become the dog itself. But someone new will come along. Why would we be immune from the biggest political trend in the democratic world today? This is now the central challenge facing Labour. While populism is more common on the right, it doesn't have to be that way. The populist response can swing left and Zohran Mamdani is not the only one proving it. Countries as varied as Brazil, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Bolivia and Tanzania, among many others, have governments on the left. In Britain, the fightback against Sir Keir Starmer's austerity politics is having an impact. In the US, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders have teamed up on the Fighting Oligarchy Tour, building a mass movement against Trump and the timid centrism that gets nothing much done. 'No Kings' is, as it always has been, a powerful democratic slogan. Bernie Sanders out campaigning in the United States. Photos / 123rf Is Labour going to be part of this global movement? If so, Hipkins has three big lessons to learn from the politics of the coalition Government. The first is a positive lesson: that you can govern effectively when the different parties in a coalition decide what they agree on, and act accordingly. The second is a negative one: you lose the respect of the electorate if the tail keeps wagging the dog. And the third? Get things done. The grand irony of Labour's 2020-2023 time in office was that although it didn't have to manage any coalition partners, it got much less done than its mandate allowed. If the Greens, in particular, had been in that Government, there might have been much more effective action on poverty and the climate. White elephant projects like underground light rail might have been replaced by much more realistic transport progress. They would have been further to the left than the Ardern-Hipkins Government managed to be, and it might well have got them re-elected. So now what? Many wealthy people say they wouldn't mind paying more tax, but they don't trust governments on the left to spend it well. This is relevant and ridiculous. Relevant, because Labour does need to convince voters its lack of progress last time won't happen again. And ridiculous because, excuse me, have you seen what the current Government is doing? Many of its new laws were repeals of Labour laws, not new policy. Many have been badly conceived. It's pouring time and money into virtue-signalling on crime, populist healthcare, the wrong parts of the education sector and a few massively expensive roads. The Infrastructure Commission has just released its report outlining a framework for 30 years of progress. But the analysis it contains is almost the diametric opposite of Government policy, so Cabinet ministers barely talk about it. In this context, the way ahead for Labour and its putative coalition partners is clear enough. It includes poverty action, a Green New Deal, equitable tax reform, housing for all and respect for the Treaty of Waitangi. And economic reform to boost productivity and reduce our reliance on low-return commodities. These things should be the most sellable propositions in politics today. Why aren't they? Partly, it's because enormous effort goes into discrediting them. From the wild fossil-fuelled rhetoric of Shane Jones, through the sombre neoliberal warnings of Nicola Willis, to the apocalyptic forecasting of Matthew Hooton, it's a barrage. They're not hard to answer, though. Economist John Gascoigne provided a splendid account of the higher-taxing, economically powerful and socially resilient welfare state of Denmark in the Herald just yesterday. Sadly, though, the New Zealand Labour leader has been more interested in learning from the British Labour Government. But learn what? Labour leader Chris Hipkins risks failing at the next election without a programme that appeals to fed-up voters. Photo / Dean Purcell The supposed 'landslide' Labour won a year ago wasn't what it seemed. Labour's vote didn't go up: the very moderate Starmer won fewer votes than the more radical Jeremy Corbyn. But because of the first-past-the-post system, Labour's 34% of the vote produced 64% of the seats in Parliament. The 'landslide' happened because the Conservative vote collapsed to 24%, in favour of Nigel Farage's hard-right Reform Party, which rose to 15%. Populists, sweeping the establishment away. Since then, the Conservatives have not recovered, while Labour has sunk to the low 20s and Reform has doubled its support. In all 13 of the most recently conducted polls, Reform was in the lead. It's frightening. What Labour should do, here as well as there, is not an idle question. Without a programme that appeals to fed-up voters, Hipkins will fail. Getting shouted at by Shane Jones, Nicola Willis et al is not the main reason Labour is reluctant to embrace the most sellable propositions in politics today. It's scared of what money will do. Starmer's own Government was bluntly reminded of this last week when backbenchers forced it to abandon £4.8 billion ($10.9b) worth of welfare cuts. The bond market almost collapsed. And manipulating the markets is not the only way money flexes its muscles to keep left-wing politics in check. The Taxpayers' Union runs a relentless and extremely well-funded attack on the welfare state. Wealthy donors favour the parties of the right: the Electoral Commission reported donations of $16.5m to the centre-right parties during 2023, the last election year, compared with $8.3m for the centre-left. But this can be overcome. Zohran Mamdani faces the same challenge on steroids: the mighty Democratic establishment is aghast at his success to date. How did he do it? With an army of 40,000 volunteers. And with a policy platform that gives voters hope. Simon Wilson is a senior writer covering politics, the climate crisis, transport, housing, urban design and social issues, with a focus on Auckland. He joined the Herald in 2018.
Otago Daily Times
10 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Veteran councillors rule out returning
Invercargill will lose the services of two long-serving councillors following the October election. Peter Kett and Lesley Soper have ruled out returning to the table after serving seven terms and three terms respectively. Their decisions come at a time when the majority of councillors are putting their hands up for another stint. Cr Kett made up his mind three years ago that this would be his last term and said that would not change. "I'd always go out in person and talk to the people that called me, so I'll miss all that. "I'll miss most of the councillors." Last year was a difficult year for him as he faced both the death of his wife and numerous health difficulties. Multiple knee operations late last year and two heart attacks under anesthetic forced him to step aside from council duties while he recovered. Despite the setbacks, he was now feeling "bloody good" and was sad to be leaving. Also finishing up is Cr Soper, whose nine years at the council ends a long political career. She spent time on the district health board and had two stints in Parliament as a Labour MP in 2005 and from 2007-08. She made the decision to leave "some time ago", she said. "Very early in my career I discovered you can help individuals, but if you want to make really lasting changes for large groups of the population, then get involved where the power actually is." Her highlights on the council included fighting to keep the children's library in its current location, the council's credit rating and supporting the appointment of mana whenua representatives. Mayor Nobby Clark's recent use of his casting vote to not update the council's procurement policy in support of Palestine was "a definite low point". Invercargill will be in for a new mayor with Mr Clark repeatedly ruling out the possibility of a second term. The mayoral race includes deputy mayor Tom Campbell and councillors Alex Crackett, Ria Bond and Ian Pottinger. Mr Campbell is all-in with his bid having ruled out running for council, while Cr Crackett is also leaning in that direction while keeping her options open. She recently quit her job to focus on her campaign. TikTok enthusiast Tom Morton is also throwing his hat in the ring for mayor while town crier Lynley McKerrow changed her mind and will now just run for council. Other councillors standing again include Grant Dermody, Trish Boyle, Steve Broad, Barry Stewart and Darren Ludlow. Cr Allan Arnold could not be reached for comment. Nominations officially opened on Friday and candidates have until August 1 to put their name forward. Voting documents will be sent out in September ahead of election day on October 11. • LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
Covid inquiry hearings: No decisions yet on which politicians will appear
Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern led the country through the first response to Covid-19, but the Royal Commission will not confirm if she will appear at the inquiry. Photo: 2021 Getty Images The Royal Commission investigating New Zealand's Covid-19 pandemic response has not made any decisions about which leaders and politicians will appear for a public healing. The inquiry is looking into the government's response to the pandemic and its effects. This week's hearings have concentrated on the impact of the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland in 2021 and on vaccine mandates and safety. RNZ previously reported that the commission had requested former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern to give evidence at a public hearing in August. But the commission said no decisions had been made about who would appear at the hearing. "The witness list is still under consideration, and it is not appropriate to make further comment about it at this stage," they said in a written statement. "The Inquiry will share the witness list and more information about the planned August public hearing in due course." They also noted that people giving evidence would not necessarily be required to do so in a public hearing. "Public hearings are just one way the Inquiry can gather evidence, in addition to private interviews, written correspondence, stakeholder engagements, public submissions and document analysis." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
