The Maori Party are whistling a new tune as they climb in the latest Polls…
Maori party considering alliance with Labour Party
The Maori Party’s voicing interest in striking a deal with the Labour Party.
National has previously been confident in its alliance with the Maori Party – but there are signs it shouldn’t get too comfortable.
Party leader Marama Fox said all her party wanted was to address disparities for Maori.
She told Newstalk ZB’s Andrew Dickens if Labour changes the Government in this year’s election, the Maori Party would jump sides.
“If they are successful then we will happily work with them,” she said.
“It is better to be at the table at the decision-making end, and have as much influence as we’re able.”
Note what Marama is actually saying here, that if Labour form a Government the Maori Party would like an invitation, she is not saying that the Maori Party would form a new Government with Labour.
Labour do not trust the Maori Party, that’s why they have been in attack mode all year, and that’s why they stole Willie Jackson from them as a candidate for Labour.
Before Labour took Willie Jackson as a candidate, there was a meeting between the Maori Party and Labour where it was put directly to the Maori Party that if they were the kingmaker, who would they side with, National or Labour.
Apparently the Maori Party could not tell Labour to their face that the Maori Party would walk away from the National Party table to form a Government with Labour. Once it was clear that the Maori Party wouldn’t confirm that, Labour made its decision to attack.
As far as Labour are concerned, a vote for the Maori Party is a vote for National, and that’s why Labour are hell bent on limiting their influence at the election.
Get the Maori Party to show some good faith & cross the floor on the RMA Bill and the Pt England Development Bill. The Treaty Settlement thats not a Treaty Settlement! – Ngati Paoa iwi Trust is an interim board, theres two other boards, 3 Deeds and a lot of monkeys! The Negotiators are “Off the Reservation” and dont have a mandate!
It would be more worthwhile to look at why the Maori Party don’t trust Labour and why they formed in the first place.
But they chose to put their trust with the National Party and look at the damage they have put upon Maori ~ increased poverty, jobless, homelessness. The seabed and foreshore issue pales in comparison!
Whatever the reason for the creation of the Maori Party, the reality is they have consistently enabled National government and were completely unable to make any kind of statement of support to Labour.
So finally Labour has faced reality; a vote for the Maori Party is indeed a vote for National.
If Maori voters are truly concerned about the representation of Maori issues in a settler dominated parliament they would do much better to vote for Mana.
“Whatever the reason for the creation of the Maori Party, the reality is they have consistently enabled National government”
With some help from Labour themselves. By running against Hone in Te Tai Tokerau in 2014, they kept 2-3 Internet-Mana MPs out of parliament, denied, and kept National in power for another 3 years. National would still have had the numbers with or without the Māori Party, so they chose to be in government rather than in opposition. Blaming the 2 Māori Party MPs for the consequences of a NatACT government that totally outnumber the entire opposition is ridiculously unfair, especially considering that the Flavell and Fox have crossed the floor against National on a number of occasions.
“So finally Labour has faced reality; a vote for the Maori Party is indeed a vote for National.”
No. What the Māori Party are saying, like NZ First do, is that their reason for being is to be part of the government. If Labour has the numbers, they will work with Labour, despite the many, many ways Labour has pissed all over their people (and all of us) in the past. As I pointed out in my comment on Willie’s self-congratulatory blog piece, Labour’s constant attack politics against the Māori Party (and by extension its supporters) just makes it harder and harder for them to justify supporting a Labour/Greens governments *facepalm*.
“If Maori voters are truly concerned about the representation of Maori issues in a settler dominated parliament they would do much better to vote for Mana.”
Are you serious? The remains of Mana are a basket-case after what Labour did to them in Te Tai Tokerau. They may not even be running a party list, and their chances of breaking 5% are about those of a snowball in hell. Hone is smart enough to recognise this, which is we he is working with the Māori Party. If Labour were serious about working with Mana they would have kept Kelvin Davis on the party list, or even withdrawn him from Te Tai Tokerua. I’m no fan of the Māori Party’s brown table politics, but I like the way Labour uses them as pawn in their own wrong-headed strategy even less.
I was busy checking Internet-Mana’s vote in 2015, and left out of my comment that Labour’s poor strategy, as well as losing them the election, denied all those who voted for Internet-Mana the chance to be represented by the 2-3 MPs they would have got if Hone had kept the seat.
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