Behind the scenes, the power structures of NZ are still in a state of denial and incandescent rage.
The vested interests who prospered under National still can not believe they have lost power, but they also hear an anger towards free market Capitalism being expressed by Jacinda and Winston that to them is blasphemy.
Helen Clark faced the same powers with her ‘winter of discontent’ when the corporates and elites joined forces to economically sabotage the country until Clark backed down over closing the gaps social policy.
The message from these elites is clear, ‘you may have won, but we run this country’.
Winston and Jacinda articulate an actual threat to the neoliberal hegemonic structure, that’s why the resistance to the new government echoed in the mainstream media and seen in the petty spitefulness of Parliamentary procedure is so vicious.
But that’s just what can be seen above the surface. Below it the new Government faces a public service that is ideologically infested towards harming the poor and driven by pushing for more globalist trade liberalisation and free market reform.
What the Right wanted more than anything was Jacinda to march off to APEC trumpeting resistance so that when it fell over, they could blame her for the impending economic slump.
What these forces desperately want is to spook the market so interest rates go up which would give every NZer with a mortgage an extra couple of hundred dollars a week in loan repayments for Christmas.
Jacinda has played a far smarter game.
As The Daily Blog pointed out last week...
…I think that keeping their heads down and allowing the TPPA to implode all on its own to escape an open confrontation with the elite rich of NZ is a smarter move for a new Government than declaring war on the neoliberal establishment on day one.
…the Right can’t blame the TPPA failure on Jacinda now Canada has pulled out and her push for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) should be seen for what it is, kicking this bloody thing into touch.
There’s more than one way to skin neoliberalism.
The other immediate international issue was China who has been agitated by the foreign land sale moves by the new Government and the demise of the National Party whom they sponsor. Unspoken threats to our economic relationship with them is what has spurred NZ First wanting to open up trade with Russia who would take anything China didn’t buy.
That’s two ankle taps that Jacinda has managed to side step with skill.
In Parliament, National will use their Select Committee concessions gained from the first days meltdown to wicked effect. Every policy will be held up and manufactured outrage will drive public hearings while National trumpet the values of democracy and participation and damn every attempt by the new Government to move policy along with the kind of inflammatory wounded rhetoric that made Trump so electable.
Outside Parliament, National will look to manufacture crises that attack Labour’s allies. Expect dirty politics and well resourced media smears on Unions.
The elites will stalk for an issue to fund which will cause the largest level of social division while constantly trying to trip up the economy.
The new Government have bought themselves some breathing space through till January, but those against them are stopping at nothing to undermine and distort their vision.
WHEN WILL jACINDA COME OUT OVER THE DARK AND STAND UP FOR ALL OF OUR COLLECTIVE HEALTH & WELLBEING OF HER PEOPLE & ENVIRONMENT AS CANADA HAS DONE SO?
“Outside Parliament, National will look to manufacture crises that attack Labour’s allies. Expect dirty politics and well resourced media smears on Unions.”
BETRAYAL !! As a labour voter at the general election I am spewing. Jacinda hasn’t played a smarter game.She has showed that when push comes to shove she has no spine.The ISDS provisions threaten our sovereignty.For me the pixie dust has evaporated, and I am confronted with instead of a fairy princess progressive, a neo-liberal tawdry goblin, whose labour party coach has turned into overnight a steaming dog turd!
Now, tell me more about the Green Party ?
What betrayal? 1. Labour always maintained that they didnt support the tpp in its current form and would renegotiate it. 2. In 2 weeks no less they managed to make changes despite the odds being against them and despite the former National government saying that the tpp couldn’t be changed. 3. Not signed. 4. Its not over yet as prof Kelsey has pointed out.
Free trade as an economic concept didn’t really have global trade with giant disparities in existing GDP per capita and standard of living in mind. Free trade isn’t enough. I want free movement of labor. Both of these together can go a long way in solving world poverty.
Louis this is not true;
“In 2 weeks no less they managed to make changes despite the odds being against them and despite the former National government saying that the tpp couldn’t be changed”
I am not against labour, and I am a Labour voter to but we need to brig the facts out honestly first about if any changes the ISDS were made at all which over at the Standard shows Labour did not change the ISDS a all.
Secindly as I drive to town today I heard Wayne Mapp discussing the issue if any changes were made from the origional text of ISDS that national signed last year and he said strongly No chanes have been made, so who is correct here now, as I hate national I wouild dearly love jacinda to be right, but since we have no copy of the text of any ammendments from the origionnal TPP signed by Nats in 2016 we dont know who is right or wrong.
Wayne said it was not changed from the origional text national signed last year.
Here are the facts;
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/11/nz-first-support-for-tpp-not-guaranteed.html
13 November 2017
RadioLIVE
LISTEN NOW
NZ First support for TPP not guaranteed
• 1 hour ago
Anna Bracewell-Worrall
NZ First leader Winston Peters and Labour leader Jacinda Ardern. Credits: Newshub.
Labour may have to pass the CPTPP into law with the support of National and ACT – and without its Government support partners.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand First won’t make a decision on whether it backs the CPTPP (the rebranded Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement) through Parliament, until it’s seen the final deal.
Labour already knows it doesn’t have backing from the Greens.
Earlier on Monday, the Greens reiterated its decision to vote against the deal, while investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms remained an option.
Without support from either Government partner, the CPTPP can still easily pass through into law. National says it does – and will – support the agreement.
Speaking from the Philippines, Ms Ardern said, despite New Zealand First having Cabinet responsibility, it also had the ability to agree to disagree.
“We won’t have a conversation about where party support will fall, until we have a final agreement,” she said. “I absolutely understand parties in some cases will wait until the final deal’s on the table.”
From time to time, Labour, New Zealand First and the Greens will take differing positions, she said.
Ms Ardern has had ongoing conversations about the deal with NZ First leader Winston Peters.
The TPP agreement initially included the United States, but President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement, forcing the remaining countries to form a TPP11 agreement.
Newshub.
You hit the nail on the head again Martyn.
Jacinda has played a far smarter game.
Yeah right, she gambled and was lucky. That’s all.
Gambling over TPP ISDS is not clever , it’s reckless, made worse when the motivation for gambling is fear of political consequences for standing up for NZ’s interests.
At least we now know how little regard NZ Labour hold for their support base’s position, who overwhelmingly reject the TPP.
Know it: Labour are still neoliberal puppets.
I mean neoliberalism is finished and every one is kind of standing around puzzled about what to. While democracy is used to fund shareholder profit there can be no market solutions. In the sense that companies aren’t an argument of merit any more. It’s just ownership of stuff. No one asks why companies take up valuable space in our cities or there purpose fore being there. And overwhelmingly there purpose is to screw every one over. So the theatre of parliament, the select committees and all that, are kind of the final extension of some very cheeky businessmen in desperate need of a which hunt. But that wouldn’t go down well with the herald.
Is all moved on a bit from this post. But Martyn is right. The forces of greed have not accepted theres a change of government. Because we elected a different kind of government doesn’t mean everyone’s now going oh yeah ok. We have to keep on organising and campaigning. Because they will come for you and me ; and they will and are coming for Jacinda. Changing the government is just the first step. Its not the time to sit back and say deliver our shopping list please. Or else.
Totally agree, Darien. Over the standard and daily blog, I’ve been less than impressed. Whether they agree with the TPP or not, and I don’t until I see the whites of its eyes, and why some parts were only ‘suspended’, let the monied interests and opposition and privately owned media greedy do the crappy attacks, not so-called allies; I’m for the long game – Labour finding its Blackball ideals in the 21st century, which is a challenge in itself. All we have to remember is PEOPLE MATTER. That’s what we have to remind Parliament of, not just government. Parliament works for us or must be forced to. The new government CAN do This. I have faith in the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. The alternative is corruption and we don’t want that back for a very long time, or at least until they understand the people are in charge of New Zealand’s egalitaria, not the greedy.
Thanks for all you do, behind the scenes, for the people just starting to find their voice, Darien.
The bit that has got me me buggered is who the hell are these elites you are talking about?
Name them as if its true they need to be named and shamed.
The government has changed and they need space to make a good – or bad – jobe without interference.
100% Darien.
National are now using the media to cover up the TPP 11 (or whatever it is called now) as they are effectively saying “no need to look theres nothing there” bout ex nat’ Wayne Mapp was saying on newshub today that the TPPA that labour now is hailing as o/k is the same as Natiional agreed to in 2016, so either the nats are lying or Labour is making it up that is has been altered signifantly so we are seeing the nats setting labour up.
My suggestion to Jacinda is to release alll the origional that national signed and the changed model jacind says labour has helped to change in our favour.
let is decide what if the deal is better, as that may build some shattered faith that exsists now.
jacinda promised many times to be transparent so “lets do this”
Jacinda and Winston and the Greens have to stay staunch…Russia and Europe and Britain should be our new trading partners to mitigate the effect of predation from China and USA corporates
….the Nacts are stuffed…and the whole country is cheering that these old ‘has beens’ are shown up for what they are
…the Nacts who have betrayed and SOLD US OUT and done so much damage to New Zealand and New Zealander’s rights
…they are GONE BURGER!
…and for the next Election!
agree 100% with you Red Buzzard
Ageed RB bang on as their promises must be kept every one.
1000 days is not long to carryout the task of the first ‘batch of changes’
We in HB along with HBRC our partner were given on November 17th 2013 just three months to produce our bussiness case to take over the mothballed Napier/Gisborne rail line contract with Kiwirail.
Little did we know this time period is a non functional period over xmas/new year.
So the three months beginning late November to February 12th most bussiness’s and government operations had not returned to operation so we missed the deadline because of no contact with these bussiness partners and agencies, and lost the contract.
labour are walking into the same trap now as they cannot carry out their 100day changes over this xmas/new year period as we found out that time period is deadwoood time where nthing goes on so beware labour.
So naive, the Labour party is part & parcel of the establishment & the establishment always win. In NZ Tim Shadbolt is a classic example of this. The corrupting party political system is well past it’s use by date, time for something truly radical, revitalising & refreshing.
I’m old enough to remember when Tim Shaddo as part of the PYM – Progressive Youth Movement – made so much noise that Kiwi Keith, opening the Nats campaign ( in Whangarei as I recall ) could not be heard by the TV audience.
I was shocked as it seemed to me to be a complete undermine of democracy so effectively ” jam” a political opening.
So Tim moved from “Bullshit and jellybeans” to a very establishment professional mayor who would condemn these same tactics he used as a young man.
Of course the Labour party is part of the establishment. Easy for the opposition to say almost anything but the levers of power come with a special lever marked “responsibility.”
Responsibility to who? Foreign overlords!! Spot on about Tim, yes he was a ranting activist & hippie who eventually moved south, came in from the cold, embraced the establishment way of doing things & set up his own fiefdom. What most do not see, or prefer not see (this includes all members of every political party) is that the good times are almost over, as the world as we know it is about to come crashing down. What will you do when the oil tankers & banana boats etc stop arriving on time? Responsible leadership today, especially in NZ which is as isolated as it gets, would be to take drastic measures to ensure we are able to survive the downfall of unsustainable, intertwined, over populated & globalised world. Ensuring food & water security should be a major priority, as well as radically reducing our reliance on both imports & exports to sustain a half descent way of life. Of course we will first need to regain control over our destiny, which will require us to turn our backs on the big boys & unilaterally blaze our own unique trail into a very volatile future.
Good points JohnnyBG, this is the kind of understanding of the world’s resource situation that needs to be driving trade policy, not the “free trade” nutters who think the world is made of numbers and dollar signs. They think it’s a good idea for an island country to import bulk commodities while at the same time exporting the same commodities, if it make sense on the right corporate spreadsheets. The reality is the world does not have the energy supplies to sustain this pass-the-parcel global economy for much longer, and radical re-localization and degrowth economics are needed.
Do we actually know Jacinda wasn’t fully prepared to sign off on whatever the TPPA overlords wanted? Martyn spins this is careful planning by Labour/NZ First, but I’m far from convinced that is the case.
Historian Pete, you have never played chess?
Jacinda has been three or four moves ahead, except when her whips let her down over numbers.
She sets goals and plays the long game.
There is a great load of expectations on her and her government, and critics at every turn.
We are in early days, and this dreaded deal has to come back, bear scrutiny, and meet the criteria.
She has delayed and reframed the methods of acceptance. Nothing under the table. She is to be admired, not castigated by her own before it is a done deal.
My feeling watching Jacinda was that she was star struck and there was no way she was not going to sign up to the TPP , regardless of what was on offer. Her plan was to just get the best deal . She was in over her depth.I trust Jane Kelsey’s assessment that we are still in a toxic position regarding the ISDS Corporate Tribunals.The fear of being sued will have a dampening effect of what legislation is put forward.That will actually be the worst of it!
historian pete many said the same about sire john being out of his depth now you are saying this about our new PM. Give her a chance she has some wise ones around her and nothing can be worse then the last 9 years of us waiting for our brighter future the one that never came and never was going to come.
I made no such statement about John Key.In moments like the TPP scenario you don’t get a second chance !
MICHELLE,
Are you aware of the time frame of the TPP 11 (or whatever it is called?
it has been said that the lock in time is upwards to 35yrs!
Are you aware it is a long term manatory time frame this TPP 11 is for here?
This government has three years to make the necessary changes to roll back neo lib powers.
Unfortunately pulling out of the TPPA would have been a start but Jacinda and Winston will have a strategy.
Time is on their side.
You’re drink and its time to go home Martyn. This Labour government is totally signed up to the TPP, and its big cudos with their real bosses if they can bring home a done deal. They don’t work for us Martyn. They work for the Ruling Class. Why don’t you get that?
Baristas I least like to have serve my coffee:
Knows more about children than a:Psycologist
Knows more about the GDP than an: Economist
Knows more about tactical manoeuvres than a:General
Knows more about education than a:Profesor
Knows more about complex calculations than a:Physicist
Knows more about God than the:Pope
Knows more about civil rights than:Martin Luther King
Knows more about sustainable living than an: Engineer
Knows more about housing than a:builder
Knows more about history than a:bachelor in arts
But most importantly. Knows more about The Daily Blog than: Martyn Bradbury.
Lol, when a Labour govt gets universal praise from business leaders, the National Party and the MSM commentariat for its handling of the TPP, you know we’ve all been sold down the river.
I’ve said it here many times, both before and after the election, this is a Neo-Liberal, faux left government and we are all fools.
I can’t help it, I’m laughing my ass off. We are so stupid – they lied to us, and we wanted to believe, but the truth is, we’ve been SUCKERED AGAIN!
We are never going to learn. The only difference between the two major parties are stylistic. It doesn’t matter which party it is, they don’t work for us, they serve the RULING CLASS!
This kind of fatalism is just grumpy idealism. Neither are realistic. Yes, Labour still have a long way to go to shed their corporatist rump and get back to being a *labour* party (Blackball principles etc). But they are not in government on their own. Both NZ First and the Greens are far to the left of the Labour economically, and will help to reduce any tendancy to meet the NatACTs in the “centre” (the news media version of “centre”, which sits neatly between Labour’s centre-right and the NatACTs far-right). As Darien Fenton says, if we want more progress from this government, we the people need to educate, agitate, and organise, and herd them in the direction we want them to go.
Get the faery dust out of your eyes mate. On the day of the signing of the TPP, in Auckland, we held the third of the four largest protests in modern nz history. The entire central city was locked down for hours. You couldn’t get a scooter into the CBD, even the expressways were shut down. This Labour government knows exactly how we feel about the TPP, but they don’t care.
The people they are really trying to impress are the global elites. People like Tony Blair, JA’s mentor, and others of his ilk, the creators of Neo-Labour.
They don’t work for us. Not now, not “when they see the light”, not ever. They work for the Ruling Class. They’ve betrayed their base many many times, because they know they can get away with it. And they will keep doing so as long as they can rely on us to keep swallowing the hook.
This time is different though. They barely squeezed in by a miracle. When they betray us this time, they’ll never get in again. Maybe it wont matter, because the tpp effectively hands Nz sovereignty over to the multinationals, but there is still a chance. So long as we do not deceive ourselves about who these people really are, and who they really care about. And it definitely isn’t us.
You’ve got it, I think.
This may soon become one of the least popular governments in NZ history, I fear.
[…] I’ve argued that Jacinda, David Parker and Winston are all playing a dangerous game trying to navigate elites at home who want to trip the new Government up and an MFAT who are religiously free market and that the CPTPP represents us kicking for touch rather than a sell out of all the values arguing against the ISDS. Add the far larger geopolitical machinations between China and America and we either see the CPTPP as a means to advance our interests away from China and America or we all sulk while refusing to acknowledge that is even happening. […]
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