Newshub’s latest piece on the Ihumātao protests is aimed at childishly shaming the Green MPs who attended…
Green MPs attend Ihumātao protest where ‘Jacinda = Traitor’ sign held up
Green MPs, including Marama Davidson and Golriz Ghahraman, have attended an Ihumātao protest outside Parliament where a sign saying “Jacinda = Traitor” was held up.
Protesters held signs that read “Jacinda = Traitor”, “All Colonisers Are Bastards”, and “No Profit from Stolen Land” at the demonstation.
Marama Davidson, co-leader of the Green Party, stood in the crowd alongside Green MPs Golriz Ghahraman and Gareth Hughes.
When asked on Tuesday if she supports the sign labelling the Prime Minister a “traitor”, Davidson said, “No that is not the peaceful leadership that is coming from the organisers of the Ihumātao occupation.”
…it is not the responsibility of the Green MPs for signs made at a protest unless it’s a Green Party event, which it wasn’t.
The Green MPs have shown nothing but courage and true support over Ihumātao.
What is understandable is the anger that last nights escalation by Police AFTER Jacinda specifically declared a de-escalation has enraged many because it looks like a betrayal.
Jacinda is walking a political tight rope here.
The best solution is one agreed and decided on by Māori and sorted quickly enough before those darker angels of the NZ pysche start getting manipulated by National for a Don Brash Orewa Speech moment. All it took for the Foreshore & Seabed confiscation was Gerry Brwonlee running around the country screaming, ‘Da Maaaaris want to steal our beaches”.
Jacinda has already stated unequivocally that there is no building and called for de-escalation after the Police initial overkill saw tensions flare up. She has sent Willie Jackson and Peeni Henare into seek a Māori solution with Māori by Māori and the King has arrived to help facilitate that.
So far, so good.
But then last night while Shane Jones was on Q+A attacking Ihumātao protectors, the Police suddenly decided to attempt to force the protestors off the land.
It was as if the NZ Police conveniently ignored the Prime Minister. Frantic late night telephone calls managed to remind the Police of the PMs position to de-escalate in the most serious of tones.
That has led to Jacinda making this response today…
“Obviously I would say again the same thing I said a week ago, which is while people are there we just really urge for there to be a peaceful protest to try and ensure, of course, a de-escalation.
“No one wants anything to be inflamed, particularly while talks are under way. And so we just need to create the space for that to happen and that is what’s happening.”
…Jacinda is trying to communicate to the protectors to not give the Police another excuse to abuse the truce because she certainly had no idea what stunt Police were trying to pull.
Better to look like she is reminding protestors to respect the peace than admit she lost control of the Police last night.
There will be a very long, ‘please explain’, meeting happening between the Government and Police operations in private right now.
It never helps our own cause to abuse our opponents.
Rather the Prime Minister’s position needs to be objectively analysed and understood.
Is Jacinda really powerless to act as she claims to be in the case of Huawei, the Commission of Inquiry into the Al Nor massacre, and now Ihumatao?
Perhaps she is. Elected governments, led by the Labour Party, have abdicated many of the rights and responsibilities of government to either the private sector or non-elected state officials. There are elements of the state – the Police, Armed Forces and Security Services – which de facto are no longer accountable to the elected representatives. In theory the Prime Minister could direct and control the security chiefs but in practice any attempt to do so would provoke a crisis of state.
Jacinda Ardern is not a traitor. She pledged allegiance to Queen Elizabeth and she has remained loyal to her oath.
As we work for rangatiratanga and kotahitanga, for our freedom as a people, her chosen place is on the other side with the British Crown. We can negotiate with her but we cannot expect her to be on our side, and we cannot even expect her to make sensible decisions that would allow for a peaceful resolution to our disputes.
People are angry with Jacinda Ardern because they are confused about who she represents (the people or the Crown?) and they do not fully understand the limitations that the deep state imposes on her freedom of action.
The anger, the confusion and the misunderstandings are all unhelpful to our cause.
Agreed. But Jacinda is stymied by the need to honour contracts that have been freely entered into. We also need to take into account that the contract and plans have been tested in tribunals and have been found to be valid. Do we really want undermine the rule of law? The law of contracts? The ability of iwi to achieve their goals? For what? To feel better about righting historic wrongs? To trample over a legal contract?
Thank you Martyn. So I can now not hold any MPs on the right accountable if they attend an event/protest where signs are displayed that may be inappropriate? Or is only available to Greens MPs?
Kia ora Michael Wynd
No one is denying that Fletchers is the “legal owner” of the land at Ihumatao and has the necessary permissions for its development. That is not the point.
The fact is that the system of law and the distribution of property in New Zealand is based on conquest, and there are those who say that the conquest, the confiscations, the law and the distribution of wealth are all unjust.
You may beg to differ, but as time marches on you may find yourself confined to a minority.
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