National’s Nicola Willis and Greens co-leader Marama Davidson clash over ‘racist’ accusation
National MP Nicola Willis and Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson have been at loggerheads over an accusation of racism and classism.
Willis was quoted this week saying she did not feel safe in central Wellington, blaming an increase in emergency housing and larger gang presence.
Davidson tweeted that people “need to be mindful of the racist and classist undertones that she [Willis] is running her ‘safety’ narrative on”.
Marama Davidson and Nicola Willis are locked in a battle of who can be the most offended.
Willis claims she no longer feels safe in central Wellington because smelly poor brown people are being housed there (or words to that effect)
Marama wasn’t putting up with that and threw shade at the narrative Willis was attempting to cash in on by calling it racist and classist.
Nicola hilariously has respond by taking offence.
You can’t state you are fearful of walking down the street and then define that fear using a bunch of negative stereotypes about the homeless and still maintain sympathy.
Now while Marama was righteous in calling out Willis’ white girl fears, the legitimate concerns many women feel in public, sparked by the recent murder of Sarah Everard, has to be recognised as a genuine societal problem that demands urgent attention.
It is the mark of a civil society that everyone has the same agency, It is unacceptable that women, the disabled, people of colour, migrants and queer are threatened or intimidated in public, because everyone should feel safe to go about their business free of fear and harassment.
That’s why when you are expanding homeless programs or providing social services they must be robust and well funded enough to cope with the myriad of issues many who have been failed under Nationals 9 years require.
Nicola’s fears are based on her limitations of experience, but they are legitimate for many other women and minorities in society.
Marama must denounce dog whistle politics while acknowledging many women share those same fears of being in public.
This combined with Julie Anne Genter’s brilliant housing policy and Golriz’s righteous attack on Australia ends probably the best week in politics the Greens have had in years.
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Whether or not New Zealand emerges from the greatest economic depression in its history intact will have very little to do with petty squabbles of some back bench MPs.
Actually Sam, the petty squabbles you decry at least give a measure of the quality of the politicians who will be responsible for the decisions that will be needed to take the country out of a depression intact. Should more credit be given to a dog whistler or to someone who appears to place some importance on inclusiveness of the disadvantaged. Although written off by you as back-benchers, one is a party co-leader and the other is being groomed for upper levels within her party.
For decades there has been zero amounts if central government control over the place.
No one has any idea who builds anything. After Square and the Aucklanx Museum needs to be reintroduced as an institution and an arts centre before we could even contemplate transforming New Zealand poverty or racism or what ever and reinstall a sense of pride.
Courtney Place and Manners St have really gone down hill in the past 20 years. It’s a dump and it certainly feels none too safe after dark. I think the crime stats back that up.
But if it is the homeless and transitional residents that are contributing to this problem then this is simply the way it has to be. You play monopoly with housing in a never lose, highly encouraged, highly leveraged cheap money orgy of greed and this is the price society pays. Hiding people away wherever you can stuff them so “good” people don’t realise what a disaster our housing really is is exactly the same as sweeping ones unwanted problems under the carpet. But the pile under the rug is getting mighty big nowadays Jacinda!
Ironically this National MP is right but her party is a large part of the problem. And then there’s the equally culpable Labour/Greens who have sat on their expansive arses allowing housing to go beyond crisis point.
Something has to give. Pity our useless politicians couldn’t care less.
In planet real world (note Grey Lynn isn’t in the real world) people are starting to get fucked off about
A) the increasing Gang members visible in public
B) the increasing social issues around homelessness
C) the increasing woke Maoridom and call out culture on any criticism levelled on the above
The government better tread warily here – There is a building ground swell of anger amongst even the sheeple. Sticking people in motels and then putting their fingers in their ears is hardly transformative.
Marama had overall a shit week – when you are on $250k and 3 months through the year and all you can show is 2 meetings and no policy you look extremely lazy. With the economy showing signs of finally faltering this will go down like a lead balloon.
“Willis claims she no longer feels safe in central Wellington because smelly poor brown people are being housed there (or words to that effect)”
Actually Martin, she said nothing of the Fucking sort, but hey, as usual, why let the truth get in the way of a good story
Someone didn’t give too much consideration of the dynamics of Trumpism and dog whistles. Yes, Willis said something “of the Fucking sort” but couched it in such a way that the Garys of this world can deny the intent of her subliminal message. In doing so, they ensure that the ultrasound travels among and excites the prejudices of the intended recipients
“Subliminal message” OH FFS. Then I suggest you go for a walk around those areas and see how “subliminally scared” you feel. If it makes you feel better, in my 67 years I have been shit scared of white boys out to have a crack at anyone out on the street. Bringing in the race card into it like Davidson has is the only way she can fight back.
Gary – Correct. I don’t like Nicola W, but the Manners St/ Courtney Place/ iconic Pigeon Park precinct is no longer safe, day or night. Ask any business owner or worker in that area. It is a totally stupid place to be housing groups of adult blokes with nothing to do all day – apart from drugs, fights, and intimidating people, including each other.
The fact that they may be mainly Maori enables Davidson to do a Markle and claim that Willis is being racist, and claiming ‘classist’ as well is particularly odious, as this is Davidson labelling Maori as low class, which is also absurd. I think that we all know enough to know that homelessness is a terrible tragedy which can befall
anybody, and not necessarily through any fault or failure of their own. The reasons are myriad. Toss in mental health issues, drug issues, and lack of employment or meaningful social interactions, and it is probably inevitable that troubling scenarios will develop.
Further, under the covid regulations, apparently every 17 year old who falls out with Mum or Dad, or is just bored with living in Carterton or Dipton can turn up and tell the police that he is homeless, and needs to be housed.
Yes, the socially ruinous National government is largely responsible for engineering the homeless situation, but twisting Willis’s statement of fact about downtown Wellington into a race issue doesn’t seem to me to be a very smart or honest ploy on Davidson’s part – nor does it make it any safer.
I’m surprised the National party has a back bench. I thought you could have squeezed them all in at the front.
Boomboomtish
Nuance doesn’t sell in politics.
Are the citizens of Nspier Gisborne Taopo
Rotors all racists as the have complain about the same issue Marsmaralost her right to call racist after her speech at the church massacre memorial service
…”This combined with Julie Anne Genter’s brilliant housing policy and Golriz’s righteous attack on Australia ends probably the best week in politics the Greens have had in years”…
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Then they need to keep it up then and stop making foolish gaffs.
Spot on Marama. The Greens are providing more meaningful opposition to Labour than Natz and Act. The media are going ape over trying to discredit Jacinda and Labour. The right-wing are totally useless. What a joke Natz raising housing, homelessness, child poverty, etc. Natz have never worried about brown or poor people, housing, jobs, woman – just old boomer men. What has Natz and their tory press mates concentrated on lately – opening a bubble with Australia, front of queue with vacines, Taiwan, wanting Jacinda to apologise to covid breakers, and the herald with another pack of old loser commenatators. No one cares a shit – maybe some talkback hosts and their callers. What aclever educated lot. Today I heard there is a 3rd wave of covid going through Europe and other countries are slowly coming out of covid (and going back). I would still be weary of opening a bubble with Oz – they still havent opened all their state borders. There arent many countries in the world I would want to go to for a while. As I say, all you pessimistic, negative, foolish tories out there, REJOICE and enjoy the freedom that Jacinda, Ash and the scientists have given our country.
“This combined with Julie Anne Genter’s brilliant housing policy and Golriz’s righteous attack on Australia ends probably the best week in politics the Greens have had in years.”
Christ….is THIS the best they can do?
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