ACT demands apology from Stuart Nash for suggesting Groundswell full of racists, anti-vaxxers
The ACT Party has demanded an apology from Stuart Nash after he suggested Groundswell was full of racists and anti-vaxxers.
Mark Cameron, ACT’s spokesperson for primary industries, has accused Labour of showing their “true colours” when he questioned whether the Government had met with Groundswell.
Labour MP Stuart Nash – who was answering questions on behalf of Damien O’Connor – questioned the farming advocacy group’s beliefs after they made headlines for racist comments made by one of their members.
“I’m not too sure what Groundswell stands for these days and that is what I have read on their website,” Nash said at question time in Parliament on Thursday. “It’s a mixture of racism, anti-vax etc.”
In a statement, Cameron said Nash had shown “utter contempt” towards rural New Zealand and called on the Prime Minister to force him to apologise to the farming advocacy group.
But Groundswell are full of racists and antiVaxxers – so Labour’s ‘true colours’ are telling the truth?
I’m not sure that’s the burn ACT thinks it is?
This is Tatua Dairy board member Ross Townshend. He is a proud Groundswell supporter, here is the racist shit he posted…
How ridiculous is it for ACT to pull on their easily triggered trousers and run around screaming for safe spaces for the crazily offended?
Who knew that beneath the surface they are as cowardly and weak as the woke!
These banjo twanging Groundswell rednecks who are outraged that their century long pillage of water and natural resources is over is the sad howl of a sector finally being held to account.
While we love our friendly farmers who provide for us, the corporate farmers who wreck our environment so they can exploit it and sell food to 50million others can go fuck themselves.
ACTs faux outrage and offense at rednecks being called out is so Wellington woke petty!
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It’s a pity the term groundswell has been leveraged for a quasi-political movement as it implies, well, fruit of the earth type organic, nature unto me type stuff going on. All the farmers I know are far too busy keeping the farm running so one has to conclude they have lost the plot a bit here.
gin hag Precisely. These are the uber rich corporate guys, not the farmers who do the work which enriches them – there to be used in a myriad of ways.
Is it ok for me to describe Ross Townsend as white trash ? New Zealand has gone overboard with ‘ cultural sensitivity’ issues aimed at obliterating our rich European heritage, and part of a global phenomenon being utilised for various agendas, but Townshend’s crude personal caricature of Minister Mahuta is ignorant racist misogynistic transferred violence, and the sort of thuggish bullying which we New Zealand women
live with, and die with, as exemplified by our world- leading rates of wife battering and murder. Good women.
Townshend knew the audience who he was playing to, and he played accordingly. He is indefensible. His Act apologist Cameron has (unwittingly) drawn attention to Labour rejecting the racism of the rural clodhoppers, suggesting that Act is just as bad as they are. That’s handy to know. If Labour could vocalise about the racism of other politicos, that could be quite handy too.
In the meantime, thanks Stuart Nash – I’m starting to like him.
I like Nash. He doesn’t take the shit that National and act throw. That’s the only thing of substance that they possess.
Wow, Groundswell and Ross Townshend, come on down.
What a vile piece of shit is this former director of Tatua Dairy.
A. This Grand Dragon klansman is wrong.
B. Who the fuck does he think he is?
C. Did Tatua Dairy not know what this arsehole really thought? What-fucking-ever!
Is he just some random hateful fuck up or is does he really represent what rural dairy NZ think? One would assume some creep like this who had the temerity to post such ugly defamatory filth like this online and a leader of Groundswell (who are also well connected to the National Party) must have had their spiritual backing to think this acceptable?
This well connected individual just took us city folk from suspecting rural people are racist ignorant hicks to making it a reality!
Nathan Kerr “So we should ignore their views due to a few bad apples?” Of course not Nathan. This is the well-being and the health of the whole community at stake here, and as the greater good has to prevail, anyone trying to jeopardise that needs to be responded to.
Um, “greater good” of the community? In 2021 that is an alien concept to many. “The greatest good for oneself” is the common mantra.
Then all of a sudden, when they get in the shit, the ‘we’re here for ourselves’ crowd are all into this thing, “We want someone to bail us out because it’s the community thing to do, the socialist way.”
Groundswell should be thanking Labour rather than protesting them – dairy farms in particular have never been so profitable. I look forward to seeing the “Thanks Jacinda” signs on the protest!
napierboy. This issue is not and was not about the profitability of dairy farms. Stop trying to twist things, it won’t work: we’re not all as moronic as Groundswell, Act and you are.
I think he was being funny!
I guess by the time Mr Townshend posted his post,he had a few drinks under his belt…very expensive evening. for him
Groundswell NZ has dropped its Hamilton organiser over comments he made on social media about Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta. (Stuff 17th Nov.)
Long-serving Tatua director Ross Townshend has resigned from the blue chip Waikato dairy company over a social media post about Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta slammed as “vile”, “despicable” and “racist” by observers. (NZ Herald 16th Nov.)
What else were they going to do?
They are fucked, he is them!
Alexandra C D. The irony here is that Nanaia Mahuta comes from a far more distinguished, educated, and achieved family than Townshend or any of these other Johnny-come-lately boys. I knew her mother well as an undergrad at Otago University – generations of high calibre people.
Nevertheless, no matter what her pedigree, no woman should be publicly ridiculed and degraded the way that the Nats do it.
Woodhouse raffled a lavatory seat with a woman politician’s face emblazoned on it; that was schoolboy level behaviour; John Key, as PM, felt free to run around pulling a young waitress’s ponytail in her workplace. The characters who call the PM “Cindy”, need to see shrinks.
Mr Townshend may be socially backward, but resigning isn’t good enough. He owes the women of New Zealand an apology, and I think that he needs mental health help.
We have many Townshends in our country many hide behind keyboards and play on peoples ignorance, racism ,discrimination, unfounded fears, misogyny and long held prejudices.
I like Nash. He doesn’t take the shit that National and act throw. That’s the only thing of substance that they possess.
Fidel – Yes, I like Nash too. He’s secure in his own skin.
The Right Whingers who so readily but so pettily, denigrate the Left’s classy women, should take a listen/look at their own three witches…. very reminiscent of the trio in Shakespeare’s Macbeh:
….”bubble, bubble, toil and trouble” ….
Question Time in Parliament shows them at their whinging, overbearing, arrogant, classless best; check them out.
Chief Hrrmmmpphha Judith Collins, then Nicola Willis (does she really always talk down like that? – gotta feel sorry for her kids) and Louise Upston (if looks could kill, Parliament would be a slaughter house).
If a trio of witches is a tad harsh, try drama queens.
Interchangeable.
Seems you have done a good job hijacking this post John. Started a groundswell of your own. Daddy will be pleased with you. And it is so hard for the protagonists not to react isn’t it.
Greywarbler. Thanks a million for not blaming John’s mama for the way that he’s turned out – which is what so often happens when kids go wrong. Most mothers do do their best.
These thoughts dont suddenly appear. To post something like that he must have had a few conversations with his groundswell mates whipping a bit of courage to express their true feelings.
Circle jerk maybe?
As always; Follow the money, The climate change denying farmers and the covid deniers have one thing in common. They both hate any interruption in the flow of profits that taking active measures to protect the environment or public health will entail.
All their weird and wonderful conspiracies are a smokescreen to hide their real concerns over losing money.
First time here. Interesting the daily blog pitches itself as independent. From what I can see in these comments there isn’t much bias free comment or intelligent commentary. Writing off groundswell by saying they are racists and anti vaxxers because a few people may have said something on a different topic is ridiculous. So you disregard all things groundswell stand for because of something one or two people say. Does that mean that the Labour Party are a bunch if racists because one of them sexually assaulted a young woman at the conference in 2019? Talk about cancel culture stifling debate. It’s convenient of the government to try and paint them as a bunch of anti vaccine nutters as they don’t want to face up to the fact there is a fast growing contingent of disenfranchised New Zealanders. The PM won’t even come to Auckland unless on a flying staged visit that gives good PR. She won’t visit those who are suffering in Auckland because they are at every turn at it wouldn’t be a good look to see the anger from those in the team of 5 million that seem to have been forgotten about completely-not to mention those New Zealander’s who have been locked out and can’t even return to their own country. No other country in the world has done this-it’s illegal and that’s why everyone a legal challenge is mounted the court case is dropped and the plaintiff awarded an MIQ spot.
The P.M lives in Auckland …Randall=hopeless.
Great to see the groundswell protests went on without a hitch around the country, looks like a good time had by all and didn’t appear to be any anti vaccine or racist type people hijack the event, we’ll done NZ farmers and there supporters.
That’s because Groundswell cancelled a lot of their event’s due to extremism.
But doesn’t it only take one rotten apple to make all the others rotten, unless you separate them of course.
Did he think this BS would just be given a pass? The stupidity of the right wing boggles the mind.
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