Labour’s Free Trade Capitulation highlights why you need Greens and Te Pāti Māori in the mix and not Winston
Labour Party backing the India free trade deal may secure the numbers for the Government, but it also exposes the fault lines on the Left over sovereignty, migrant worker exploitation and the political space it hands to Winston Peters.
Chris Hipkins announces Labour will back India free trade deal
The Labour Party has confirmed it will support the India free trade deal, giving National and ACT the required numbers to enact it.
The agreement – announced in December – was due to be formally signed in New Delhi on Monday but still required Labour’s support to pass through Parliament, given NZ First’s firm opposition.
In response, NZ First leader Winston Peters denounced the move as “madness” and a “disgraceful sellout” of the country’s future.
RNZ
Let’s be very clear here, as racist graffiti hating on Indians starts spreading in Auckland, our issues on the Left with the Indian free trade deal is driven by genuine economic concerns about what the Government are trying to sign us up to without us seeing it. It is not against Indians, or migrants who make NZ their home.
Economic sovereignty is not racism
This is an open tolerant liberal progressive Democracy, our issues when it comes to free trade is to ensure we don’t sign away our economic sovereignty, it is not an excuse to start race baiting with our migrant brothers and sisters.
Labour have managed to wrestle real concessions from National to lift the Labour Inspectors who police the exploitation of migrant workers alongside momentum on the slavery legislation and visa speeding up.
However, the $20 billion investment clawback seems impossible to avoid which sounds like a cost that will be impossible to avoid.
The exploitation of these migrant workers demands universal union membership to ensure they are not exploited.
Free trade creates a vacuum Winston fills with fear
The biggest problem is that it allows Winston to use racism to pretend to care about workers in New Zealand.
Labour’s compromise creates the political vacuum Winston feeds on.
Yes as a Labour voter I’m a bit disappointed in them supporting this trade deal. In fact I’m going to be asking why they supported it. The businesses will still vote National and will there be any trickle down or more trickle up. Will this deal reduce unemployment, will it improve the living standards of many NZers. Will selling our education to more foreign students advance us as a country and if so in what way. Will allowing foreign students more rights to work a good policy when our own students can’t find work . Will more immigration drive down wages,impact on our crumbling infrastructure and run down struggling health system.
Chch hospital would grind to a halt without Indian doctor and nurses.
Our schools are improved by the money paid to them by overseas students.
There will be more work in the farming sector as sales for wool and wine in crease to accommodate a growing market.
Imagine a Green TPM duo negotiating an international agreement, a nightmare.