Waatea News Column: Why all the hopes of the Left are now on Green/Māori Party and what their 10 bottom lines for Labour should be
The tightening of the polls that we are seeing suggests a very clear political divide between Labour + Greens and National + ACT.
Increasingly it looks like the Māori Party are going to end up being the Kingmaker or Queenmaker.
I don’t believe the Māori Party are serious about propping up an ACT/National Government which leaves them with Labour + Greens.
I’ve already written that the Greens and the Māori Party should be talking to each other now so as to provide a united front when negotiating with Labour post 2023 if they are in a position to form the majority.
ACT have already told National that their referendum on co-governance is a bottom line, the Māori Party and Greens should also consider bottom lines.
10 possible Green/Māori Party bottom lines could be:
Free Public Transport – poor people pay an enormous percentage of their weekly wage on public transport, making it free would put money directly back into their pockets while making roads more efficient.
Free Dental Care – poverty prevents many people seeking dental care and because oral health is a pre-indicator of health issues, free dental care would save lives.
GST off fresh fruit and vegetables – anything that makes healthy kai cheaper should be adopted.
Sugar Tax – Big sugar continues to get a free pass without paying for their health damage.
Mass State House build – we need green homes that are warm and safe for life.
Minister for Sustainable Growth – We need to start considering what a post growth economy looks like.
New competition in Supermarket duopoly – If Labour are too frightened to make real change in this space, the Greens and Māori Party can and will.
Compulsory Te Reo in Primary Schools – If the seed is planted early, it has the best chance of growth.
Free Internet via schools, Marae and libraries – The digital divide keeps locking many poor people out of a part of life that has become essential for everyone else.
Solar panels on every school, Marae and public building – Secure the energy supplies of tomorrow with big vision ideas.
If the Greens and the Māori Party are not strategic now then Labour will manage to get away with doing as little as possible.
First published on Waatea News.
Problem is with sugar tax. I feed native birds all winter long sugar water. They lick up large sacks of sugar a week when it is really cold. Literally hundreds of birds come into my feeders over winter from all over the nature reserve I live in.
You should qualify for bombers exemption clause which was too small to see.
Nice job with the birds.
Most of the wish list makes sense for a fair Nation. I would point out though there is a shortage of dentists as it is the wait time for a check up is at least 3 to 4 weeks and that costs $120 dollars for a 15 minute slot. Free floride toothpaste at school would be a better start. While dropping GST ON fruit and veg is a easy say the savings would be small as administration would gobble them up . Having the Greens and Maori Party in charge of any commercial sector like supermarket would be an expensive exercise and I would be surprised if it did not turn out to be a disaster for all parties. They would spend a fortune on deciding the management structure eg the ratio between male female maori pakeha gay straight then the background of every produce
“the savings would be small as administration would gobble them up .” That’s maybe Trev but the savings would go thru to the buyer, that’s what matters me thinks.
Gee what a terrible condescending comment our Maori people were sailing large schooner in the 1850s overseas to sell wheat, pork and flax etc they were entrepreneurs, nek minute Pakeha wanted more and more land fast and the land wars were with us. And down the tube went our businesses so I suggest you stop being so patronising like only certain groups have the ability to run our country.
My comment was not directed at the general Maori population but at the 2 show ponies that front the Maori Party and the female leader of the Greens and their ilk . Normal hard working Maori do not seem to get a look in when they are looking for people to head these entities.
I see the daily blog nasties already have their claws out ouch!
There is no hope for the left. They in the main are woke. Some of us are now fighting them.
Great bottom lines, I would add a ruling which bans foreign ownership of residential housing and no person/thing/trust to own more than the house they actually live in plus one holiday home. That’s how they do it in Norway & it seems to work fine.