I often wonder what Sue Bradford does with herself on those rare days in Auckland when there is nothing to protest about. Her erstwhile rent-a-mob crowd must be as bored as a Featherston teenager as they idle away the hours contemplating the next move to vent their anger at the government.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) sit-in was a case in point. I watched the live-streaming on my cellphone and was amused by the sheer irony unfolding before me. They interviewed a young lad standing beneath a “Don’t sell out to the corporates” banner wearing a cap with a Nike swoosh and proudly carrying an Apple iPhone; arguably the two biggest corporates in the world.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Some protestors were opposing the flag change. “F*#K John Key”, they shouted and “F*#k John Key’s Flag.” They were proudly bearing our existing flag despite being just metres away from a banner urging “Down with Colonialism”. The Union Jack suddenly looked awfully out of place.
Although the whole TPPA process was initiated by Helen Clark’s left-wing Labour government and despite two former Labour Prime Ministers and two past Labour party leaders fully endorsing the free-trade treaty Andrew Little has decided it’s not good for New Zealand after all.
According to a report in the Dominion-Post Little said: “A draft was available from November last year. I got through possibly 500 pages and it tested my patience.”
This wasn’t a draft of course, but the full 6000 word text, but by his own admission the Labour leader has read less than ten percent of the whole report and then tells us it’s a bad idea. It would appear that Labour’s Foreign and Trade policy is now being driven by life-long Marxist Jane Kelsey.
The madness continued at Waitangi. “They didn’t consult with Maori” was the mantra. Well actually they haven’t consulted with anybody yet. The process now requires ratification by our elected representatives and that’s when the democratic process quite properly takes place.
Hone Harawira went on Radio New Zealand’s morning report on January 21st to claim Maori were near unanimous in not wanting the TPPA to be signed on the basis there was “no mention” of Maori in the TPPA, there was “no mention” of the Treaty of Waitangi in the TPPA and there was “no mention” of the protections for Maori through the Waitangi Tribunal in the TPPA.
The fact that he was wrong on all counts was not picked up by left-leaning Radio New Zealand and it implies that Mr Harawira didn’t even get as far down the track of reading the TPPA document as Mr Little did.
These people are well-paid for their indolence; no surprises there.
I think we are all annoyed that law-abiding Muslims don’t stand up en-masse and condemn the radical section of their religion who are causing mayhem worldwide.
Similarly, given the absolute recognition of the genuine grievances of New Zealand’s original inhabitants and the sincere efforts being made to right past wrongs, it’s a pity someone in Maoridom doesn’t stand up and acknowledge the goodwill that exists in all sections of this nation.
But then again, Sue Bradford would probably protest.
0 comments :
Post a Comment