- I have no idea why Hone did not show at today’s hui. I’m not even going to bother hypothesising. Attempting to understand the man’s mind is perhaps a futile task. He is hot and cold, hit and miss, yin and yang. One moment it appears he is calculated and considered while merely a breath later he may act erratically and with little lucidity. Hone will never sit around the Cabinet table if he cannot contain himself – he is politically unmanageable. Hone wants to become a minister, but he never will unless he displays some discipline. Hone Harawira, as he is today, is political poison. He will sink any government he is a part of. Hone needs to realise merit is only a small part of ministerial appointment, at the end of the day MP’s become ministers because they can be managed. Hone cannot be managed, therefore Hone cannot become a minister. Ultimately Hone acts on impulse and more often than not he is swayed by the last person he spoke to, normally his mother wife, or Tai Tokerau kaumatua and kuia. He needs to act with a view to the long term.
- On a related note I am perplexed as to why the party decided to delay announcing the outcome of the hui – after all it was predetermined, right? At some point the hopeless Maori Party PR team needs to realise that nothing they do will kill the issue. A media ban is only so effective and a delay in proceedings is utterly impotent. People are not going to forget about this issue and nor will they cool over time. In the interests of resolution the party should be announce the outcome immediately. This is a circus that makes Maori look politically incompetent. UPDATE: The committee came up with “a range of options” which will be presented to the National Council. The final decision is in the hands of the NC. What a drawn out process.
- Peter Paraone intends to stand in the coming election. Yawn.
- Te Arawa team Te Matarae i Orehu are national kapa haka champs.
- Tariana Turia has released a video in defence of the party’s support for the MCA bill. It is pretty silly. It merely confirms the Maori Party has lost the debate. The best Turia can do is continue the ‘it’s not great but the best we can get’ theme. A self defeating narrative.
Second rate journalist Karl Du Fresne, no doubt channeling Peter Dunne, wants to deny our history. Karl wants to ignore the continuing struggle for equal rights. Karl wants us to forget about the fact that Maori are less likely to be offered and receive chemotherapy compared to our Pakeha mates. He wants us to forget about all that other discrimination, like when a Maori woman was denied a job due to her moko. Karl wants us to ignore our ugly history too. Forget about the fact that Maori received smaller relief payments during the depression. Forget about all that land confiscation. Gosh, that scorched earth policy is all in the past. Ultimately Karl just wants us to have a glorified wank over how great our country supposedly is. Get with the program Karl – this country has issues that need confronting. If you can’t appreciate that then go fuck yourself. (For a far more insightful, sober and articulate post on this issue see No Right Turn).
UPDATE: I think I need to apologise for the strong language used at 6. I am not inclined to edit anything I have already written, therefore it will remain. I am very young and many issues make me very angry.
