Kelvin Davis has posted on whether it is appropriate to copyright the Maori Party flag. Interesting discussion but it now appears that neither Hone Harawira nor his wife has any beneficial interest in any application that may be made in the future.
So why has John Key been so aggressive in his criticism of Hone?
Hone is a sometimes an easy target. He puts his head up and I’ve certainly had a go at him when it is appropriate.
But contrast this question of a perceived (but not actual) conflict of interest of a member of Hone’s family with the decade of the English whanau ripping the taxpayer off by pretending to live in Dipton. And Wiremu was found to have an interest. And it is continuing.
So is Key kicking Hone because he is Maori and if not what is his explanation for his hypocrisy?
Key needs the Maori Party but doesn’t like them. He’s done the flag thing as an inexpensive way to make the Maori Party feel like they’re making progress so he can roll them over on the important issues. He also needs opportunities to slag Hone over the flag to keep his red-neck constituency happy. It’s all a very fine balance but he’s having a go. Interesting though how Key’s questioning of Hone’s purported IP rights goes a fair way towards giving official acknowledgement of the flag’s significance. I think this is all shaping up to be a bit of an own-goal. Hone should get some mileage out of this. Will be fun seeing john-boy talk his way out of that.
Don’t forget, also, that it wasn’t that long ago it was Tory policy to get rid of the Maori seats. I remember them reiterating this around the same time Chester Borrows was asking for Maori Party support to neutralise the s 59 repeal – priceless. No doubt it’s still Key/English policy to get rid of them – they just can’t say so at the moment.
getting boring trev. Stupid title really. Were you racist for fighting with Tau?
Mel – no I’m an equal opportunity person. But don’t get off thread.
I don’t think John Key is inherently racist in himself, but he does certainly exhibit the ignorant anti-Maori attitudes so rife in National Ltd™. This whole flag kerfuffle is a PR distraction, as is the so-called national education standards squabble, for what is really going on in the economy and society under National Ltd™. Its good to see this blog – and others – keeping the unemployment figures, the politicising of the public service, the environment, and the privatisation of Auckland on the agenda. The MSM is becoming increasingly irrelevant and its machinations more overt. Not before time.
I guess the MSM will now accuse Key of ‘playing the race card’? Yeah right.
I guess logically then you could also ask was Helen Clark racist for sacking a Maori, Dover Samuels, on the whiff of wrong doing, but turning a blind eye to a corrupt Pacific Islander, Phillip Field? I think the spin at the time was that Field was ‘just looking after his constituents’. I think Key probably chooses his targets pretty carefully (as Clark did, and you expect them both to) and is hardly going to trash his finance minister.
Isn’t the difference that Field lied to the PM, Ministerial and caucus colleagues and to the inquiry. Clark had the guts to talk to the people concerned before making public comment. Key doesn’t.
Reminder the A-G found that English had an interest. Also a little bird has told me that the English whanau continued to benefit from the false declaration that Dipton was the primary residence all last year notwithstanding English’s claim that all money was repaid during the year.
It doesn’t seem rapist to me to pick on an easy target that middle New Zea land has already taken a dislike to.
Maybe Key is beginning to think he doesn’t NEED the Maori party, remember he only adopted them so he wouldn’t get into a spot where he NEEDED ACT and would have to back down if Hide threatened to quit.
Wasn’t this also the difference between Samuals, Dyson, Turia, Mallard and Helen Clarks early efforts at discipline and the Fields saga (he held a swing vote)
P.S.
Why did no-one insist that English relinquish his seat in Southland and become a list MP?
Never understood that?
So lets get it straight trev.
“Isn’t the difference that Field lied to the PM, Ministerial and caucus colleagues and to the inquiry. Clark had the guts to talk to the people concerned before making public comment.”
And what was that comment? – Defence of his actions and a whole lot of smoke and mirrors until … Phillip said that he “might consider being an independant” and VOILA the roof caved in on him.
Thanks for being the first insider to reveal the extent of the Field cover-up Trevor, you have done us all a favour here. We waited for Michael Cullen to make an honest comment at some stage but he has gone strangely silent on pretty much everything.
End of off thread run.
I think it relates more to his needing Bill English where as he thinks he can do perfectly fine without Hone. If Hone were to go from the Maori party and another MP replace him Key could well actually be better off in the dealings he has with them. If his Minister of Finance goes he is stuck in the deep end without a paddle. Getting a replacement isn’t so easy and there is no chance of having a person more serving to his interests. He is better off to take his chances and try make English look good. He may well be a bit racist but I don’t think that would have anything to do with this decision.
See comment above and stop personal abuse. Take a week off Trevor
Better question 1 -
Better question 2 –
If you want to ask the questions start your own blog. Trevor
I would doubt that Key is a racist but he is opportunistic and a bit oleaginous not caring who may be hurt when it suits him
He is also looking somewhat stressed at present!
Ha
Recently he has looked as if he has aged quite a lot I think it is a very aging job. Brian Talboys used to swim every day..that is supposed to be the trick to keeping your looks whilst in parliament.
So many responses.
1. Quite how anybody who was in a position of authority in the Labour Party during the 2005 election, the one where you overspent on the budget AND used taxpayers money can call anybody on anything to do with corruption is beyond me.
2. Criticising people for going off topic in a post that you compare flags with housing allowances is ironic.
3. Why play the race card? I get playing politics and maybe trying to revive the Bill English thing is good politics but you strike me as a basically honest bloke and I don’t for a second think you genuinely believe Key to be a racist. So why say it? Or cleverly imply it by using a question mark? You might be able to criticise Key for not talking to Hone first, for mishandling the situation etc (I don’t agree but that would be fair game) but why tack on a label that I am sure you know is untrue? IF Key was hasty (and I do not think he was) I would suspect it would have more to do with the fact that Hone is proving to be a bit of a pain in the ass. AND he is in another party (albeit a government support party). Does every attack you and your colleagues make on the Maori party constitute racism as well?
A challenge – can you say, hand on heart, that your think Key is a racist?
banned4life Trevor
Trevor. I think you are confusing apples with oranges. Yes John can and should criticize Hone for white-m-f stupidity and he should criticize Bill if he were a white supremacist. But the housing debate is totally different and I think those who rort housing like English and the greens should be exposed and condemned just as the members of airpoints party have been ridiculed. So no, he’s definitely not racist and yes he dealt with Wiremu Dipton.. remember when Bill was gonna do nothing then next day came out of caucus and said “It’s a bad look, I’m paying it back” He didn’t change his mind NZ’s most popular leader ever (I think) pulled rank. PS Anton Craig.. if you call the Nats Tories..can I call Lab pinkos?
I don’t think you can call John Key a racist. He’s annoyed Hone won’t toe the line like the other spineless Maori Party MPs. Pita Sharples spoke out against National Standards having a disproportionate effect on Maori in the morning and was shut down by Key by the afternoon.
Trev, does the agreement the Maori Party have with National mean they can’t disagree with anything in the long run?
So why is English still member for a province that he goes to for one weekend a year?