tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post6453845308069731139..comments2024-03-29T17:12:19.648+13:00Comments on Bowalley Road: Comrades, Quo Vadis?Chris Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09081613281183460899noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-1443857810656465322008-11-25T09:10:00.000+13:002008-11-25T09:10:00.000+13:00Ye don't dance with the Divil, the Divil dances wi...Ye don't dance with the Divil, <BR/>the Divil dances with you.<BR/><BR/>( an Irish proverb in return)<BR/><BR/>http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.com/2008/11/john-minto-maori-party-is-wrong.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-47304171624186722712008-11-24T11:12:00.000+13:002008-11-24T11:12:00.000+13:00Chris, I find it interesting that Hone Harawera of...Chris, I find it interesting that Hone Harawera of the Maori Party refered to John Key as a "smiling snake" and yet is part of a party that is offering its support to that particular "smiling snake".<BR/><BR/>National will never do good things for Maori because they are ideologically opposed to anything that benefits workers, evenly spreads the wealth, or protects the environment. These are the things that benefit all people including Maori.<BR/><BR/>I hope they are duely punished in 2011.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-24986246905613264102008-11-24T09:09:00.000+13:002008-11-24T09:09:00.000+13:00Chris, Brilliant stuff.You are a little hard on La...Chris, Brilliant stuff.<BR/><BR/>You are a little hard on Laila, who was merely trying to figure out a voting strategy that would deliver the most for her membership, and got it wrong. Or did she? The test will come when National succumbs to its natural urges and ACT's goading, and tries to screw the low-paid workers. Then we will see (1) how much influence the Maori Party has, and (2) how much it cares. Should it come up short on either count, the results will be tangible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-31546396771528318802008-11-24T07:50:00.000+13:002008-11-24T07:50:00.000+13:00Rata’s piece points to some interesting questions ...Rata’s piece points to some interesting questions about current state of Maori-Pakeha politics. However, I’m not fully in agreement with all of her conclusions. As she indicates with respect to the very interesting points about pre-capitalist individualism in England, culture changes while some underlying cultural values continue. She claims that Maori culture has changed to accommodate capitalism, rendering land claims based in bio-cultural traditions untenable. However, not being very knowledgeable about Maori culture, I had thought the notion of community over individualism was still a central part of their culture. To me this seems to be a potential area of tension within the Maori Party and in their coalition with National.<BR/><BR/>Rata seems to echo Manuel Castells’ notion that reactive, locally-embedded tribalism is a major feature of the contemporary network society, and a reaction to insecurities generated by neoliberal globalisation. Like Castells, Rata sees such tribalism, including ethnic versions of it, as an inadequate vehicle for forging the kind of change that will bring more equality and social justice. Castells, though, points to the feminist and the environmental movements as the kind that will be able to forge positive change because they are not conservatively reactive and locally bound, but operate progressively across national borders.<BR/><BR/>Castells rejects ethnic politics as a way forward by focusing on the contemporary state of African American cultural identity. He argues that this identity has become fractured by class divisions, resulting in different African American cultural identifications for those at lower socio-economic levels (eg think rap and street culture) from the new middle-classes who look back to less threatening Black cultural forms of the past (eg think older forms of the blues). The support for Obama of all classes of African Americans seems to refute this argument. However, it has still to be seen whether Obama can fulfil the hopes of all classes and aspirations of people of colour. <BR/><BR/>Similarly, it seems to me that, while I don’t fully agree with Rata’s arguments, there is the possibility of Maori being more clearly split along class lines, with the potential fracturing of Maori Party support by the end of this political term. Once the MP founding issues are resolved (the Foreshore and Seabed, and the Orewa-inspired threat to Maori seats), what will be left to unite Maori politically? Is it possible for Maori to continue to share some underlying, long-term cultural values that exceed social class affiliation, while being fractured (largely along social class lines) by alignment to diverse political positions and parties?<BR/><BR/>Or are the underlying values, ones that transcend time, that will continue to forge a strong Maori Party position, which continues to cross or blur conventional European left-right distinctions?Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11140142800525092834noreply@blogger.com