In January last year, the Otago Daily Times kindly published a two-part political opinion piece in which I focused on two current issues: the Labour Party and tax policy, and the Treaty of Waitangi.
I have not been entirely idle in the year since, although appearances might suggest otherwise, and the little effort I put in to further the conclusions I had come to have resulted in just that — little result.
On the first issue, I tabled a brief paper at the first Labour Party branch meeting of the year (my cover is blown). It began with a prescient account of the political and economic mayhem we were likely to encounter in a year’s time — that was the easy part — followed by four suggestions about what the Labour Party might do about it. They were:
1. It appears that the current parliamentary Labour Party is divided and hesitant on the matter of tax. It is therefore up to the membership to diminish the hesitancy in their own MPs and to signal the clear message that tax policy is not just another technicality but a fundamental plank in the identity of the Labour Party. It is what makes us different from the Right and what determines the kind of society that we want to live in. It is an opportunity to throw off the 1980s and the damage that has accumulated since.
2. Assuming that such a defining tax package can be wrapped up by the middle of next year at the latest, that would be the time to present it to the public. The political reaction will be loud and hysterical: "envy tax", capital flight, banana republic, etc. There will be time for the gale to blow itself out before the election. If the Labour Party can be consistent and transparent, sure of its numbers, honest with the hard bits and be seen to actually trust the electorate with facts, the end result should be gratifying. Let people know they have something to vote for rather than voting against something and hoping for the best.
3. Invite MPs to come to talk to us (David Parker would be a good start) and to listen and encourage other electorates to do the same.
4. Defenestrate the next Labour politician who relies on focus groups.
Point 1. The Labour Party appears to have warmed to a capital gains tax of perhaps modest proportions. Anything more is unmentionable and so no-one is very clear about who or what the party is and what a real policy might look like.
Point 2. Transparency. Well, it seemed a good idea at the time. We can, however, rest assured that all is well because Chris Hipkins has informed us, via Newsroom, that "Labour has got more cut-through in its first year of Opposition than he expected at the start and his own polling has held up better than he’d hoped." That’s good, because people were beginning to wonder.
Point 3. Success! Parker was invited to address the branch and appeared at the next meeting. He gave us an excellent breakdown of the nature and need for wealth taxes. A packed house was impressed and excited by the prospect.
However, at the Labour Party’s national conference in Christchurch in November any mention of wealth taxes was unceremoniously squashed.
Point 4. No luck there either.
On the Treaty issue, I had come to a conclusion that appears to have been borne out since. If we are going to diminish the divisions and avoid the extremes of both Act New Zealand and Te Pati Maori, who dominate the discussion at the moment, we need some leadership from elsewhere.
From He Pua Pua to the Treaty Principles Bill we have irreconcilable views of our constitution. Neither is tenable. The solution must be for the major parties, led by their Maori caucuses, to show some sense of purpose and come together to fashion a formula that defines and gives constitutional effect to the Treaty and lays a clear groundwork for the courts to follow.
There must be a way to recognise both the historical imperatives of the Treaty and the reality of a contemporary electorate and its needs.
I have, tentatively, put such a proposal to MPs of the major parties.
The response from a National MP has been positive. From Labour I have had a no-reply to a letter from one and, from another, a slightly embarrassed but smiling dismissal.
— Harry Love was the chairman of the Castle St branch of the Labour Party in 1987-88, and the New Labour parliamentary candidate for St Kilda in the 1990 election.
