Posted by alexandra_k on June 3, 2020, at 22:26:58
In reply to Re: contempt, posted by alexandra_k on June 3, 2020, at 20:52:45
There was a coo (or whatever you call it). The National Party of NZ realised that they weren't going to win the election with Simon Bridges (around 30% of the vote) so they decided to change things up and replace the leader, the deputy leader, and another person (so a different top three line-up for the party).
Unfortunately... In the reshuffle... The front bench was looking very white. And they sort of re-freshed their image with a lighter shade of blue -- and added white. So it's looking very very white. With a blonde girl in each arm and no Maori on the front bench.
And... It was a bit of an unfortunate oversight... But it is what it is.
And Paula Bennett said something terrific (as a Maori person who was demoted in the party) about looking to the policies and if they benefited Maori rather than looking to the color the person saying the policies...
And that's... Big of her. I guess.
And also right -- I think. But also... I do see some sense in which I don't get to determine that.
I think looking at the policies... I don't think the National Government has done very much of anything for Maaori. But then the same could be said of Labor, actually, so...
Yeah.
For individual Maori, I mean. For progress on health and education and self-detrmination. For healthy housing. For a living wage. For those things. I don't think either government have done well on progress in thsoe things eithe rfor the majority of NZers or for immigrants to NZ or for Maaori. I think it is terrible that they haven't done more for all the people. But I think it is especially terrible that, for example, Maori weren't even regarded as eligible for State Housing and the like for ages... Ages... Before they started pretending to process applications for such things...
One lady stood up and said that she knew Maori women who would rather stay with abusive partners than have to deal with abusive police and abusive government services that are supposed to 'help'. And that's right. The governments seem to intentionaly make the services abusive precisely so that people learn not to ask for help. Feels like. Seems like. If you ask for help they threaten to take the kids away... If you ask for help often you have to deal with death threats from your abusive partner. They like to widely publicise how many people are killed by abusive partners every year. Because the police don't uphold protection orders.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:1110440
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20200325/msgs/1110465.html