The Moral High Ground

Now let me start by saying I have a lot of time for Jordan Carter - he is a smart, enthusiastic and talented member of the Labour team. But we don't agree on many things and I really do disagree with his view on his blog today.

It's a theme that I've noticed coming more to the fore from Labour - it almost (but not quite) pushes the idea that the 'Liberal Left' have become the guardians of New Zealand society. Anybody who disagrees with the Liberal Left worldview is immediately labelled as 'racist', 'big business', 'xenophobic' or something similar.

For instance, left candidates at public meetings is to attack the "Iwi / Kiwi" billboard as racist. This shows an intellectual dishonesty by the candidates as the message is that National want the beaches (and all other public places) to have the same access regardless of the race of the user.

The billboard plays to the unease of ordinary Kiwis that Maori have been given too much priviledge by the Government. Mainstream New Zealand view the Treaty as a document that promised fair treatment for Maori and they view the breaches of this promise by the Crown as requiring compensation. In their view, Treaty Settlements are fine.

What Kiwis can't understand is why Maori are given legislative rights over and above ordinary New Zealanders. In some cases these rights have been abused, as we all recall with the Taniwha that held up the building of an expressway in Northern Waikato. But ultimately the idea that some groups of society should have better legal rights than others is seen as Un-Kiwi.

Don Brash tapped this unease very well last year by verballising this concern. In return he was labelled a 'stirrer', 'divisive' and 'racist'. Then the TV One poll was published with National on 55%.

So for a Labour activist to claim the moral high ground is a bit rich. Not that I say that National (or anyone else) has any claim to it either.