SubscribeThe view advanced by Chris Trotter that there is no alternative for socialists in New Zealand but to support the Labour Party is both mistaken and destructive. It will cramp political debate, encourage the right wing, and lead to a further decay of progressive political aspirations. In an MMP environment, and at a time when global capitalism has been shaken to its core, the left should be advancing, not retreating.
Victor Billot
Southern Hemisphere
Tag: Alliance Party
Dunedin Election Blog 2008
My new election blog for 2008 is online. I’ll be posting on this for the duration of the campaign – see you there.
Jack Yan on the downsides and upsides of globalization
My friend Jack Yan just posted a thought provoking article about globalization and the relationship between economy, business and society on his blog.
Jack is speaking at an open to the public session later this year at the Alliance Party conference in Dunedin on these very topics – and based on his above article, it should be well worth catching.
Read more on Jack Yan on the downsides and upsides of globalization…
Redirection to Election Blog
I have a new blog that is going to feature all the election stuff.
This one will stay on for everything else.
Street Scene Dunedin
I attended an interesting protest action today on behalf of the Alliance Party with a couple of other local activists.
A local disability group called Gutted is asking for better treatment for those with disabilities and their caregivers. It was a small but very spirited demo and made the TV3 news.
Earlier on I had helped out briefly at the Radio One market day in the big hall on an Alliance stall trying to raise some money for the campaign. Good to be getting out and talking to the people. Some of the students were surprisingly up with the play. It’s hard to believe it was ten years ago when I was working at the Critic newspaper down there and fifteen years since I saw BailterSpace play a mindblowing set at Orientation 1990 in that same big hall. Beer in plastic glasses never tasted so good.
Fear and loathing on the campaign trail
That was the name of the late Hunter S. Thompson’s book on the Nixon/McGovern fight for the US Presidency back in the early seventies. Of course the wrong candidate won then, as is so often the case.
But Thompson’s title has suddenly come to have a new meaning for me.
This blog may have a change of focus for the next few months.
I’ve put my name forward to run for the Alliance in this years general election.
That’s the left-wing party in New Zealand politics.
On Thursday night we have a selection meeting for the two Dunedin electorates. So far we have had a candidate put their name forward for both Dunedin seats – myself in Dunedin North and an old friend Chris Ford who is standing in Dunedin South.
It’s going to be an interesting year. I intend to post daily from here on in, for my own sake as a kind of diary, and for anyone else who is interested.
