03 April 2008

NZ First racism... again

Winston Peters built part of his career on race baiting ignorant white and Maori New Zealanders, scaring them about a so-calld "yellow peril", so it is hardly a surprise that with low poll ratings, NZ First is being blatantly racist - this time according to Stuff, Peter Brown is doing the job.

Brown is, himself, a foreigner. Although British is ok of course. He claims that "Asian immigration", funnily not Pacific Island, European, South African or American immigration is "pushing Maori further down the pile".

What complete utter vile racist nonsense. Not only is it racist, but it plays into the hands of those who think the living standards of Maori people depend upon others - they don't. It implies that Asian immigrants actively suppress the success of Maori. How different is that fin principle, if not degree, from the anti-semitic bile that the Nazis distributed in the 1930s claiming that Jews kept "Aryan" Germans down?

He is also reported as saying that "Asians would form "mini-societies" that led to division, friction and resentment". So unlike Maori iwi, or small villages, or gangs, or suburbs, or religions? The only person breeding resentment is Peter Brown - why be resentful, unless it is the repulsive New Zealand tendency to chop down tall poppies. You know the types - the semi-literate talkback calling envy dripping bigots who don't like the new family next door with the big car, nice clothes, who have spent money on the house, but speak some "foreign" language, and don't mix with us, don't like rugby, don't like drinking Tui's and whose kids are brighter than theirs.

Peter Brown is scratching this underbelly - a combination of racism, tall poppy syndrome and dependency - those who think the government owes them something, and resent when others do better than they.

Labour Party supporters might ask why they continue to support a government which relies on this racist party for confidence and supply, but even more inexplicably appointed its leader to be, of all things, Minister of Foreign Affairs. National supporters shouldn't gloat though. National made Winston Treasurer and Deputy PM, and would be sycophants to NZ First again for power (as would Labour).

So that's the test. Will the PM terminate the confidence and supply agreement of NZ First because Labour doesn't want to be reliant on racists for power, and will John Key say he wont do a deal with NZ First to win power for the same reason?

Of course not - both don't want to give Winston the monopoly on the racist vote.

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