Just when I was thinking that ACT was looking like a seriously viable option it goes and puts out a list, and stabs blogger, former Hutt South candidate Lindsay Mitchell in the back by offering her a list place that effectively says "no thanks". Which was indeed her response.
Whilst the placings of Rodney Hide and Heather Roy are appropriate, and putting Roger Douglas in third place is a wise move, stabbing Mitchell in the back, when she has long been the voice of reform on welfare reform shows at best that politics is a nasty game, and at worst that loyalty and hard work aren't what ACT wants to be known by.
The rest of the top 10 I have mixed views on. John Boscawen has emerged after not being on the list for years, but is at least a core part of the campaign against the Electoral Finance Act and an accomplished businessman. Number 5 is a secret. Number 6 Hilary Calvert is an unknown, but a woman and a lawyer. Number 7 is Peter Tashkoff, standing in Te Tai Tokerau, showing where ACT stands on the Maori seats! He has a blog and I guess it is good for ACT to have a Maori candidate, and will be interesting to see what views he has. Number 8 is John Ormond who's been around for ages, long been on the ACT list somewhere. Number 9 is Colin du Plessis, another unknown, South African born scientist, ex National Party.
Now it gets interesting - Number 10 is Shawn Tan, Chinese ex. Green Party - which gives plenty of cause to wonder what sort of "Road to Damascus" experience he hopefully has had, although since he has spent the last few years working in unions and supporting "Students for Justice in Palestine" (which isn't quite as it seems).
Tan opposed the war on Iraq and put his name to a statement that was clearly bog-standard leftwing anti-Americanism. Hmmm great!
Whilst the placings of Rodney Hide and Heather Roy are appropriate, and putting Roger Douglas in third place is a wise move, stabbing Mitchell in the back, when she has long been the voice of reform on welfare reform shows at best that politics is a nasty game, and at worst that loyalty and hard work aren't what ACT wants to be known by.
The rest of the top 10 I have mixed views on. John Boscawen has emerged after not being on the list for years, but is at least a core part of the campaign against the Electoral Finance Act and an accomplished businessman. Number 5 is a secret. Number 6 Hilary Calvert is an unknown, but a woman and a lawyer. Number 7 is Peter Tashkoff, standing in Te Tai Tokerau, showing where ACT stands on the Maori seats! He has a blog and I guess it is good for ACT to have a Maori candidate, and will be interesting to see what views he has. Number 8 is John Ormond who's been around for ages, long been on the ACT list somewhere. Number 9 is Colin du Plessis, another unknown, South African born scientist, ex National Party.
Now it gets interesting - Number 10 is Shawn Tan, Chinese ex. Green Party - which gives plenty of cause to wonder what sort of "Road to Damascus" experience he hopefully has had, although since he has spent the last few years working in unions and supporting "Students for Justice in Palestine" (which isn't quite as it seems).
Tan opposed the war on Iraq and put his name to a statement that was clearly bog-standard leftwing anti-Americanism. Hmmm great!
Now will ACT get more votes with a (former?) leftwing unionist than with a libertarian welfare campaigner? Well we'll see.
8 comments:
Peter Tashkoff is not a packing peanut, he belongs.
Lindsay didn't get demoted, Scott! She made the decision herself to go low based on her perception of ACT's direction.
The liberty message needs to come out loud and clear from the people at the top to put her, and me, better at ease.
Tan opposed the war on Iraq and put his name to a statement that was clearly bog-standard leftwing anti-Americanism. Hmmm great!
Why do nz libers support the US war in Iraq? We all know it was a war based on false pretences (WMD).
Republican/Libertarians of the USA like Ron Paul denounce it.
I love the principals that the USA was built on but I hate some of actions the the US govt has taken in the last 100 years (cia in iran 1953, Guatemala, destroying decent govt in Afghanistan in the 80s... etc, etc)
I look forward to seeing Trevor Loudon expose Mr Tan's past. :-)
And might I suggest Rick read (if he can read) Lindsay M.'s own account of her disgraceful demotion before opening his mouth again.
It's not a demotion unless we assume that Lindsay would have wanted to be higher than 14th.
I would have thought that 14 was exactly the ranking she would prefer, not wanting to actually get anywhere near parliament. Hell no! Not what she wants, as she has always said.
I think many have taken the wrong end of the stick from what she has written.
Will Trevour be exposings the past of Comrade Perigo the Commie while he's at it PC?
People do change their views you knoiw....in fact its a traite of nearly all so called right wingers to have started on the Left....why not Tan? Ain't he allowed to grow and learn too?
This is wierd.
When I was involved with the Green party 2 years ago Shawn was a hardline Marxist (though perhaps not a statist) and slightly paranoid about the ACT party. He was certainly left of most of the other Greens I knew.
Not that there's anything wrong with changing your political views, but, hell, give it a couple of years before you stand for parliament.
"Now will ACT get more votes with a (former?) leftwing unionist than with a libertarian welfare campaigner?"
Hell YES!!!
Shawn Tan gives a reasonable account of his road to Damascus journey over at Kiwiblog:
The ACT List
The EPMU have over reacted to the issue and in doing so have given more votes to ACT. Nice!
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