The Politics of Passion
Over the past few days I have watched from a distance in horror at the left-wing turn on Clare Curran to the point she's now issued the sort of apology that only a woman could be forced to make.
The post is utter bullshit. I hope she doesn't mean a word of it.
Politics is a passionless sport at times. People selling out their souls and beliefs to appease and bow to supposed "supporters".
Clare knows the real enemy and realises that the more votes to Labour's real competitors the Greens and Maori Party, the less likely the "ones" are to be re-elected. Such as Stuart Nash, apparent superstar in the making Carmel Sepuloni, Nanaia Mahuta, Sue Moroney, Brendan Burns, Clayton Cosgrove.
I have watched twitter and seen the posts by supposed left-wingers as they've turned on Curran's passion for politics.
Lew from Kiwipolitico who wouldn't be happy surrounded with free hookers and his pants down, the sarcastic uselessness of Danyl at Dim Post, the unsteady Eddie at the Stranded.
It won't do either Clare or myself any favours but I will admit meeting Clare. In that short time I haven't seen so many true believers in the Labour cause. A more tireless worker towards the Labour cause. Someone who has put the Party at least on a level with her own life and family.
For the mainly male audience to turn on her as if her posts were somehow treacherous to the left-wing cause, is an utter disgrace.
The longer my name has been in the ring to be a candidate for ACT the more I realise that many bloggers and comments dribblers are really just shallow, gutless pieces of shite in the main who give an opinion from the safety of their Mummy's living rooms behind an IP address. All unwilling to engage beyond the safety of a keyboard.
It is easy to sit there and criticise Clare having a rare moment of left-wing passion on a website. It is easy to call for Red Alert to close their website down as if open communication was somehow hurting the Labour Party.
What hurts the Labour Party the most are passionless, fly-by night supporters who have no soul. Who don't back the very people like Clare who are sacrificing their own personal lives to actually advance their cause. If what she is saying in a 90 hour work week is a mistake, who gives a fuck? The real question is what their Leader is not saying in his 89 hour working week?
It is never a mistake to show passion for anything that you do. You should never apologise for that. You should stand up and face your critics and challenge them to do better than you and what credibility they possibly have on the sidelines to judge your performance.
If Phil Goff showed as much passion and heart for the Labour Party as Clare Curran, we wouldn't be counting down his days left as Leader of it.
posted by Cactus Kate at 9:53 PM
16 Comments:
I agree Cactus that Clare has been picked on solely as she is a woman. Chauvinism is worst on the left. She is a hard working electorate MP who I often see in Dunedin.
This happens just as much in right wing parties as in left.
I seem to remember that a common thread running through your posts is that women really ought to fend for themselves, and stop behaving as victims of the male establishment, 'HTFU,' etc, etc.
But it would seem that you have for some reason decided that of the 'pinkos,' as you so call them, Ms Curran is to be considered the least detestable (although why and for what reason despite her apparent affability I cannot say).
Thus, your response cannot be to condemn Miss Curran's capitulation to her useless colleagues; although if she is really in possession of the fervor and passion that you say she is, would she not have politely told her men friends to she'd said all she had to say on the matter, thanks, and that she'd be amending nothing?
Instead your story is of a brave and vibrant woman victimized; a principled damsel 'forced' into issuing a meaningless apology to appease the bearded chauvinists and save her career. How curious.
Nah, I like Clare's passion. I just think her position was bullshit.
L
No 11.54pm - it is how that it is better to have a position and stick to it, than to sit on the fence and criticise people who have an opinion and work towards a cause.
Clare should not have apologised. Up until then she was doing just fine.
Lew - didn't come across like that.
You rock, CK.
This is the brainfart of the week post (who woulda thought anyone could top Clare?)
Clare apologised (hopefully sincerely, though she is a Labour MP ;) ) for assuming all lefties should vote for Labour and work free (FREE dammit) for her, and for attacking supportive parties like the Greens.
Voters may be fickle, but don't like being treated as serfs (hint, hint ACT). That is what Clare was justifiably roasted for.
Of course, it suits your ACT party if Clare digs in and keeps flaming Labour supporters, aye?
P.S. Like Clare, your comment about it being better to "...criticise people who... work towards a cause" assumes Curran's critics did no political work - an arrogant and false assumption.
P.P.S. Maybe you should challenge the Duck for the position of Labour campaign manager? Good for the Greens ;)
Mad Marxist.
I will of course publish your comment Mad Marxist because guess what? Couldn't give a stuff what you think.
Volunteers are such. Volunteers. While their work is important there is one thing they will never do - put their name forward and have to deal with halfwits like yourself.
And that is the difference.
Labour or aligned left-wing volunteers (albeit bloggers in this instance) have treated Clare like a servant to them without regard for the conditions she is working under.
Conditions that many of them have created.
28% conditions.
I wish you all the best of luck in your list placing this weekend Cathy.
Will you place behind Rodney or in front of Chris? Who knows aye? You will be 5th or 6th I hear.
Remember, having an opinion and being captain courageous doesnt mean success in NZ politics.
It usually means ending up as a target for the left and the scape goat for the incompetence of the brains trust within your own party.
Kevin Campbell
CK; You honestly think that publicly attacking your only potential friendly middle-class-worker coalition partner makes sense?
It's just dumb and politically unsavvy.
It's shovelling votes away from your potential centre swing voters by essentially labelling anyone who doesn't toe the party line as a class traitor.
The Greens have recognised that they will continue to be marginalised if they stick with the hairy hippy routine, so have made a conscious effort to broaden their pitch to both (traditionaly union supporting) social justice/blue collar voters and deepen their base in the middle class white collar/eco vote.
Labour has not moved with the times other than trying to scramble for the centre by emulating National.
And while some fools may have pitched this as a 'woman' issue, I think that's been overblown.
It's a credibility issue.
While the initial post may have been just dumb, her responses were inflammatory and the predictable roasting occured.
The same would have happened if Mallard or Hipkins had said it.
Trouble is, Cac old girl, you've recently ranted on (quite accurately) about how fatal it is to attack your allies.
Good on you for encouraging Clare to keep it up, but drop the "sincerity for her passion" angle; faux-cream on top of rat cunning is just repulsive.
I am now not feeling very confident at all Kevin. You picking me at 5th or 6th with the wild inaccuracy of your information in the past should see me secure at least 123rd.
Well done, Kate. This is why I will always follow your blog, even though our 'political beliefs' are opposed.
ACT make more sense to me than National. Why? Because they HAVE an ideology. Labour lost their ideology and are now trying to reclaim it. We're back to the old Left vs Right I believe. Those who try to claim the centre ground will perish. Pragmatism is the role of representatives once they are in government. But political campaigning should leave no one in question of what you believe in.
Although (as I said at 11.54), I am not sure I agree with you on CC's merits, I really do hope you get a proper list ranking for the simple reason that I am absolutely certain you would not put up with the same nonsense and would deal out to the spineless when required.
And I admire your work on the subject of finance companies etc, which I do not doubt took a tremendous amount of courage and pluck. I do hope you are justly rewarded. My very best Ms Kate.
Disagree in the main; passion is a great thing but people are free to criticise stupidity (or indeed, anything) whatever their own achievements or lack thereof.
Political parties compete for voters just as companies compete for customers. Curran came across all entitled and to her credit, later resiled from it.
And the soft-headed people who try to make a gender issue out of this need to step away from the confirmation bias.
I know you already know this but Kevin knows shit about the ACT party selection or in fact who is on the list.
For the record, I voted you very high.. so will remain anonymous for that sake alone.
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