Ani O’Brien
New Zealand, the nation of the Springbok Tour protests, anti-nuclear action, and Dame Whina Cooper’s hı¯koi, has apparently undergone a cultural transformation and no longer tolerates political protest.
In the past few weeks, a small group of Kiwis, led by a 66-year-old Christchurch man, has been going into shops around the country and quietly turning around books and magazines featuring our prime minister.
They contend that she spends for too much time on photoshoots and fluff pieces and not enough time addressing child poverty, homelessness and the housing crisis.
Fair enough, right? We don’t necessarily have to agree with this, but good on them for peacefully demonstrating their political discontent with our prime minister and her Government.
Wrong! Oh how wrong. What should have been a flash-in-the-pan, barely noticed protest has now made not only national headlines, but has also been featured in the international press.
This is thanks to the characteristically hysterical response of the increasingly militant and intolerant section of the Left who are determined to attribute the most horrendous of social crimes to anyone who holds opinions contrary to theirs.
The founder of the #TurnArdern movement has had his private and business information published online, been threatened, and – along with all who have participated – been labelled a misogynist, racist, white supremacist extremist.
Now, I do not know the people protesting, but as far as I can tell, turning books around is about as benign as political objection can get.
Evident in the way angry tweets and reports about #TurnArdern almost always reference its founder’s workingclass job, the New Zealand hard-Left seem determined to uncritically follow the road to Opposition that their counterparts took in Australia, the US, and – most recently – the UK; handing victory to populist right and centre-right parties by steadfastly ignoring the experiences of the working class and scolding them for their failure to adhere to the new cultural demands of middle-class, university-educated liberal elites.
The Left – of which I reluctantly remain a part – must reflect on to what extent the new values and rhetoric they’re espousing are no longer compatible with those who have been their core voters.
Politicians on the Left must be aware that parroting the neo-academic liberalism of their pals on Twitter will inevitably alienate those for whom economic stability and traditional values are most important.
If we learn one thing from our international counterparts it should be that you cannot spend election year insulting the working class and calling them bigots and then expect them to turn around and vote for you.
Turning books around is about as benign as political objection can get.
Ani O’Brien is the chairwoman of Speak Up for Women New Zealand