A Funny Thing Happened

If I said that Kate Wilkinson had the blood of the Pike River miners on her hands I would be rightly booed and jeered, and accused of politicking over the men's deaths.

Living In The Past

The political radar of Chris Trotter is malfunctioning again.

Trotter appears to delight in writing columns condemning Phil Goff as a leader.

Given how completely Trotter has missed the mood of the nation over the Hobbit affair, I’m now beginning to think that if that’s really what Trotter thinks, Goff may well be the man to lead Labour back into power.

Take this little gem from Trotter’s latest Dominion Post column:

Constrained by the legal and moral undertakings pursuant to her agreement with the Hollywood moguls, Ms Kelly's options were limited. But with Parliament in session, Mr Goff could have made full use of parliamentary privilege to launch a devastating counterattack against Sir Peter and his growing chorus of anti- union acolytes.

By refusing to fight back, the Opposition transformed what was rapidly escalating into a full-scale, Government-led attack on the entire union movement into a complete rout.

In the absence of unassailable Labour counter- arguments, the mainstream news media stuck slavishly to Sir Peter's anti-union script.

The week, which had begun with such high hopes for organised labour's triumph, ended with its total, ignominious and unnecessary defeat.

So Trotter is saying that Goff should have gone on the attack against Sir Peter - or should that be St Peter? Gee, I wonder how that would have gone down with the media and public. Actually, I don’t wonder. It would have been a complete and utter disaster.

Trotter’s message to Labour and to those he labels "scabs" could better be expressed as follows:

Comrade, throw yourself and your children before the oncoming tanks of the oppressive capitalists. Your brave sacrifice will not slow them down for more than a moment, but your martyrdom will be an inspiration for all downtrodden workers.

What? You refuse to sacrifice yourself and your entire family for the cause? You traitorous scum!

Trotter’s clapped-out Marxist thinking was obsolete thirty years ago. It now looks positively ancient.

So many on the hard left are happy to take the mickey out of those Objectivist nutters who live their lives through the weird writings of a dead Russian-American woman. Yet they fail to see the irony that they themselves use the writings of a 19th century German to frame every political issue.

People who define every issue through a narrow lens tend to miss the bigger picture. Trotter’s an obvious example. It’s entirely possible to be generally sympathetic with the union movement without giving individual unions the right to do as they please. He doesn't grasp this obvious point. Trotter quotes history in many of his articles to argue that this is just another example of an anti-union crackdown. While an understanding of past events is essential for good decision-making, it can sometimes occur with some historians that they end up trapped in a past age. I suspect that is what has happened with Mr Trotter.

Class treason or not, labelling Actors Equity as an inept bunch whose actions have harmed the union movement is simply telling the truth. To do anything else is to conceal the facts. If the demands of ideology require people to lie for the greater good, then the cause isn't worth fighting for.

A Public Appeal To "Chris Trotter"

“The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail."

If you want to read something sensible and considered about the dispute between Sir Peter Jackson and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, don't bother with The Standard.

Anyone familiar with The Standard could predict that the site would take a "worker solidarity" line on this issue, so that is no surprise. What really takes the cake are the vituperative comments directed towards anyone who suggests even the most moderate position. Banning commenters who disagree with you is a sure sign that you've lost the argument and are sliding towards insensibility.

And don't bother with Chris Trotter. In this post he compares Chris Finlayson to the Mouth of Sauron. 

On the other side of the debate the mainstream news media appears to be taking a largely hostile approach towards the Australian union behind this dispute and backing "Our Peter", while the blogosphere on the right predictably rails against the commies.

But if you want to read something sensible and considered about the dispute between Peter Jackson and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, there is hope. You could try Russell Brown or Gordon Campbell. Neither have an agenda or an axe to grind, and both examine the matter dispassionately.

The dispute shows no sign of abating. Stuff reports that Sir Peter Jackson requested a meeting with the actors' union, but was turned down. It can only be hoped that the two sides will get together soon, because if this continues our film industry may go down the plughole.

Update: It appears there is some question as to whether Jackson is legally able to deal with MEAA. The Herald reports:

Yesterday, Mr Finlayson said in a letter to the studios - which was also copied to Sir Peter and Ward-Lealand - that legal advice from the Crown Law Office confirmed the Commerce Act prevented The Hobbit's producers "from entering into a union-negotiated agreement with performers who are independent contractors". Section 30 of the act, which deals with price fixing, "effectively prohibits" such arrangements, he said.

The MEAA has obtained an opinion from Simpson Grierson pointing out that Jackson could deal with them as employees, rather than independent contractors, and not breach section 30.

I’m not going to give a legal opinion on this. Both parties may well be right, but I’m no expert in these areas.

Huh?

Political columnist Chris Trotter has used his Internet blog to dismiss the Internet as a useful tool for engaging in political discussion.

No, I am not making this up.

Trotter's been writing a lot about Labour lately. He appears disillusioned with the party, and I suspect part of his problem is that innovations such as OpenLabourNZ are threatening the non-inclusive style of left-wing politicking he is used to. Clearly, the hoi polloi can't be trusted to come up with anything useful, so they must be ignored in favour of appointed elites who know better.

The Internet is a wonderful tool for getting people engaged in politics. Red Alert is a good example of a site where the punter can engage the politician directly, without having to go to a public meeting (to be fair, I'm not sure how well Red Alert would work if Labour were the party in power).

And the irony of someone who uses the media to pedal his views of the world will be lost on few. If Chris Trotter can use the Internet to explore and exchange ideas, why can't a political party?

If Trotter wants to be consistent, he might like to turn his computer off, put the pen down, and stop turning up on the radio. I'm sure everything he has to say can be said in person.