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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 26, No. 12. 1963.

Our Politics Dormant But Seeds Of Discontent

Our Politics Dormant But Seeds Of Discontent

The fundamental problem of New Zealand politics is readily apparent; it is the lack of political issues. A "political issue" is a problem, a situation, or a policy about which a large section of the New Zealand political community feds involved and on which different parts of this community hold conflicting opinions. Any such issue would be recognised immediately by the discussions and arguments which it engenders.

There are currently no such problems in New Zealand. Parliamentarians are in substantial agreement on most issues and feel most involved in such minor matters as whether Shand's libel costs should be paid from Government reserves, or whether the "Black Budget" was or was not advisable in the circumstances of 1958, or whether the National Party Campaign in Miramar is "sinister" or whether candidates should organise essays for schoolchildren. The newspaper reports on Parliamentary proceedings frequently reach the same level of triviality as the column written for this paper by El Crud! And the mentality which the writer of that column portrays would not on most occasions seem out of place in the New Zealand Parliament.

Now it is not surprising that Parliamentarians should develop a considerable community of Interest despite party allegiances. They must all be prepared to exhibit and endure from others an element of "showmanship," but apart from that they are all keen to retain seats at the next election or to pass them on to their chosen successors. Most members are not really interested in attacking another strongly for fear that this may rebound to their own disadvantage. To this generalisation, there are, of course, exceptions in the case of younger and more ambitious members.

The tendency of Parliamentarians to become a corporate body apart from the external party is clearly illustrated in the history of both 19th century English political parties, and the history of the NZ Labour Party. Readers of Bruce Brown's "Rise of NZ Labour" will recall the early attempts by the Party to control members in Parliament and the failure of these attempts.

In an earlier Salient I argued that the difference between the two major parties lies not in their declared policies but in the weight they attach to different sections of the community in gathering advice and forming adminstrative measures. This difference is real, but it is not the seat of the difference that raises party clashes on to the level of a political issue.

The growing number of small parties shows growing dissatisfaction with the present situation, but little positive propamine for its alteration. This is particularly true of the recently formed Liberal Party and is also now true of the Social Credit Political League. Though the latter started in 1954 with a distinctive (although erroneous) programme of monetary reform, by 1960 it had lost its distinctiveness, and was just another party with a different set of potential benefits.

NZ politics then are devoid of political issues. But a glance admittedly superficial, at the political history of NZ indicates that this is not an unusual situation. There have been periods when issues dominated the scene; the Liberal period of the '90s and the Labour period of the '30s stand out. But for long periods such as that of the Reform Administration from 1920-1928. and the decade of the fifties the emphasis was on management and not on issues. It is significant that Mr. Shand last year described the function of the Government as "the management of the economy"—no issues dominate his mind.

If we look at the contemporary international scene, we find a similar position. Only when issues are largely absent could the naming of a coin the "royal" have been the major political news of the week in Australia.

If we look at the larger fish we find that international events dominate the scene. In the USA, the major political issue apart from the damnable and extraordinary racial situation is the question of foreign aid and external relations generally. How much the USA should contribute to underdeveloped countries in total, and how this should be distributed are major questions. And the general attitude that American diplomats should adopt towards the USSR occupies much of the time of the ordinary politician.

In Britain international affairs also occupy a prominent place. The position of Britain in the world, whether it needs an independent deterrent, and whether this is practical in any case, whether Britain can stand alone, or with the USA. or with the EEC; these are the major political issues there. Domestic affairs are not entirely neglected, but they resemble the situation in NZ, with the Keeler affair currently in place of the Black Budget.

International affairs, then, dominate "political issues" in the contemporary world. But NZ plays no major role in international relations, and her politicians are therefore left to play with trivialities.

There is little chance that international affairs could provide a means to revivify NZ politics. Not all politicians are like El Crud; some have intelligence which they hide for slightly less than all the time. But despite political labels, they are largely in agreement on the attitude to South-east Asia, and few are prepared to take the country away from her doglike devotion to the USA in other international questions.

We may fairly ask whether the day of party-political conflict is over. But this would imply that the level of attainment of our society was perfection, and there are groups within the community that would not support this idea. They are at present scattered and with little unity, but the presence of organisations like Wellington Socialist Forum. Auckland Socialist Forum Monthly Review Society, and others that Brigadier Gilbert could name shows that net all are satisfied with the present position.

At present, such groups are without influence, but their thinking will probably contribute to the creation of an issue or complex of issues at some future date through existing or new parties. We may then expect NZ politics to be dominated by political issues for a while, before they return to the dormancy in which they lie at present.

—G. R. Hawke.