David Seymour & the treaty

[Lilith7]

The political hot potato.


https://www.thepress.co.nz/a/politics/35...dum-policy


"David Seymour wants to talk. ItÔÇÖs just a few days after the election, the negotiations to form the new government are but negotiations about negotiations, and party leaders on the political right are cautious about saying too much in public.


But Seymour is on the phone, speaking about ACTÔÇÖs stance on the Treaty of Waitangi and its demand for a referendum on the issue ÔÇô perhaps the hottest of hot political potatoes sitting on the negotiation table.
And heÔÇÖs not holding back.

The Sunday Star-Times had asked what had changed since 2016 when Seymour spoke in very different terms about the state of race relations.
In an RNZ interview about HobsonÔÇÖs Pledge which had just been formed, fronted by former ACT and National leader Don Brash, Seymour talked about the importance of realising political events happened in a context.
He compared 2016 to 2004 when Brash gave his famous ÔÇ£┼îrewa speechÔÇØ, and the country was divided over the foreshore and seabed debate.



ÔÇ£Now, here we are 12 years on, at least two members of my family are currently attempting to learn M─üori ÔǪ thatÔÇÖs how times have moved on. YouÔÇÖve now got mainly white middle class people who are embracing M─üori culture ÔÇô a very different environment from what we faced in 2004.ÔÇØ

And that wasnÔÇÖt an aberration. In 2014, during an interview with the Listener, he spoke out about previous ACT campaigns around M─üori issues. ÔÇ£I reject, for example, having a newspaper advertisement that says, ÔÇÿSick of the M─üorification of Everything?ÔÇÖ That was disgraceful.ÔÇØ
Seymour told the Listener he considered leaving the party in 2011 because of that ad. He expressed disdain for how previous leader Jamie Whyte had played the race card in the 2014 election.

   
But if things arenÔÇÖt good, shouldnÔÇÖt Seymour and other politicians who have made an issue of the Treaty take some responsibility?
After all, there have been warnings this week from Te P─üti M─üoriÔÇÖs John Tamihere and the GreensÔÇÖ James Shaw about the possibility of violence if ACTÔÇÖs Treaty referendum goes ahead.

Earlier in the year, the spokesperson for the Iwi Chairs Forum and Treaty educator had a Zoom meeting with Seymour.
ÔÇ£I thought, ÔÇÿI want to find out what the heck heÔÇÖs on aboutÔÇÖ,ÔÇØ says Hamilton.
Im a really, really patient and tolerant person  but he really frustrated me and it was difficult to have a proper conversation with him.
ÔÇ£He said to me things like, ÔÇÿIÔÇÖm an intelligent man and IÔÇÖm in this because I know what IÔÇÖm doingÔÇÖ, and I tried to give him credit for that.ÔÇØ

But in the end the conversation ended without going anywhere, and they agreed to differ.
I found him to be so  ignorant [and] a bit judgemental  but he was really, really difficult is probably the best way of putting it.
Is that what we can expect of Seymour in government? Does that mean he will insist on the referendum?
Ben Thomas is not so sure.
ÔÇ£There are always compromises to be made, thatÔÇÖs what politics is,ÔÇØ says Thomas."