McBLOG: Chris Hipkins’ divisive speech on “unity”
Chris Hipkins turned up to do a speech yesterday. Apparently, it was supposed to be about ‘unity’ and refusing to talk about the so-called ‘culture wars’. Rather than unifying, it was divisive, and focused extensively on the culture wars including the Labour party’s obsession with abortion. Chris Hipkins gave the media the perfect opportunity to rush off to the other nominee for PM – Christopher Luxon – to get a commitment out of Luxon on abortion.
TRANSCRIPT:
Chris Hipkins turned up to do a speech yesterday. Apparently it was supposed to be about unity and refusing to talk about the so-called culture wars. Rather than unifying, it was divisive, and focused extensively on the culture wars including the Labour party’s obsession with abortion.
So let’s highlight some key points of PM Hipkins speech yesterday – and then we’ll quickly check Christopher Luxon’s response.
So Hipkins got off to a strong start. He said this
First, I want people to vote Labour.
Wow – nobody had realised that, so I’m glad he clarified that for us. But from then it was all down hill
In this campaign I will promote a message of unity and intend to work with parties and leaders that think the same. That doesn’t mean I won’t criticise my opposition, in fact I must. Elections are contests of policies and values. Disagreements are a fundamental part of a healthy democracy. But I won’t seek to divide our communities. Labour’s focus in this election won’t be on imported culture wars,
So he wants to promote unity – but admits he will criticise opposition, and that disagreements are actually fundamental – but! He won’t divide communities. News Flash Chris Hipkins. Elections divide communities. People align with certain parties based on the values and policies of those parties, and disagree strongly with other parties – and even campaign against them. If you want unity, don’t criticise the opposition and don’t disagree. But of course that’s not what he’s going to do.
But what about this comment about “importing culture wars”. What’s he talking about? He says he doesn’t want to talk about them – but then immediately talks about them, as the fundamental reason he’s into unity – but…. not unity with Winston Peters and NZ First.
I’m ruling out working with New Zealand First and Winston Peters after the election. New Zealand First has become a party more interested in toilets than the issues that really matter. …the rhetoric I’m hearing from Winston Peters in this election means I just don’t see any compatibility with my vision for an inclusive, progressive and prosperous society.
Ah – so Winston Peters (and you’ll know this if you saw my recent McBlog) believes that women – yes, women – adult human female –and young girls should be protected in changing rooms, toilets, sports and public facilities. Something that everyone believed up until about 15 hours ago. But Hipkins has ruled out unity with Winston, because Winston believes a woman is a woman. Winston believes in biological reality – so Labour is out. Disunity.
He goes on…
In fact the National, ACT, New Zealand First coalition of cuts, chaos and confusion hold a compilation of views I think would alienate large sections of our society. Not just economically, but to their sense of belonging too. They are the Coalition of Fear.
This made me laugh out loud. Chris Hipkins has painted a scary picture of just how awful National ACT and NZ First might be if they were in the position of having to form a government (which I can guarantee they’d all be brought screaming to the table if they had to do that!) and then labels THEM as the fearmongers. Yes, it’s THEM. They’re the fearmongers. Not Labour who are making all these assertions.
This messaging is really quite weird, isn’t it.
But then we find out who the real labour party and the real Chris Hipkins is. We find out their priorities. Their reason for being. It’s really quite tragic.
The National Party has many MPs and candidates who want to roll back women’s rights. Members of their caucus celebrated the US Supreme Court decision to roll back a women’s right to choose… I voted to legalise abortion in our first term, and I’ll continue to defend a women’s right to choose.
It’s all about the right to kill the unborn child. Hipkins and the Labour party are obsessed with abortion and snuffing out the rights of the unborn little girl – and the unborn little boy. Abortion – which is a conscience vote so therefore many MPs may have different opinions to Hipkins (even in his own party I might add!!) is the key policy plank that Hipkins is using to create division amongst parties while at the same time saying he’s into “unity” – but not unity for the pregnant mum who may feel she has no other option but just needs support. No unity for the woman under pressure from her boyfriend to have the abortion. No unity for the unborn children of this world.
Let’s be quite clear. Left wing parties of Labour and the Greens on the whole love abortion. They promote it. They vote for it. If they had their way, our extremist abortion law would be even more extremist. Make no mistake about that. The unborn child is irrelevant to those parties. It’s really quite shocking – and for many who voted for Labour under perhaps David Lange, this may come as quite a shock to realise just how radical Labour has become on the social conservative issues.
This is then confirmed in the next part of Hipkin’s “unifying” speech
And then there is Winston Peters. He is seeking to make trans people the enemy in this campaign. Living fully in your own skin isn’t always easy for any of us at the best of times, and it can be particularly hard for our rainbow communities. None of them deserve the kind of abuse that is being directed their way, stoked up by politicians who should know better.
I have just 2 words for Hipkins.
Posie Parker.
She doesn’t deserve the abuse, stoked up by politicians who should know better.
Pot Kettle Black, Chris.
Finally,
Ever since its formation over 100 years ago, the Labour Party has been the party of progress in New Zealand. We stand for workers’ rights to a fair deal and a women’s right to choose… I’m a leader who’s in for you, whether you’re Maōri, Pacifica, Pakeha, gay, straight, born here, migrated here, a man, a woman, trans, young, old, or different in your own way. I’m in it for you.
Um Chris – does that include TERFs – you know, women who believe that only women are women? And you say you’re in it for women. Chris – what is a woman?
You also see Hipkins reinforce the bedrock values of what is now the Labour party – a sad reflection of what it once was under David Lange. “workers’ rights to a fair deal and a women’s right to choose”. Labour was always about workers rights – but now it has another key plank. The right to kill the unborn child. Labour are defined by the right to aborting children before they are born.
What a sad sad value to highlight as you pretend to talk about “unity”. I also won’t mention that
So how did the National leader Christopher Luxon respond.
Chris Hipkins gave the media the perfect opportunity to rush off to the other nominee for PM Christopher Luxon to get a commitment out of Luxon on abortion. Its only the media asking for this commitment. They have been pinning down Luxon on this issue from day one, and sadly Luxon who says he is pro life and that he believes that abortion is tantamount to murder (which of course is deadly accurate – pun intended) once again took the bait.
Now what he should say is “You know my views. But abortion is a conscience issue. I am just one vote of 120 votes. The people of NZ will determine the make-up of Parliament. Nothing is off the table. We should not have babies being killed in the womb because a parent doesn’t want a girl, they want a boy – or because the parent is being coerced by her boyfriend. We should be giving medical aid to babies who survive an attempted abortion. We should not be allowing late term abortions. The unborn have a right to life. Our abortion law is one of the most radical in the world. Next question.”
But no – it’s this response – which the pro-abortion media absolutely love. And you won’t hear the interviewer right at the end but Luxon is asked “so you’d still sooner resign than change the abortion laws”.
“There’ll be no change to any of our abortion laws, funding or access – I’ve been really clear about that. That is not our focus,” he said. “In Government, we need to be focused on rebuilding this economy, we need to make sure we restore law and order, deliver better health and education.” Luxon confirmed he’d still “absolutely” sooner resign than change abortion access.
And the media packed up their gear, stoked that they’d got a renewed commitment from the next possible PM that their favourite abortion law won’t be changed.
Who cares what the people of NZ actually think eh.
Apparently according to Hipkins and Luxon, this is all about “unity” and fixing the country.
Someone needs to try and persuade the unborn child and the women harmed by abortion that it’s “unity”. Because it’s not.
Chris is no friend to the unborn child. You can choose which Chris I’m referring to.
