pn846. One-eyed, Ultra-Right-Wing, Violently Anti-Māori, Essentially Anti-Intellectual. There is No debate. Everything is Black or White, literally.

 

Dr Muriel Newman

Last week I very nearly made a mistake by  published ­­the results of a Roy Morgan poll which showed National and Act ahead of Labour and the Greens. Then I saw it was conducted in December last year, well before the recent Kantar poll that showed Labour and the Greens still well ahead. 

 But this did not stop Dr Muriel Newman publishing the December  poll in her blog Breaking News! yesterday, with no mention of the Kantar poll. She wrote "This week we examine Labour's fall in the polls". Incredible!  

I was surprised Bryce Edwards' NZ Political Daily provided a hyperlink to her piece today.  His site provides useful links to mainstream articles and only occasionally to reasonably moderate  blogs such as Kiwiblog, Politik, and The Conversation.  Opening the door to the likes of Newman is something of an unwelcome precedent.

Why unwelcome? 

Because her NZ Centre for Political Research (previously Political Debate) and her blog are not the independent think tanks they claim to be.  It may seem hyperbole to say they are one-eyed, ultra-right-wing, violently anti-Māori and essentially anti-intellectual. But they are. There is no debate. Everything is black or white.

Maori Council wants Brash's Hobson's Pledge Investigated

Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie pn375

In case you missed this, click here.  I've added some comments, and information on the Maori Council and its  'eminent and respected' chairperson Sir Edward Durie.

Extract. The New Zealand Māori Council said on Wednesday (1 May) it had asked the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to investigate the group, which is led by former National Party and Act leader Don Brash.

Hobson's Pledge was formed in 2016 and campaigns against what it says is preferential treatment given to Māori.

New Zealand Māori Council executive director Matthew Tukaki said the council had made the move because "no one's called them out". "They've been given a significant amount of latitude," Tukaki told Stuff.

And I also back the Massey VC on Brash exclusion

I worked at Massey University, Palmerston North, for over 20 years, retiring as an Associate Professor and Director of the newly-founded Centre for Development Studies before moving to the University of the South Pacific in Fiji for another five years. 

pn102

Massey, the university traditions of independent research and enquiry, and free speech are important to me. But so also are the intrinsic principles that underpin these values. 

False speech, hate speech and racism have no place in university traditions.  The view that it is better to give these views "air" so that they can be disputed and refuted has merit, but only limited merit. I respect this option, but think the Vice-Chancellor has taken the better one. (Click on "Read more" below.)