In It For You

You may recognise the phrase as the Labour Party Election Slogan for 2023.

I thought it an odd phrase when I first heard it and tossed around what it might mean.

Self promotion? Prime minister and Labour leader Chris Hipkins saying, I’m “In it for you”?
Or the Labour Party is it it for you.

How else might you interpret that.

This afternoon in a speech from Hipkins came the answer.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/08/full-speech-watch-read-chris-hipkins-2023-coalition-partners-announcement.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

I guess if you’re not immersed in identity politics, like me you might not have seen the bottom line coming.

I will bring New Zealanders together.

I’m a leader who’s in [it?] for you, whether you’re Maōri, [Māori] Pacifica, Pakeha, gay, straight, born here, migrated here, a man, a woman, trans, young, old, or different in your own way.

[This from a guy who stumbled over the question, “What’s a women”?]

What’s a man? … Certainly not a person that Labour has previously been particularly found of in its policies and had one leader go as far as “apologising for being a man.”

In terms of creating drama and division and disadvantage pick your identity, well anything except, “indifferent” and come begging.

Forget your individual sovereignty and accept equality of identity. The state will determine your outcomes.

My brain must have been on holiday … that makes a lot more sense now.

Later that day …

“He’s announcing something that everybody already knows, which is that New Zealand First has already ruled out going into any form of government with Labour – because of their racist separatist policies.”

An instant response from NZ First which adds the distinction that the alternative is all people with one identity. If we can’t be just a global citizen, which realistically is probably beyond reason, the sovereign identity of New Zealanders, Kiwis.

That might not solve gender issues and feminist issues like the family court but it’s better than men having to fight each other over an island at the bottom of the Pacific based on some political identity.

The current separatism is threatening even Pacific partnerships and oddly enough we saw our NZ parliament this month host a gathering of female mps from Pacific parliaments.

Election humour strikes again.