NZ POLITICS DAILY: Issues of economic inequality back in vogue

Issues of economic inequality are politically back in vogue.

Going into the general election, the political left, in particular, is suddenly much more focused on this traditional left-wing subject.

A good example of this can be seen in today’s NZ Herald opinion piece by academic Anne Salmond: We could do with a change of heart. She berates successive governments for their neoliberal policy framework that has furthered inequality, and asks the big political question: ‘In whose interests is our country being run?’. Essentially, Salmond is channeling the more coherent elements of the global ‘Occupy’ movement. And she suggests that it’d take more than just a change of government to truly affect changes in the deeply unequal distribution of wealth and income in New Zealand.

Related to Salmond’s almost-revolutionary demands, there’s a strong element of class and left politics being reported today. Simon Collins reports that Charities' food handouts at record after Govt cuts, The Standard says its Time to take back what’s ours, and Claire Trevett covers the fact that Key admits underclass still growing despite the fact that he campaigned strongly on this issue in coming to power in 2008.

Of course, the Labour Party is reflecting this growth in concern with traditional left issues, and today it has released its industrial relations policies, and they have a more left-wing character than in the past. See, for example, Danya Levy’s Labour targets sectors for minimum wage and Derek Cheng’s Labour Party launches work and wages policy.

This resurgence of interest in, and focus on, inequality is fascinating. After all, for decades now, this subject has been largely absent from the parliamentary political system, and few political actors have been interested in raising questions about the distribution of material wealth. Quite simply, economic inequality has not mattered in New Zealand politics.

This reflects the general decline of the political left, and the defeat of ideologies and movements that are most associated with combating economic inequality. Class politics has been at a very low ebb in recent years, and the ideas of socialism, Marxism, egalitarianism, anti-capitalism have been largely discredited and out of fashion in both New Zealand politics and academia.

But a resurgence of interest and concern with inequality isn’t just occurring on the left side of politics. In last year’s British general election, the Conservative party successfully campaigned on reducing economic inequality. The Tory’s election advertisements even featured the sarcastic negative faux-Labour adverts in which a grinning Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown is accompanied by the text ‘I increased the gap between rich and poor – vote for me.'

It was a remarkable campaign focus for the party traditionally associated with the defence of inequality in British society. As one British leftwing political commentator pointed out, ‘the new ideological keywords of the Conservative were, remarkably, poverty, inequality, compassion and society.'

So what has been happening? I explored some of these issues in a series of blog posts last year on the topic of inequality. In particularly, in a blog post entitled The resurgence of issues of economic inequality, I detailed the rising interest and concern with inequality, pointing out that a combination of factors, including the arrival of the worst economic recession since the 1930s and the unraveling of the leftish identity politics project, has produced a small but significant revival of interest in issues of class politics. This focus on inequality is more than just a shift in emphasis and suggests something important going on in parliamentary politics.

Related to this, the ministerial hearings into the involvement of foreign fishing boats in New Zealand waters began this week, and its bringing into light the very different attitudes towards inequality and exploitation. Michael Field’s article entitled 'We need more cheap foreign fishermen' says it all. The main fishing body is complaining that New Zealand workers are too expensive and it wants the ability to bring in more low-paid immigrant workers. Unsurprisingly, the Maritime Union has responded by labeling the industry bosses as ‘greedy’ – see: Foreign charter vessels about greed: union.

Other political items of either importance, insight, interest or influence include the following: Frances Cook’s Goff 'splits hairs' over deep sea drilling moratorium, Dan Satherley’s A brief history of elections in New Zealand, Colin James’ Not a syndrome yet but Key's slips are showing, Felix Marwick’s Who’d want to be leader?, Rob Hosking’s Raise the pension age and ditch MMP – survey, Ian Llewellyn’s MMP – The Forgotten Question, Russell Brown’s Winning the RWC: it’s complicated and Sue Kedgley’s Time to review how Parliament works.

Bryce Edwards, NZPD Editor (bryce.edwards@otago.ac.nz)

Today’s content:

Inequality

Claire Trevett (NZH): Key admits underclass still growing

Dame Anne Salmond (NZH): We could do with a change of heart

Simon Collins (NZH): Charities' food handouts at record after Govt cuts

The Standard: Time to take back what’s ours

Danya Levy (Stuff): Labour targets sectors for minimum wage

Derek Cheng (NZH): Labour Party launches work and wages policy

Maria Slade (Stuff): Affordable housing could boost growth

TVNZ: Auckland Council yet to decide on protest