All Hail Emperor Harawira

relaxed on top:
duck-paddling
beneath?

Is Harawira in panic mode?
Following the Maori TV poll [summary below], which shattered his delusion of total dominance in the Te Tai Tokerau byelection lead-up, Hone’s trying a new tack. He’s saying all maori MPs should be pulling together, maori-focused, no party politics…and please vote for the wonderful guy who suggested this! He feels the maori voice is diluted because maori MPs must stick to party lines (so that's why he set up yet another party, right?).
Expanding on last week’s intimations at Destiny Church in Auckland, the Bro wants to set up a race-based ‘maori parliament’ of maori MPs from all parties – to encourage them to act in the interests of their people rather than their parties. This parliament would visit different electorates together on a regular basis, such as every three months. That way, he reckons they’ll all hear the same message and become more independent thinkers. (But of course that’s why we elect MPs – even if ours is not from our chosen party, he/she is still our parliamentary ear.

NZ Day disgrace!

A travelling circus is unnecessary time-wasting.)
Harawira says this won’t amount to a completely separate maori parliament: "not yet, anyway". And that was exactly my worry when the govt first allowed that symbol of rabid Harawira-ism to fly alongside the NZ flag on our national day. The door was unlocked for this sort of separatist racist crap to gain a foothold. It’s precisely what the Harawira clan's been advocating for years!
The Poll:

clean-cut Kelvin

…meantime the Bro doubts the accuracy of the Maori TV poll that puts him neck-and-neck with Labour’s Kelvin Davis at around 40%. (Interesting that he believes polls when they say what he wants, eg: the supposed 89% of maori who opposed the foreshore bill. Riiiiggghhtt!!!)
In this poll, everyone else is in the “also-rans”: Maori Party’s Solomon Tipene has 15%, Kelvyn Alp (OURNZ) and Maki Herbert (Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party) both 1% (surprisingly, dak seems to be not such a big drawcard for TTT voters!) And curiously, although there’re no other candidates, the "others" polled 2%!
If there was a party vote in this by-election, it would've been embarrassing for Hone: Labour would've scored 36% of the party vote, Maori 25%, Mana 21%...and so on down.
But the poll also gave some interesting indicators: the Mana and Maori Party voters were also asked which party they’d prefer as a coalition partner: 57% said Labour, 28% National. Asked who could be "trusted", Labour’s Kelvin Davis scored 50%, with Hone-bro down at 38%, and Maori’s Tipene 20%. “Delivering on promises”, “knowing the needs of the locals” and “capable leader" all have Harawira and Davis pretty much neck-to-neck.
So what does all this show an idly-speculating blogger? Well, with just over a week to go,
(a) by HH making this a personal Maori vs Mana vendetta, it’s actually working in Labour’s favour.
(b) the TTT voters still haven’t made up their minds…let’s hope they spot Emperor Hone’s future aspirations.