Re: Mike Moore and WTO

["Barry Buitekant" <Barry.Buitekant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Why is Phil Goff called a 'Labour nazi'. I only have a passing knowledge of
New Zealand politics and so would like to know why  such a  (seemingly)
extreme term is used to describe him.

Barry Buitekant

-----Original Message-----
From: Philip Ferguson <PLF13@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 01 December 1999 14:25
Subject: Re: Mike Moore and WTO


>Hi Jay,
>
>re Mike Moore of the WTO.  Yes, he began political life as a trade
>unionist, I can't remember what union, I think maybe the printers.  He
>has a very working class background, which he always played upon.  He
>became a Labour MP at a very young age - early-mid 20s back in the
>1970s.  He was one of the supposed 'radical youth' of the party, along
>with Phil Goff (the Labour nazi who is the new minister of justice) and
>Helen Clark (the new PM).
>
>Moore, like the others, went very moderate very quickly as he scaled his
>way up the Labour Party.  He was a cabinet minister in the 'New Right'
>Labour government of the 1980s, whose reforms made Thatcher look a bit
>of a pinko by comparison.  I think Moore was part of the 'fish and chips
>club' of right-wingers who overthrew Labour leader Bill Rowling just
>before the 1984 election and made David Lange leader, as someone more
>amenable to the economic restructuring Roger Douglas was already
>planning with his friends in Treasury and business.  Six weeks out from
>the 1990 election the PM, a nonentity and Queens Counsel called Sir
>Geoffrey Palmer (who had taken over the reins following a coup against
>David Lange), was himself overthrown and Moore became PM.  Labour was
>crushed in the elections, losing most of their seats and Moore was
>reduced to being leader of the Opposition.  He also had a battle with
>cancer which stymied his personal ambition during a few critical years.
>
>He wrote a number of tedious books promoting his 'vision' and himself.
>As political correctness overwhelmed Labour, and Moore was overthrown
>after the 1993 election (in which Labour also did poorly and faced a
>real challenge from its left from the Alliance), Helen Clark took the
>leadership.  Moore then moped for years in the background, stirring
>against Clark and trying to present himself as the voice of 'working
>class' discontent with the trendy middle class liberals who he claimed
>were stealing the Labour Party.  At one point it looked like he might
>leave and join NZ First, which his chief lieutenant in his constituency
>actually did do.
>
>Moore, who was/is exceedingly personally ambitious, was left adrift
>trying to present himself as the aggrieved, unappreciated working class
>hero in Labour.  Since Labour had long since become a bourgeois liberal
>party, he couldn't really drum up much support and was reduced to being
>a rather sad and pathetic whinger whom most of the Labour Party wished
>would just go away.
>
>Since he is also economically right-wing, the National government fully
>supported, and heavily financed, his bid to become WTO head.  Clark and
>co in Labour were glad to see the back of him and actually get him out
>of the country, so he couldn't continue his sniping against her and the
>pc liberals atop the party.
>
>Since I came back to NZ in 1994, I have regarded Moore and Clark as the
>two most vile politicians in the country.
>
>
>Now to Nestor,
>Sorry Nestor, my original post was a really quick note I dashed off.  I
>was talking about free trade in relation to imperialist countries.  I
>have no problem with free trade in relation to NZ and am opposed to the
>NZ nationalists who want protectionist measures here.  I wasn't
>referring to protectionism in Third World countries trying to develop,
>which is a different issue.  BTW, could you give me a reference for the
>Engels piece you mentioned in relation to this.
>
>Cheers,
>Phil
>