Labour parties

[Philip Ferguson <plf13@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob wrote:
> Ferguson manages, by a
> couple of other entirely verbal statistical tricks, to reduce the number of
> workers who vote Labour to a notional 30 per cent, and then throws in the
> obligatory contemptuous statement, "what does it matter anyhow if 30 per
> cent of workers vote Labour".


Bob, it's not a 'verbal statistical trick' to show that most workers in
NZ do not vote Labour.  You seem to *wish* they did and therefore have
to dismiss all evidence that they don't.  You have a dogmatic position
which simply cannot incorporate rather important evidence.

My point about whether or not it matters if thirty percent of the
working class vote Labour in NZ is also clearly not to be
"contemptuous".  It is probably similar to the percentage of the US
working class that votes Democrat.  The point, obviously, is that a
minority (but still significant) section of the working class voting for
a particular party proves nothing about the *class nature* of that
party.

You also attribute to me the bizarre idea that 92 percent of the
population is working class.  I have never expressed such a view.  So no
sleight of hand is required by me to then conjure up a middle class
membership for the NZ Labour Party.

Rather than wishing away evidence which does not fit neatly into your
dogma about the NZ Labour Party being some kind of workers party, you
would be advised to engage with such evidence.

Phil

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