A wasted opportunity

In the Dominion-Post this morning, Chris Trotter takes the Maori Party to task for failing to work out a confidence and supply deal with Labour, arguing that Tariana Turia's desire for utu and flirtations with National have wasted a tremendous opportunity:

What the numbers could have added up to, however, was a Labour-Progressive-Green centre-left government with Maori Party support on matters of confidence and supply. Such a government would have been of enormous benefit to Maori, whose life chances are determined overwhelmingly by their social class, not ethnic identity.

A Maori Party in constructive dialogue with a secure centre-left government would have been in a position to extract an impressive array of concessions. A Maori Party with enough confidence in its political future to think expansively and creatively could even have imbued that government with the energy and courage to initiate a genuine revolution in New Zealand's constitutional arrangements.

But instead of that, we're likely to get a Labour government beholden to Winston. Who, in case you need reminding, wants to tear the Treaty out of the law, disband the Waitangi Tribunal, and end the settlements process (which he dubs a "gravy train"). It's a perfect example of cutting off your nose to spite your face...

Nga korero o to wa makes essentially the same case here.

Trotter thinks this mistake will doom the Maori Party, and that the voters who split their votes between it and Labour on election night will go back to Labour rather than support politicians who so clearly put themselves ahead of their supporters. I'm not so sure - but its a very bad start for the party, and one it will have to work hard to overcome.