The Christian Heritage Party has called it a day and closed down. It seems they realised Graham Capill had permanently poisoned their image, and that they could better advance their goal of a theocratic New Zealand through another vehicle.
All I can say is "good riddance". Unfortunately, given the intensity of their desire to force everyone to live according to the dictates of their god, I suspect they'll be back.
I'll not mourn their demise but what will develop in their place? UF remain Christian, more in name than orientation, will they be dragged towards the more conservative end of the Christian spectrum? I'd also not be surprise if Destiny don't have another go... the EB scandal may prove a galvanising influence for both moderate and conservative Christians.
ReplyDeleteBackin15: It's an interesting question. At the moment, most former CHP voters seem to have gone to National, and given that party's current pandering to social conservatives (despite being led by a self-described liberal), they don't really have any reason to leave. But if Brash is forced out and replaced by a more moderate leader, then we might see an attempt to found a breakaway social conservative party (I wonder if Brian Connell is considering this option?)
ReplyDeleteUnited Future will likely stick around, though I don't think it will return to its former glory now that people have realised it is Christian. Destiny will probably have another go in 2008 as well. But I don't think either is likely to benefit from the demise of the CHP. Firstly, they probably gained all the CHP votes they were likely to at the last election, after the revelation of Capill's kiddy-fiddling. But secondly, sectarian differences are likely to keep them apart. Christian parties are all about imposing the word of god on the sinful masses - but fortunately for the rest of us, the sorts of fundamentalists who think that is desirable also tend to be purists incapable of political compromise even with people you'd expect to be their allies. While they managed to put together a "Christian Coalition" once, in 1996, I don't really think it will happen again (of course, that's just begging to be proved wrong...)
I remember the Christian Coalition well - that election I was working in the Wellington Central electorate and have a vivid memory of them coming close to 5%.
ReplyDeleteI think Brash will go (and that the only thing keeping him there is factionalism within National) and the new leadership will hold less appeal for the more fundamentalist Christian groups (even if it involves English in a role other than has leader). I'd not be surprised to see someone have a go at reforming the Coalition (although who'd lead it - would Dunne?)
Dunne, despite his party, isn't that much of a fundie himself. If he did lead such a thing, it'd have to be a very mainline one, and even then I don't think he would.
ReplyDeleteIf he did lead a party like the Christian Coalition (in policy), he'd be in danger of losing his electorate. Ohariu-Belmont isn't actually very conservative like that, and he's bleeding votes already.
I don't think Dunne would lead a new Christian party, he's been careful in recent years to be publicly at a distance from the Future part of UF. I suspect Ewen McQueen, who is very charismatic, would be looking to lead any new vehicle, but realises that they aren't going to shake the Capill taint.
ReplyDeleteI see that Christian conservative mass letter writer and homophobe Steve Taylor has left United Future (Auckland Central candidate in 2005) for the National Party. Perhaps that will be their strategy next time, to lobby within National.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tewahanui.info/news/060818_Auckland%20MPs%20hard%20to%20hear-Walker.shtml
Anon: Well, they are now. But many of the more rabid ones who lost their seats in the last election were Pentecostals. Christian Heritage, by contrast, seemed to be an offshoot of the Dutch Reformed Church.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree; they're unlikely to get along. Sectarianism is our saviour.