The right wing, neo-conservative ACT Party in New Zealand may just have committed political suicide. The party’s founder, Sir Roger Douglas, has announced plans to run for Parliament as an ACT Party candidate. He said he expects to be a cabinet member in a National Party-led government.
Roger Douglas was part of the Labour Party government in the 1980s, during which neo-conservatives captured the Labour Party because there was no way to take over their natural home, the National Party, while Robert Muldoon was leader. The economic changes caused massive upheavals in New Zealand. While many were changes necessary, many went too fast for ordinary Kiwis to adjust to.
As a result, the entire regime of radical and rapid economic change took on his name—“Rogernomics”. It’s safe to say that there’s no political figure in New Zealand who is more hated by ordinary Kiwis that Roger Douglas.
The ACT Party is already polling at only 1%, which means that unless they win an electorate seat, they’ll be out of Parliament. With Roger Douglas part of their slate, it’ll be even harder for them to return to Parliament.
For it’s part, the conservative National Party has been uncertain what to do. Deputy Leader Bill English who these days is, at best, a bit of a weasel, unable to take a position on anything, refused to rule out a cabinet seat for Douglas. Finally, after a week of waffle, the leader of the National Party, John Key, ruled out a cabinet post for Douglas, referring to him, accurately, as hard right. Key has worked hard to pull the National Party, against the wishes of it’s leaders and main supporters, to being just right of centre, rather than far right, as it was under Don Brash.
The possibility of Douglas returning to Parliament is definitely a worst-case scenario, and enough to make me more committed than ever to returning Labour to government. We cannot risk the hard-right neo-conservatives gaining access to power, or the 1980s will look like a Sunday picnic.
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