Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
Vote for who your heart and your mind prefer. That's my message to the Left in Aotearoa today.
The polls and the pundits say that Saturday's election is all over before polling day, with National bound to romp home because people want change.
Yes, people want change. My party RAM, the Residents Action Movement, has fielded two strong messages this year during our popular petition to remove GST from food.
First, people are worried about money. And that's under a Labour-led government supported by the Greens.
Second, people say "the politicians" (meaning both Labour and National) are ignoring them, disrespecting them, only looking after the rich.
I have personally heard these twin messages from literally thousands of people at RAM's GST-off-food petition stalls over the last half-year. And other RAM activists report a similar political tsunami.
That theme of grassroots discontent and longing for change looks likely to translate into a National victory, if we believe the polls and the pundits.
It has also translated into more than 3,000 people joining RAM in recent months as we have gone from being a loose Auckland-only coalition into a nationwide registered political party.
There is a contest going on for the hearts and the minds of the grassroots.
This contest will be lost by the Left if we cling to Labour. Their "soft" market policies have become discredited in the minds of most at the grassroots, who don't want things like a pollution market and GST on food (both supported, sadly, by Green MPs against the wishes of most of their members).
The contest for the hearts and minds of the grassroots can only be won if the Left listens to their own hearts and minds, rather than chaining themselves to the market liberals running Labour in the belief this is the least worse option.
Clark or Key? Market liberals or market fundamentalists? This is not a choice that can start to fire up the change so badly needed by our people and our ecology.
The Left has to move past the eternal yo-yo of the Labour-led bloc versus the National-led bloc which, whatever the election result, always delivers market domination and corporate greed.
The recruitment success of RAM (over 3,000 people joining up in recent months) is a strong sign that the time to start breaking the chains is now!
It's time to build a people's movement based on the values of humanity, ecology, co-operation, equity and democracy.
It's time to give these values the political punch they need with a people's movement that stands in elections while also campaigning full-time for things needed by the grassroots. Things that most people consider to be "common sense".
RAM is going into this election with our Ten Commandments:
Remove GST tax from all our food.
$2,000 "baby bonus" to every mum.
Lift minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Offer first-home buyers a 3% interest state loan.
Free lunches in schools serving poor areas.
Free tertiary education plus a student living allowance.
Free & frequent public transport in our main cities.
Offer cheap solar panels to homeowners.
Restore to workers their free right to strike.
Enshrine the Treaty of Waitangi in a new constitution to guarantee the mutual rights of Maori & non-Maori.
Imagine the socially transformative power of these Ten Commandments if RAM gets a good vote on Saturday.
RAM is fielding a party list of 26 candidates.
RAM is also standing electorate candidates in these eleven seats:
Whangarei - Martin Kaipo.
North Shore - Stephen Cooper.
Northcote - Ben Doherty.
Auckland Central - Oliver Woods (candidates co-leader).
Mt Roskill - Daphne Lawless.
Maungakiekie - Elliott Blade.
Epsom - Rafe Copeland.
Mangere - Roger Fowler.
Papakura - Pat O'Dea.
Rotorua - Grant Rogers.
Wellington Central - Grant Brookes (candidates co-leader).
You can bring a humane and ecological society closer in Aotearoa if you:
Tick RAM in the (all important) party vote.
Tick the RAM candidate if one is standing in your electorate.
If the Labour-led bloc is going to lose anyway, why not go with your heart and your mind? Why not cast a vote for the future? For change that we need?
Comrade! Listen to your heart and your mind!
AND FORWARD THIS MESSAGE ONTO YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS.
Grant Morgan
Chair of RAM - Residents Action Movement
021 2544 515
grantmorgan (at) paradise.net.nz
PO Box 13-157 Auckland
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Comments
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
But for this wise caring advice we'd all remain heartless and mindless, thus denying ourselves the possibility of a humane and ecological society.
Thanks Grant.
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
In the past I have found Grant rather anti democratic controlling not the kind of person I would want to work with let alone elect into power. I believe he and RAM are using whatever issue seems most popular to build support for their socialist organisation be it climate change, islamophobia or gst from food.
If you agree with RAM's socialist agenda then by all means vote for them. If you want Grant and the other high ranking candidates in power then by all means vote for them. Dont let Grant or RAM fool you with whatever issue they are trumpeting this week though.
Its interesting that the RAM website isnt more expicit about the underlying political philosophy which drives their candidates.
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
My advice is always that we have to keep NZ beautiful for muslims also and for others also. We all are equal in this land. As we have seen this Ashraf Choudhary abstained from voting on a bill to legalise prostitution and he voted for another to recognise civil unions (ie homosexual unions astaghfarullah).
The NZ muslims always united in condemning against this disease homosexuality and prostitution is also not good for any sector but specially our muslim faith alhamdulilah has given us a steel resolve against such dirty things.
And this is why we always must abandon the sinking labour ship and involve fully in RAM alhamdulilah RAM has given assurance NEVER to let such a disrespect and mockery of our beloved rasool ullah Muhammed (pbuh). I dont mind for the non muslim that is not my issue, but for all muslims each and every vote must be for RAM for the sake of our beloved rasool ullah (pbuh) otherwise who is going to tolerate it the cartoons astaghfurallh about our holy prophet?
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
is this the same grant morgan who wrote the classic book 'Spectre of Stalin Still Haunts the World's Exploiting Classes' only a few years ago? Is he still a Stalinist? Does he still go on trips to Albania? Or is it another Grant Morgan?
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
As Ray Nunes the founder of the Workers Party used to say, 'if you are anti-Stalin you are anti-communist'.
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
If Ray Nunes was so on to it then why did he die?
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
He didn't die, you dickhead, he transmogrified into a Nepalese guerilla leader named Prachanda. Revolutionaries do not die; they incarnate' - Chairman Meow
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
It's not a Labour-led Government supported by the Greens. It's a Labour-led Government supported by United Future and New Zealand First. You want us to support you and you don't even have a basic grasp on who the government has been for the last three years?
Good-o
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
The letter doesn't really address the problems facing the left at all - if anything, following the advice in the letter will hand governance of the country to John Key and his right wing cronies who seek to destroy the environment and make life harder for everyone who isn't the CEO of a multinational corporation.
The letter basically says "the left is going to lose, so throw your vote away". But this is not at all true - if you get out there and vote you can help keep the right out of government.
The Green party has the best thought out, most workable policies. Green party taxation is based on imposing taxes for things which do the most damage to the environment, and taxing those who can least afford to pay the least, and moving the focus away from taxing income. That is far better than letting the very rich have their Caviare that was removed from an endangered species of fish by an exploited worker on the other side of the world tax free while the poor suffer under the high income taxes.
A party vote for the Greeens won't be wasted because polls consistently place them above the 5% threshold, and it will result in a better, more sustainable New Zealand now and into the future.
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
yer, the gst on food campaign is populist rhetoric. food already makes up a far smaller part of our income/time spent accumulating than ever before. so to further discredit it by making it cheaper will not help in the bringing together of the people and planet. it's the type of food that is being eaten.
the best solution i know of so far is community gardens where people get involved and cheaply grow their own food together.
good on the greens for not just joining up with this opportunistic protest party. would have been easy to do, and i respect the greens more so for not going along with it.
Good luck RAM, but i'll be voting Green.
A bit messianic sounding maybe?
"I do not want you to follow me or anyone else; if you are looking for a
Moses to lead you out of this capitalist wilderness, you will stay right
where you are. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could,
because if I led you in, some one else would lead you out. You must use
your heads as well as your hands, and get yourself out of your present
condition."
-Eugene Debs
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
Good quote!
Jared D
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
Grant Morgan has repudiated all forms of Marxism and now describes himself as a social democrat
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
The core majority in each and every country are the workers, and that legitimizes Marxism and makes it more needed throughout the world every day, and allows the forward movement of the new and non-exploitive society to emerge. End pollution wars, and not endless wars for more pollution. Workers of the world, unite!!
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
Workers
???????
Marxism
Huh?
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
Looking at the election result it seems the electorate must be heartless and mindless and not want a nice humane eological society.
Good old RAM, shame about the people.
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
no matter who you one eyed boobs elect, it is doubtful anyone would ever do anything about Paritutu,& any country that sentences its own people to live in chemical weapons dumps will collapse. sooner than later we hope. here in USA thanks to dowkiller & others we now know what liars & assholes kiwis really are.
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
Hah! The nice, moderate toned down social-democrat message of RAM gets about half as many votes as the honest, revolutionary message of Workers Party. Amusing, no?
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
Yes, it is funny. I think that the left needs a debrief following the election. ALthough different tactics were employed we can all contribute to drawing some lessons from this. Its going to be a tough three years. Hopefully we can focus on joint action rather than our infighting.
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
Well Grant if thats what you get voting with your heart and mind you may as well vote with your arsehole.
RAM disaster.
Will the two Grants do the honourable thing, like Clark did, and resign from leadership of RAM-SW? Or is this another glorious victory that needs to be explained?
The Emperor has No Clothes.
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
Grant,
Genuine questions:
1) Why did all of the "3000 RAM members" not vote for RAM?, and
2) Who did they vote for do you think?
Surely not the social democrats?
Cheers.
I
Re: Open letter to the Left in Aotearoa
RIP _ RAM
We voted with our minds and hearts
while National zapped our private parts.