Trotter on "New Zealand's Taleban"

I've never had a lot of time for Chris Trotter's writings. His pro-socialist pieces are often whimsical in nature, longing for a return to the great days of old. My kindred blogger Adam Smith describes Trotter as "trapped in a time warp", and I'm not about to disagree!

And it is Adam Smith who has given me a heads-up on Trotter's piece in this morning's Dominion-Post. Under the title "NZ's Taleban on the march" Trotter launches into a bizarre and malicious smear against National and John Key. For, after having delivered his own verdict on Justice Miller's decision this week that "there is reason to doubt the legality of many abortions" being performed in New Zealand in 2008, Trotter then opines:

" So, all of you young, confident women of the 21st century urgently need to pause and reflect upon what is happening – especially all you young, confident women thinking of voting for the National Party.
Why? Because behind National, hidden by all those glossy placards depicting the handsome John Key, marches a much less appealing army of fanatical right-wing activists, all of whom are impatient to advance the conservative causes that nine years of Labour-led government have held in check."

Not only is this an outrageous accusation from Trotter, it is a smear and a lie, and it needs to be exposed as such.

Adam Smith has posted a lengthy expose of Trotter at The Inquring Mind, and I'm sure Adam won't mind me quoting from him:

"Trotter goes on to write:-

"The Ken Orrs of Right to Life New Zealand and the Bob McCoskries of Family First have caught the whiff of a massive right-wing victory in November. They fervently believe that, after nine long years, their hour is at hand.
Five months out from the election, they’re certainly not saying, “Oh bother, New Zealand is about to elect a socially conservative millionaire prime minister and a right-wing majority to the House of Representatives, there goes all hope of getting any of our cherished religious principles recognised by an MMP parliament.”

There it is the smear, the big lie.

Adam has not seen any statement by National that gives any credence to Trotter’s statements. Indeed, Key and National know that they need the votes of women. They know also that if they were to do what Trotter suggests that they will do, that is give way to the anti abortion lobby, that that could see them out of power for a generation.

There is the additional canard that Key and National have a secret right wing religious agenda and will seek to impose that on New Zealand if they win."

I commend Adam Smith's piece to you as well worthy of the read. In the meantime, it would appear that Trotter has decided that it is time for the gloves to come off - or perhaps it has been decided for him. Whichever, he would have been better to follow the sage advice of retiring MP, Marian Hobbs, who has expressed the hope that this will NOT become an election issue due to the issue's potential to poison the political well.