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I'm mystified by Takuta Ferris doubling down on his attacks on non-Māori Labour members supporting their party's candidate. What could he possibly think he's going to achieve with this?
Ferris has numerous things to apologise for. Let's go through a few of them.
(1/?)
Firstly, wading into a highly charged topic with a social media hot take. Even if it was true he had a nuanced critique to share (that claim is classic arse-covering IMHO), late night drunkposting is absolutely not the way to get it across.
(2/?)
Then there's coming across like a crypto-fascist. It may or may not be fair that Māori nationalists have to be unfailingly progressive to avoid being accused of this. But that's the game he's chosen to play by becoming a TPM candidate.
Especially during a time when ACT and Winston First are busy trying to paint TPM as trying to lift Māori at everyone else's expense.
(3/?)
He's also breaking caucus unity. He's tried to justify this, by implying that it's only the TPM leadership telling him to pull his wooly head in.
I guess the rest of the party are going to need to correct the record on this. Especially those in the electorate he represents.
(4/?)
He's handing the right a huge case of ammunition. Which can and will be fired not only at him, and not only at his whole party. But also at any party trying to work with them.
Thus doing serious damage to the country's chances of getting the CoC off the government benches in 2026. Just when things were heading in a hopeful direction.
(5/?)
The saddest thing is, he could have just let it go. Maybe write a think piece addressing whatever his issue is, in a much more careful and nuanced way, *after* the dust settled.
By doubling down now, he's at risk of creating a situation where TPM will have no choice but to distance themselves from him. Probably replace him as their candidate in 2026.
To what purpose? What goal could possibly be worth creating this much collateral damage? Maybe this is his version of stealing handbags.
(6/6)
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