Tuesday, 22 October 2019, 12:46 pmColumn: Gordon Campbell Gordon Campbell on Simon Bridges trying to painthimself as a warrior against political correctnessFirstpublished on Werewolf

Having failed all year atbeing a credible alternative Prime Minister, National leaderSimon Bridges has lowered his aspirational target this weekto something more within his range. On radio yesterday,Bridges did his best to come across as Nationalsalternative to Shane Jones. Yep, another prince of ordinaryblokery willingto take a crack at the forces of PoliticalCorrectness:

The National Party leader told MagicTalk he wants to "make sure that people can say what theythink even where it's a bit un-PC [politically correct] Ithink we've got a situation through education and the media- certain parts of the media - there's things that areoff-limits in New Zealand that we're not allowed to talkabout, and I think that's not healthy.

No, perishthe thought. Perish the thought that we should be at allconcerned about extremist speech online. These days, blokesin Parliament and blokes in boardrooms, and ordinary jokersin the nations pubs never get a chance to get a word inedgeways, what with the feminists and the gays and thegreenies and the migrants from Lord knows where hogging themike. All of them making a bloke feel bad about chucking offat them, and for saying whatever they want to whom so-everthey like.

Thats the New Zealand way. Blokes talk,sheilas listen and gays and Chinamen are nowhere to be seenoutside of hair salons and Chinese restaurants. Perish thethought that in the increasingly diverse 21st century, thatour budding Prime Minister should be trying to take the leadin avoiding us giving unnecessary offence to one another.Bugger the PC brigade, Bridges told his radio audienceinstead. Hes such a maverick.

Bridges chose a peculiarexample to convey to his radio listeners the evils of thepolitically correct. Earlier this year, he explained, hedcopped flak for criticising PM Jacinda Ardern as apart-time leader for visiting the Tokelaus during asitting week of Parliament. But no other sitting PrimeMinister, Bridges noted scornfully, had visited the Tokelaussince 2004! Perhaps the comments below by the government ofTokelau might explain what had really annoyed Bridges aboutthe whole episode:

The Ulu o Tokelau, FaipuleKelihiano Kalolo, on behalf of the Council and people ofTokelau, acknowledges with deep appreciation the recentvisit by the Prime Minster of New Zealand, Rt. Hon. JacindaArdern, to Tokelau.

It was only the fourth primeministerial visit to Tokelau in their 93-year constitutionalrelationship. And Tokelauans have noted that all of thesevisits were by sitting Prime Ministers from Labour-ledgovernments.

The people of Tokelau felt the warmempathy shown by the Prime Minister especially towards ourschool children. Her visit served to remind ordinary Kiwisthat Tokelauans are also New Zealand citizens and part ofthe Realm of New Zealand with Cook Islands, and Niue,stated Hon Kalolo.

Climate change impacts in thePacific. Regional diplomacy. New Zealands personal role(in unison with Australias aid and defence efforts) incombatting Chinas inroads in the Pacific. In short,Arderns visit to these New Zealand citizens in our nearneighbourhood was an entirely legitimate part of the PMsworkload. None of it evidently, had registered with thisparticular blokey bloke.

Week after week the fawningover the Chinese Communist Party, the scoring of anown-goal over an immigration case that actuallyoccurred on Nationals watch etc Bridges has amplydemonstrated his incapacity for the top job. He now seems tobe trying to turn his liabilities into virtues: it is to betreated as just the natural fallout from a straight shooterspeaking his mind. Let the cards fall where they may. Judgehim not by what he says (usually rubbish ) but on how hesays it. Hey, in 2016 it got the current US Presidentelected.

P.C. and History

Politicalcorrectness may have become the phantom menace of the IdiotRight, but it actually began life in the 1970s as a termused by the moderate left, to describe those further totheir left. On one level it is obviously absurd that themost privileged and powerful groups in society whitemales in politics and business should be claiming tobeing muzzled by a few feminists, trans activists andacademics. But that is to ignore the psychological dynamicsof the situation. As the article below reminds us, everydemagogue needs an enemy, and the liberal elites happen toprovide a convenient one. Donald Trumps message on thecampaign trail was that not only had the liberal elitescaused the problems being faced by ordinary folk, but thatthe same elites were now conspiring to prevent thepeoples champion (ie, himself) from even talking aboutit.

The special interests, the arrogant media, and thepolitical insiders, dont want me to talk about the crimethat is happening in our country, Trump said to aSeptember 2016 rally. They want me to just go along withthe same failed policies that have caused so much needlesssuffering. But bugger the PC brigade hewould not be muzzled from speaking out on behalf of ordinaryfolks!

Trump claimed that Barack Obama and HillaryClinton were willing to let ordinary Americans sufferbecause their first priority was political correctness.They have put political correctness above common sense,above your safety, and above all else, Trump declaredafter a Muslim gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub inOrlando. I refuse to be politicallycorrect.

Thats the difference. Liberals mayfeel concerned about the impact of language on thevulnerable, but the populist right sees the Language Policeas part of a conspiracy by the elites to keep them down, andto muzzle even the expression of their righteous anger.Routinely, the ideologues of the right in Britain,across Europe and in the US use the politicalcorrectness accusation to exonerate themselves forexploiting that bottled-up anger for their politicaladvantage :

In June 2015, after Trump referred toMexicans as rapists, NBC, the network that aired hisreality show The Apprentice, announced that it was endingits relationship with him. Trumps teamretorted that, NBC is weak, and like everybody else istrying to be politically correct.

In August2016, after saying that the US district judge Gonzalo Curielof San Diego was unfitto preside over the lawsuit against TrumpUniversities because he was Mexican American and thereforelikely to be biased against him, Trumptold CBS News that this was common sense.He continued: We have to stop being so politicallycorrect in this country.During the second presidential debate, Trumpanswered a question about his proposed ban on Muslimsby stating: Wecould be very politically correct, but whether welike it or not, there is a problem.

So thatsthe playbook Simon Bridges was referencing yesterday, albeitwithout the overt expressions of racism and sexism. (Thosefactors lie just below the surface here too, though.) Railing against p.c. is a way of weaponising the widespreadfeelings of blokey inadequacy and hostility to the changesin social and cultural norms. Expect to hear more of itfrom National during the 2020 election campaign.

Jojo Rabbiting

Any negative responseto Taika Waititis new film Jojo Rabbit will alsorun the risk of being treated as political correctness gonemad. With that in mind and since the film hits localtheatres this week, here are a couple of thoughtful reviewsworth your while. First, heres A. A. Dowd inthe AV Club and also heres JonathanRomney in Film Comment.

In case those fairly damningreviews dont wash with you, heresthe happy face response:

Laurie Anderson,invited back

Great news and also kind ofironic that Laurie Anderson should be coming back here toco-curate next years International Arts Festival inWellington. Because in 1986, when Laurie Anderson broughther stunning visual/aural extravaganza to the same ArtsFestival the McGarrigles were also on the programme thatyear the (infamous) response from the organisationalhierarchy was that this kind of rocknroll stuff(Anderson, the McGarrigles) didnt belong in the ArtsFestival, and should never, would never, be a part of theFestival fare ever again. Those darned art elites justdidnt get it. Now they do.

So from those distantmid 1980s, heres her tribute to William Burroughs. Sorrythat the sound quality isnt so great on this clip. Butthe visuals compensate and they do evoke what got peopleso excited about Laurie Anderson, back in the day.

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Gordon Campbell on Simon Bridges and political correctness - Scoop.co.nz