Editorial: Two episodes at Parliament with a common thread

A faux judge, right, takes a seat for the 'people's court' session outside Parliament as part of a Freedoms and Rights Coalition rally. Photo / George Heard

EDITORIAL

It would have been difficult to choreograph the timing of the expulsion of dissident Labour MP Gaurav Sharma and the latest protest to descend on Parliament.

For a brief moment yesterday morning, this Labour Government appeared to be under siege from within and without.

As the Freedoms and Rights Coalition noisily bore down Molesworth St, Sharma emerged from a Labour Caucus meeting to announce he had been expelled. Sharma was suspended last week after repeatedly alleging bullying from Labour's whips over staffing management issues.

Sharma was suspended and then expelled for his frequent protestations about how he had been treated but meanwhile refusing to engage with any efforts by the Labour Party to work through the issues.

MP Gaurav Sharma leaving after being expelled from the Labour caucus at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell

While keeping the attending media busy, both episodes might also bewilder this Government.

Protesters once more descended on the Parliamentary precinct, ostensibly to convene a "people's court" to pass a verdict on the Government.

Coalition leader Brian Tamaki spoke at length about the country not being the same as the one he grew up in, although he didn't specify exactly what historical aspects he wanted to revive.

Brian Tamaki pauses to gaze at the heavens during his speech to the Freedoms and Rights Coalition protest outside Parliament. Photo / George Heard

He encouraged those gathered to shout their messages at the Beehive. Unfortunately, the messages were manifold and obliterated each other. Tamaki also criticised parliamentarians for refusing to speak with protesters who occupied Parliament grounds in February.

Six months on from the calamitous protest that ended in an all-out riot, yesterday's march also coincided with the 18th anniversary of Tamaki's Enough is Enough march against the Helen Clark Government's legalisation of prostitution and civil unions.

As occurred in 2004, people shouted "enough is enough" yesterday although it was unclear what they'd had enough of. Aside from the little complied-with advice on masks, the sole residual Covid-19 restrictions relate to health workers needing to be vaccinated.

Tamaki says he is forming a coalition of smaller parties to ensure lockdowns and vaccinations won't happen again. Around this time, the Ministry of Health announced 35 more Covid-related deaths had been recorded.

Tamaki then completed the circle of coincidental timing by inviting Sharma to give him a call.

New Zealand has a long history of protests and there is no refuting the right to do so. Non-violent hīkoi and porotēhi are embedded in our democracy, something many of us take particular pride in. Members of today's Government have walked in protesters' shoes on the same streets as yesterday.

For their repeated protestations, the Freedoms and Rights Coalition again received no acknowledgement at all from the Government.

Sharma has claimed he was called "a useless MP" on numerous occasions and, from where he stands now as an electorate representative - unwanted and unsupported by his party - it's getting harder to disagree. There may be some grounds for his complaints but he has still not produced any evidence.

For his repeated protestations, Sharma was cast out of the Labour Caucus but he may take some solace in that he at least got some response.

As well as the timing, both the stubborn MP and the ructions on the steps bore a sense of pointless vanity.