For the record LBO'ers need to be informed that the New Zealand government is comprised of two parties and requires a third, the greens to get its legislation through the house. Actually it relies on any third party supporting its programme, but in reality the Greens are its natural allies and have signed an agreement to support the government.
The Alliance, the junior partner lies to the left of labour. Its leader Jim Anderton had been a senior figure in the 1984 Labour government, leaving when the Labour party launched its neo-liberal revolution - known locally as "Rogernomics", named after the Minister of finance who was instrumental in driving through a structural adjustment programme. One of his favourite aphorisms was "crash through or crash", which probably gives an indication of the level of sophistication of the man and his policies. Incidentally one of the amusing local anecdotes about Douglas is the fact that he couldn't even run a successful pig farm - eventually driving it into bankruptcy - let alone a modern economy. There's something very animal farm about all of this.
Like most, all? western social democratic parties Labour has over the years been shedding any allegiance to the left. Helen Clarke - PM and Labour leader - has been very open in her committment to a Blairite 3rd way. Not too much market, not too much state; the goldilocks method of the current ruling class. Most of the union movement has also travelled this road to Damascus, using globalisation as evidence of a new reality. The union movemnent probably reached its nadir of senescence under the leadership of Douglas and Foulkes - although they had support from some of the largest unions and a largely undemocratic ruling structure. Does 1999 (the year Labour and the Alliance took office). represent a significant reversal in previous Labour party policy in employment law and industrial relations? The answer has to be yes, but qualified. There is no doubt that the Employment Relations Bill is a significant shift in direction from its predessor the Employment Contracts Act and the unions have been instrumental in moving Labour in this direction. But in no way should this be construed as left-ward bound. Compared with what we have had to endure the last fifteen years some Labour party policy looks positivley socialist, but only very superficially. Much of what has been proposed is no more than routine labour legislation found widely throughout Europe. Infact Labour is committed to all the basic tenents of neo-liberalism: open markets, the knowledge economy, an independent reserve bank, free trade etc.
Having said this there is no doubt we have travelled some distance from the lunacy of past regimes. However in order to make significant gains for the working class it will be necessary that both the Alliance and the Greens "assist" Labour in holding the line.
John