Hone walks the talk

While the leaders of the opposition party's were talking a good talk at the joint press conference last week into the jobs crisis in manufacturing, Hone was walking that talk by being arrested at the frontline of the housing crisis. The moment Hone was released he was flying to see poverty protester Sam Kahu end his hunger strike after Paula Bennett agreed to meet Sam and hear his concerns over her draconian food welfare policy.

Hone went a step further to being anointed as 'People's Hero' yesterday by refusing to accept the Courts power to charge him for defending the homeless and pleaded not guilty.

The NZ voting public have never seen such staunchness. Most view MP's in the same necessary evil way they view sex offenders being released into society after serving their full term. Getting arrested for protesting with the people however would be found in almost any CV description the public would write for an MP and the level of support for Hone has far out weighed the criticism.

Why are those in Glen Innes being forced to endure this social cleansing so angry? John Minto points out the reasons...

Back in 2008, the then head of the redevelopment project Pat Snedden told the community: "There will be no requirement at all for any existing tenant in any state house to move out of the area as a result of anything that occurs here. There will be no reduction in state houses as a result of anything that occurs here."

However in the first stage of redevelopment under way now, state housing is being halved (from 156 to 78 homes) and families on low incomes are being forced to abandon homes they have lived in for decades.

It's small wonder the community feels betrayed and abused because, behind the public relations spin, the "transformation" is in reality social and ethnic cleansing on a grand scale.

Poor brown families are being forced out of their homes on the slopes of northern Glen Innes to make way for high-income housing. For the Government it's a case of "maximising the return from their property portfolio" which translates to "families on low incomes don't deserve homes with a sea view".

The last time property developers eyed such rich pickings from the seizure of land from low-income families was at Bastion Point. A similar struggle is emerging in Glen Innes.

How this authenticity of standing shoulder to shoulder with those who are suffering impacts on MANA's electoral chances is unknown territory, especially with the question mark over the tail coating element of MMP still undecided, but the deepening economic conditions only generate more voters likely to listen to the politics of building a social floor.

Being arrested in a protest action against state tenants and his decision to defend himself in Court isn't hurting Hone.

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