Hobgoblin #8 November 2014 www.hobgoblin.org.nz

Nothing is impossible: Why we need a major Left Wing Think Tank in New Zealand What do we want?” “A left wing think tank!” “When do we want it?” “Now!”

by Jen Olsen and Kay Murray Reading Sue Bradford’s thesis the day after the 2014 election results, I was struck by the aptness of the participants’ observations to the situation that day. Their understanding, in the light of that result, clearly demonstrates how badly we need the left wing think tank she discusses. I think Sue’s work in A major left wing think tank in Aotearoa – an impossible dream or a call to action? will be invaluable to the left for years to come. By interviewing over fifty people who are active on the political left, and analysing their responses, Sue gives us a broad insight into the current state of left wing politics and describes the range of views and activities that are represented. She investigates a number of organisations to see if they meet the description of a think tank, ‘a community based not-for-profit organisation which undertakes detailed research and policy development in order to influence and enhance public policy formation across a broad range of issues, through publication, media work, lobbying, conferences, workshops and other forms of advocacy and education”. Although some of these elements are fulfilled by existing organisations, none fulfils them all, and there emerges a clearly identified need for a forum in which the left can develop a shared vision of the future and work out the strategies required to take it to the people of New Zealand. Sue’s definition of left as ‘A commitment to working for a world based on values of fairness, inclusion, participatory democracy, solidarity and equality, and to transforming Aotearoa into a society grounded in economic, social, environmental and Tiriti justice’ is inclusive of the variety of left wing views. I have been a ‘leftie’ for over thirty years and in this piece I take the liberty of saying ‘we’ when referring to the broad left movement, which I hope will be accepted in the spirit in which it is intended. I personally hope that Sue’s work will be a catalyst for the left to come together in a constructive way and formulate some new ways forward. I think we need to re-think some of our attitudes if are to achieve our goals of facilitating change in society. The broad left movement currently contains some apparently opposing positions which can affect our people’s ability to work together constructively, for example, the difference in opinion between people working on parliamentary reform and those who believe in the necessity of radical change. There are the differences in approach between academics and activists, and there are people whose work concentrates on issues they believe particularly important, such as the environment, gender issues or minority rights. However, Sue found that overall, her participants were eager for opportunities to increase the debate across historical divides and to work together to create a vision that can inspire the left and develop a counter hegemony to the dominant hegemony of the right. We all recognise that New Zealand, like most of the other countries in the developed world, has been moving politically to the right for around the last thirty years, and the dominant ideology is now framing the questions and setting the parameters within which debate takes place. The right have put a lot of work into bringing about this shift and we need to counter it with our own work.

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A left wing think tank could provide the research and rationale to support alternative policy and ideology and present it in a way that is relevant. Our spokespeople and politicians need the knowledge to defend their positions with confidence. Sue’s participants had many other ideas for the work of a left wing think tank including education, skills training, advocacy, communication and provision of a space for culture, contribution from te ao Maori and the voices of those not usually heard. There is also a growing sense that the left needs to explore community initiatives such as worker cooperatives, local currencies and barter systems as well as ideas of resilience and sustainability. Other elements that surfaced were the desire for a place to belong, an ideological home, a utopia, and the need for courage, risk taking and the will to power. The importance of the role of theory to guide action was expressed as was the need to create space for the left to be thoughtful. I work in social services and not only do I see the consequences of neo liberal policies on people's lives every day but the competencies for my job include competence to promote the principles of human rights, social change, empowerment and liberation of people and I can't do my job properly without the right tools. Right wing ideology doesn't support those principles and I need the left to provide the vision to empower the people that I work alongside. I see the left as a support service working for the whole of society by promoting the values and principles of our world view and finding ways to make them a reality. Our society needs good support to adapt to the changes being brought about by technology, globalisation and climate change; to examine the alternatives and to work on achievable goals for an inclusive future. At the moment, society is not well supported and a few elite individuals are taking advantage of this situation to enrich themselves in the short term, leaving the majority with no options for the future. Our challenge is to redevelop the concepts of society and community, which have become obscured in the cult of the individual. If we can work together in a spirit of collegiality and promote co-operative and social values, we can empower people with a vision of a more participatory and democratic society. Sue’s participants identified factionalism within the left, anti-intellectualism and, overwhelmingly, lack of funding as barriers to the creation of a left wing think tank. During the years of right wing dominance, I think we have become very defensive, and the strength that has helped us maintain our position becomes a weakness when it prevents us from constructive compromise with each other. The right have differences of opinion but they work together towards their common goals and we need to do the same. To support our society, we need to support each other first of all. If our common goal is to facilitate the change to a fairer and more just society, then we must concentrate on our shared values, nurture the will to change and celebrate our diversity of opinion. The three main reasons participants thought that there was not already a left wing think tank in place concerned the neo-liberal shift, the disunity of the left and the small size of the New Zealand political community. I believe that the first two of these are interlinked and we urgently need to address our unity if we are to arrest the continuing neo liberal movement. Looking at past and present think tank-like organisations allowed Sue to identify some key issues for the future establishment of a left think tank, including the importance of skilled and committed workers, clarity of purpose and the need to maintain consistent quality of output. Every participant Sue interviewed supported the idea of developing of a left wing think tank in some form or another, and although many did not like the term 'think tank', there was no clear alternative suggested in English. A name in te reo may be a good option. It was interesting that a charismatic leader was identified as necessary for the success of any venture and although this is understandable, I felt that it could be a subject for future debate. That leaves the question of funding. Realistically, several hundred thousand dollars per year would be needed for even a small staff of researchers and administration, with running costs for premises, or travel and meetings if a virtual space was utilised. It would be desirable to separate the funding arm of the organisation from the research arm so that researchers are able to work unencumbered by the knowledge 2

of who is paying their wages The charitable trust model would allow this if trustees were charged with raising funds and the researchers were employed by the trust. However a more cooperative model could also work. Various organisations, such as social service agencies, political parties, unions and NGO's, and also individuals, could join a left wing cooperative and put up funding at prearranged levels. Open donations would be avoided to avoid undue pressure from any single donor. If there were enough organisations represented and a transparent system of governance, impartiality should not be compromised and all the organisations would benefit from the research. A first step could be to set up a steering committee to investigate various governance and funding models and draw up a realistic budget for the cost of a think tank. Then interested parties would be approached and proposals considered. It is worth noting that Greenpeace held a large concert to fund its first venture. Perhaps the combined left could start the ball rolling with a large event. Sue has set the parameters with her definitions and her research clearly shows that there is agreement from individuals across the left that a left wing think tank is both wanted and needed. It just remains for the people on the left to come together in a spirit of co-operation and make it work. I have always liked the phrase 'fellow travellers' for the people on the left, not that I want to accuse anyone of being a communist (!), but there’s that great sense of comradeship I feel when I am sharing a journey and traveling alongside companions towards a common destination. Let's start that journey together to a better society as soon as possible. Contributions to the discussion

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