Opinion of David Lange, Prime Minister of New Zealand

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lange

Had to deal with the consequences of Robert Muldoon's disastrous misrule. Led one of the most radically neoliberal governments in the country's history (in fact one of the most radical democratic governments of the 20th century in terms of how much policy was changed) because of his very autonomous finance minister, pushed through nuclear-free legislation leading to friction with the U.S.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Labour_Government_of_New_Zealand#Economic

[Filuwaúrdjan]

He was a good man and he meant well. And the mess the country was in was not his fault. Such a shame that he was completely ignorant of economics and so allowed himself to get so thoroughly duped by Douglas.

[Vosem]

Douglas was a massive FF. Lange seems like someone who was basically convinced to go along, and his own policy changes (such as the nuclear-free legislation) were pretty terrible. That said, FF.

[Clark Kent]

Douglas was a massive FF. Lange seems like someone who was basically convinced to go along, and his own policy changes (such as the nuclear-free legislation) were pretty terrible. That said, FF.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

How did someone as right wing as Roger Douglas end up in the Labour Party?

[Intell]

Horrible, as are those who institute reaganomics, and henceforth, destroy the working class, and worsen wealth and income inequality. Liberalisation of government services, were also horrible, which ruined the lives of many people, especially those in unions, and the public services.

[SATW]

Mild FF

[Antonio the Sixth]

He was a good man and he meant well. And the mess the country was in was not his fault. Such a shame that he was completely ignorant of economics and so allowed himself to get so thoroughly duped by Douglas.

Ignorance doesn't excuse everything, though. At some point a genuine left-winger ought to be able to recognize when policies are screwing over the people they're supposed to stand for. HP.

[Phony Moderate]

Evidently they didn't learn any lessons from Hawke/Keating - who were obviously far better at the PR game than Lange/Douglas.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

How did someone as right wing as Roger Douglas end up in the Labour Party?

He was born into it; his father and grandfather had both been Labour MPs and as a young man he moved seamlessly from local activism to local government to becoming an MP himself. He wasn't even noted as being particularly right-wing (or indeed really believing much in anything) until the late 1970s.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Ignorance doesn't excuse everything, though.

Indeed it certainly doesn't. He was a fool and his government was broadly speaking A Bad Thing even if throughout he meant well. But the villains of the piece are Muldoon and Douglas, not Lange.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Ignorance doesn't excuse everything, though.

Indeed it certainly doesn't. He was a fool and his government was broadly speaking A Bad Thing even if throughout he meant well. But the villains of the piece are Muldoon and Douglas, not Lange.

Certainly.

How did someone as right wing as Roger Douglas end up in the Labour Party?

He was born into it;

Somehow I doubt BRTD will like this answer.

[Antonio the Sixth]

He was a good man and he meant well. And the mess the country was in was not his fault. Such a shame that he was completely ignorant of economics and so allowed himself to get so thoroughly duped by Douglas.

Basically this.

Douglas was a massive FF. Lange seems like someone who was basically convinced to go along, and his own policy changes (such as the nuclear-free legislation) were pretty terrible. That said, FF.

And this too.

These two posts say the exact opposite.

[Dr. Cynic]

He was a good man and he meant well. And the mess the country was in was not his fault. Such a shame that he was completely ignorant of economics and so allowed himself to get so thoroughly duped by Douglas.

Ignorance doesn't excuse everything, though. At some point a genuine left-winger ought to be able to recognize when policies are screwing over the people they're supposed to stand for. HP.

He did eventually recognize it, but by the time he was able to take action it was too late. Most of the cabinet were strongly supportive of Douglas' policies because they had worked for awhile, and if you're familiar with the situation in NZ when Muldoon was ousted, you'd see that he had basically had a stranglehold on the economy. Douglas' policy was to free it up (which WAS necessary). Lange and others all believed in that... But Douglas basically used the situation to go far beyond what was necessary. The problem was, Lange was partially occupied with foreign policy and did not realize until 1987 just how dire some of Douglas' policies were. It was then that the two basically engaged in open warfare, but Lange couldn't win because cabinet was made up entirely of people who thought Roger had the answers. When Lange sacked him, they voted to re-admit him. That was it for Lange.

I generally feel he was in the right through the situation and I think he realized it too late.