1937: House-Broken Labour
May 11, 2024
By AHNZ
On 12 May, 1937, the Coronation of Geoge VI occurred. Then, as now, New Zealand’s Labour Government Prime Minister attended.
PM Michael J. Savage wore the full court dress, including kneebreeches. According to Labour biographer, Hobbes, this choice marked a turning point for Labour.
The first-term government had still been in ‘soapbox’ mode: unpredictable and earthly and potent. After the coronation they instead become respectable and polite; house-broken.
This led on to using PR firms to run their campaigns, ministerial cars, and even titles. In the early days this would have been unthinkable.
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Ref. The Thirty-Year Wonders, Hobbes (1967)
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Anarchist History of New Zealand: I could buzz around like a Beehive boy, but I'd like to see you do my job!
