The New Zealand Social Credit Party (sometimes called "Socred") was a political party that was New Zealand's third party from the 1950s to the 1980s. It won representation in the New Zealand House of Representatives, holding one seat at times between 1966 and 1981, and two seats from 1981 to 1987. While Social Credit once had significant support, particularly as a protest vote, it was disadvantaged by first-past-the-post voting as it had no geographically concentrated vote.[1] Its most identifiable leaders were Vernon Cracknell (1963-70), who served just one term in parliament, and the household name Bruce Beetham, who rebuilt the party into a significant political force. At its zenith under Beetham in 1981, Social Credit achieved 20.7% of the vote.
The party held no seats in its own right after 1987 and subsequently declined. It was named the New Zealand Democratic Party from 1985 to 2018, and was part of the Alliance from 1991 to 2002. The party returned to the Social Credit name in 2018. The Social Credit Party and its logo were deregistered at the party's request on 28 February 2023, following the death of its leader Chris Leitch earlier that year.[2][3]
The party was based on the ideas of social credit, an economic theory established by C. H. Douglas. Social credit movements also existed in Australia (Douglas Credit Party and Australian League of Rights), Canada (Social Credit Party of Canada), and the United Kingdom (UK Social Credit Party) although the relationship between those movements and the New Zealand movement was not always amicable. The party was also intermittently damaged from allegations of antisemitism, stemming from Douglas' own racist views. Beetham formally denounced antisemitism upon his election.
History
The Social Credit Association
The Social Credit Political League was formed in 1953 out of the membership of the Social Credit Association, an educational organisation. The association focused much of its efforts on the Country Party and New Zealand Labour Party, where it attempted to influence economic policy.
The social credit movement decided to set up a "separate political organisation" the Real Democracy Movement in 1942. RDM got about 4,400 votes in the 1943 election.[4]Roly Marks had stood as a monetary reform candidate on behalf of the Real Democracy Movement in the Wanganui electorate in 1943, and was later made a life member of the League.
Maurice Hayes stood for the Waimate electorate on behalf of the Social Credit Association in the 1951 election, receiving 374 votes and coming third.[5]
Social Credit claimed that the first Labour government, which was elected at the 1935 election, pulled New Zealand out of the Great Depression by adopting certain Social Credit policies. Several followers of Social Credit policies eventually left the Labour Party, where their proposals (for example, those of John A. Lee for housing) were strongly opposed by the "orthodox" Minister of Finance, Walter Nash and other prominent Labour Party members.
In 1940 Lee, who had by then been expelled from the Labour Party, and Bill Barnard formed the Democratic Labour Party. The new party got 4.3% of the vote in the 1943 general election, with both Lee and Barnard losing their seats.
Foundation
The Social Credit Party was established as the Social Credit Political League. It was founded on 10 January 1953, and grew out of the earlier Social Credit Association.
The party's first leader was Wilfrid Owen, a businessman. Much of the early activity in the party involved formulating policy and promoting social credit theories to the public.
Early history (1953–1972)
Social Credit gained support quickly, and in the 1954 elections, the party won 11.13% of the vote. The party failed to win seats in parliament under the first past the post electoral system. The party's quick rise did, however, prompt discussion of the party's policies. National saw Social Credit as a threat in the 1957 election and established a caucus committee to challenge their theories. Gustafson comments that the successes in some seats (Hobson, Rangitikei, East Coast Bays and Pakuranga) came from a "peculiar and infrequent combination of factors", with votes in those seats coming from "a handful of committed monetary reformers plus alienated National voters and the tactical voting of Labour supporters in a seat where Labour could not win".[6]
In 1960 P. H. Matthews replaced Owen as leader, before being replaced three years later by Vernon Cracknell, an accountant. It was not until the 1966 election, however, that the party won its first representation in parliament. Cracknell managed to win the Hobson electorate in Northland in 1966, a region that had been a stronghold of the Country Party. Cracknell narrowly defeated the National Party's Logan Sloane, the incumbent, after having placed second in the previous two elections.
Cracknell did not prove to be a good performer in parliament itself, however, and did not succeed in advancing the Social Credit manifesto. Partly due to this, and partly due to an exceptionally poor campaign, Cracknell was not re-elected in the 1969 election, returning Sloane to parliament and depriving Social Credit of its only seat.
The following year, a leadership contest between Cracknell and another prominent Social Credit member, John O'Brien, ended in disaster, with brawling between supporters of each candidate. The damage done to the party's image was considerable. O'Brien was eventually victorious, but his blunt and confrontational style caused him to lose his position after only a short time in office. He split from Social Credit to found his own New Democratic Party.
Popularity zenith (1972–1985)
O'Brien's replacement was Bruce Beetham, who would become the most well known Social Credit leader. Beetham took over in time for the 1972 election. Despite a relatively strong showing, Social Credit failed to win any seats, a fact that some blamed on the rise of the new Values Party. While the Values Party did not win any seats, many supporters of Social Credit believed that it drew voters away from the older party.
In the 1978 by-election in Rangitikei, caused by the death of National Party MP Roy Jack, Beetham managed to defeat National's replacement candidate and win the seat. Beetham was more successful in parliament than Cracknell had been, and gained Social Credit considerable attention. He also put forward a New Zealand Credit and Currency Bill, intended to implement many Social Credit policies. The Bill was criticised by some of the more extreme Social Credit supporters, who claimed that it was too weak, but was nevertheless strongly promoted in parliament by Beetham. The Bill quickly failed, although this was not particularly unexpected – it had been put forward primarily for the purpose of drawing attention, not because Beetham believed it would succeed.
Beetham retained his seat in the 1978 general election. He was later joined by Gary Knapp, who defeated free-market National Party candidate Don Brash in the 1980 by-election in East Coast Bays (caused by the resignation of the sitting National MP). Knapp, like Beetham, was highly active in parliament.
Led by Beetham and Knapp, Social Credit became a popular alternative to the two major parties. Political scientists debate how much of this was due to Social Credit policies and how much was merely a "protest vote" against the established parties, but one poll recorded Social Credit with as much as 30% of the vote.[7]
By the 1981 election, the party's support had subsided somewhat, and Social Credit gained 20.55% of the vote. As expected, the electoral system did not translate this into seats in parliament, but Social Credit did retain the two seats it already held. A year later, it officially dropped "Political League" from its official name, becoming merely the Social Credit Party.
During that parliamentary term, Social Credit's support was damaged by a deal between Beetham and National Party Prime MinisterRobert Muldoon. In exchange for Social Credit support for the Clyde Dam, a controversial construction project and part of Think Big, Muldoon undertook to back certain Social Credit proposals. This did considerable harm to Social Credit's popularity, as Muldoon's government (and the project itself) were opposed by most Social Credit members. To make matters worse, Muldoon did not deliver on many of his pledges, depriving Social Credit of any significant victories with which to mitigate its earlier setback.
In 1983, Beetham suffered a minor heart attack, causing him to lose some of his earlier energy. He also became, according to many Social Credit supporters, more demanding and intolerant. This reduced Social Credit's appeal to voters.
In the 1984 election, Beetham lost his Rangitikei seat to a National Party challenger, Denis Marshall. Knapp retained his East Coast Bays seat, and another Social Credit candidate, Neil Morrison, won Pakuranga. Despite still holding the same number of seats, Social Credit won 7.6% of the total vote in 1984, a substantial drop. Some commentators attributed this to the New Zealand Party, an economically right-wing liberal party that opposed Muldoon's government. The New Zealand Party may have taken some of the protest votes that Social Credit once received. It was from this election that the term "Crimplene Suit and Skoda Brigade" was coined for Social Credit (by defeated National Party Pakuranga MP Pat Hunt).
Democrats (1985–1991)
At the party's 1985 conference, the Social Credit name was dropped, and group became the New Zealand Democratic Party (Beetham had earlier argued for a simpler name in 1982). At the 1987 election, the party held two seats in parliament (one was East Coast Bays, held by Garry Knapp; and the other was Pakuranga, held by Neil Morrison). The Democratic Party lost both those seats, removing them from parliament. In 1988, Knapp and a group of other Democrats were involved in a protest at parliament to highlight the Labour government's abandonment on its election promise to hold a referendum on the first-past-the-post electoral system.
The Social Credit name did not vanish immediately, however. In 1986, the year after the party was renamed, Bruce Beetham was removed from the leadership of the Democrats and replaced by Neil Morrison. The Democrats saw their vote slump in 1987 and both its MPs were defeated. By 1990 the party's vote collapsed altogether by which time they had been eclipsed by other third party choices such as the Greens and NewLabour. It is believed that changing the name of the party was a historic mistake and a major cause in the subsequent decline of support.[8]
Beetham was extremely bitter about the Democrats' change of direction, and led a short-lived splinter group called Social Credit-NZ, using the Social Credit label. It failed to win any seats in 1990 and quickly vanished.
The Democrats, finding themselves increasingly pressured by the growth of NewLabour (founded by rebel Labour Party MP Jim Anderton) and the Greens, decided to increase cooperation with compatible parties. This resulted in the Democrats joining NewLabour, the Greens and Māori-based party Mana Motuhake in forming the Alliance, a broad left-wing coalition group.[8][9]
In the 1996 election, which was conducted under the new mixed-member proportional representation electoral system, the Alliance won thirteen seats. Among the MPs elected were John Wright and Grant Gillon, both members of the Democratic Party. However, there was considerable dissatisfaction in the Democratic Party over the Alliance's course. Many Democrats believed that their views were not being incorporated into Alliance party policy, particularly as regards the core economic doctrine of social credit. The Alliance tended towards orthodox taxation based left-wing economics and was not prepared to implement the Democratic Party's somewhat unusual economic theories.
By the 1999 election, the Democrats were one of two remaining component parties in the Alliance as the Greens had left the grouping and the Liberals and NewLabour components dissolved, their members becoming members of the Alliance as a whole rather than of any specific constituent party.
Progressive Coalition and independent again (2002–present)
In 2002, when tensions between the "moderate left" and the "hard left" caused a split in the Alliance, the Democrats followed Jim Anderton's moderate faction and became a part of the Progressive Coalition. In the 2002 election, Grant Gillon and John Wright were placed third and fourth on the party's list. However, the Progressives won only enough votes for two seats, thus leaving the two Democrats outside parliament.[8]
Shortly after the election, the Democrats split from the Progressives, re-establishing themselves as an independent party. However, Gillon and Wright, both of whom opposed the split, chose not to follow the Democrats, instead remaining with the Progressives. The Progressive Coalition became the Progressive Party after the Democrats left. The Democrats chose Stephnie de Ruyter, who had been fifth on the Progressive list, as their new leader.[8]
In 2005, the party re-added "for Social Credit" to its name to supplement its party name. The Democrats contested that year's general election as an independent party and received 0.05% of the party vote. In the 2008 general election, the party again won 0.05% of the party vote.[10]
The party did not apply for broadcasting funding for the 2011 election. During the election, it won 1,432 votes[11] and was the only party to not attract a party vote in an electorate (Mangere).[12] The party fielded thirty electorate candidates and four list only candidates in the 2014 general election but continued to fail to gain any seats in the 51st New Zealand Parliament.[13]
During the 2017 general election, the Democrats for Social Credit ran 26 candidates, namely 13 electorate candidates and 13 list only candidates.[14] The party gained 806 votes on the party vote (0.0%) and failed to win any seats in Parliament.[15]
In June 2018, the party voted to change its name back to Social Credit after Chris Leitch was elected leader.[16]
The party's registration was cancelled at its own request on 28 February 2023.[19] Leitch died in January 2023 which left "a really big hole" in the party organisation according to party president Gloria Bruni. The party requested deregistration due to membership having dipped below 500 but will still remain active despite being deregistered and being unable to submit a party list at the 2023 general election. Bruni stated that the party intends to rebrand to avoid comparison with the controversial social credit system used by the Chinese Communist Party.[20][needs update]
Accusations of antisemitism (1934–1984)
During the 20th century, the social credit movement in New Zealand was accused of indulging in antisemitic conspiracy theories. C. H. Douglas, the founder of the social credit movement, toured New Zealand in 1934 and expounded his view that Jews were involved in a global conspiracy to control finance. His ideas were discussed in the New Zealand Social Credit publication Plain Talk.[21] Social Credit, along with the Department of Internal Affairs, published From Europe to New Zealand: An Account of Our Continental European Settlers by Eric Butler and R.A Lochore, which repeated Jewish financial conspiracy claims.[22] In the 1980 East Coast Bays by-election, the Labour Party attempted to discredit Social Credit with a pamphlet that set out Major Douglas’s antisemitic views.[7][23][24]
The encyclopedia Te Ara states that the antisemitism of Social Credit ended in the 1970s with the election of leader Bruce Beetham who was more liberal.[21] In the late 1970s the party became concerned about infiltration by the anti-semitic League of Rights and ejected members with racist views.[25][26] Professor Paul Spooney stated that antisemitic sentiment was "largely irrelevant" by the 1970s, but remained present until 1984 when Beetham ejected party members who believed in an international financial Jewish conspiracy.[22]
^Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. p. 370. ISBN0-475-11200-8.
^*Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years: A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. p. 67. ISBN0-474-00177-6.
American entrepreneur For other people named Charles Robinson, see Charles Robinson (disambiguation). This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (May 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this artic...
United States Army general in American Civil War. General Thomas Algeo RowleyThomas Algeo Rowley in his Civil War uniform - head shot - circa 1865Born(1808-10-05)October 5, 1808Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaDiedMay 14, 1892(1892-05-14) (aged 83)Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPlace of burialAllegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaAllegianceUnited States of AmericaUnionService/branchUnited States ArmyUnion ArmyYears of service1847–1848, 1861–1864Rank Brigadier generalBattles/warsMexican–...
Contoh sebuah padmasana. Padmasana atau (Sanskerta: padmāsana) adalah sebuah tempat untuk bersembahyang dan menaruh sajian bagi umat Hindu, terutama umat Hindu di Indonesia. Etimologi Padmasana Pura Agung Jagatnatha Denpasar Kata padmasana berasal dari bahasa Sanskerta, menurut Kamus Jawa Kuno-Indonesia yang disusun oleh Prof. Dr. P.J. Zoetmulder (Penerbit Gramedia, 1995) terdiri dari dua kata yaitu: padma artinya bunga teratai dan asana artinya sikap duduk. Hal ini juga merupakan sebuah pos...
Voce principale: Fußball-Club Bayern München. Fußball-Club Bayern MünchenStagione 1969-1970Sport calcio Squadra Bayern Monaco Allenatore Branko Zebec (1ª-18ª, 20ª-23ª, 25ª-26ª) Udo Lattek (19ª, 24ª, 27ª-34ª) Presidente Wilhelm Neudecker Bundesliga2º posto Coppa di GermaniaQuarti di finale Coppa dei CampioniPrimo turno Maggiori presenzeCampionato: Ohlhauser, Maier, Beckenbauer, Brenninger (34)Totale: Maier, Beckenbauer, Brenninger (39) Miglior marcatoreCampionato: Müller ...
Above a weight considered healthy This article is about the medical term. For the stock market term, see Overweight (stock market).For being very overweight, see Obesity. Medical conditionOverweightThe overweight range according to the body mass index (BMI) is the area on the chart where BMI > 25.SpecialtyEndocrinology Part of a series onHuman body weight General concepts Obesity (Epidemiology) Overweight Underweight Body shape Weight gain Weight loss Gestational weight gain Diet (nutritio...
Landform in Arizona This article is about the mountain range in Arizona. For the mountain range in California, see Mule Mountains (California). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Mule Mountains – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this messa...
Cooking vessel originating in China This article is about the cooking implement. For the recreational drug, see Lean. For the internet meme popularized by Lil Yachty, see Poland (song). A wok being used for stir frying WokWok in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese charactersTraditional Chinese鑊Simplified Chinese镬TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinhuòWade–Gileshuo4IPA[xwô]Yue: CantoneseYale RomanizationwohkJyutpingwok6IPA[wɔːk̚˨]Alternative Chinese n...
Artikel ini tidak memiliki referensi atau sumber tepercaya sehingga isinya tidak bisa dipastikan. Tolong bantu perbaiki artikel ini dengan menambahkan referensi yang layak. Tulisan tanpa sumber dapat dipertanyakan dan dihapus sewaktu-waktu.Cari sumber: Limbad – berita · surat kabar · buku · cendekiawan · JSTOR LimbadLahirSalim Babad6 Juli 1972 (umur 51)Dukuhsalam, Jawa Tengah, IndonesiaNama lainLimbadPendidikanUniversitas PancasaktiPekerjaanP...
Сельское поселение России (МО 2-го уровня)Новотитаровское сельское поселение Флаг[d] Герб 45°14′09″ с. ш. 38°58′16″ в. д.HGЯO Страна Россия Субъект РФ Краснодарский край Район Динской Включает 4 населённых пункта Адм. центр Новотитаровская Глава сельского пос�...
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Box truss – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) A box truss structure in a bridge of the Southern Pacific Railroad in California A box truss is a structure composed of three or more chords conn...
This article is about the 1919 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1919 in baseball. Sports season1919 MLB seasonLeagueAmerican League, National LeagueSportBaseballDurationApril 23 – October 9, 1919 (AL)April 19 – October 9, 1919 (NL)Number of games140Number of teams8 (AL), 8 (NL)Pennant WinnersAL championsChicago White Sox AL runners-upCleveland IndiansNL championsCincinnati Reds NL runners-upNew York GiantsWorld SeriesChampio...
List of seaweeds recorded from the oceans bordering South Africa Map of the Southern African coastline showing some of the landmarks referred to in species range statements Ecoregions of the South African exclusive economic zone This is a list of green seaweeds recorded from the oceans bordering South Africa. This list comprises locally used common names, scientific names with author citation and recorded ranges. Ranges specified may not be the entire known range for the species, but should i...
United States historic placeInyan Kara MountainU.S. National Register of Historic PlacesU.S. Historic district Show map of WyomingShow map of the United StatesNearest citySundance, WyomingCoordinates44°12′45″N 104°20′40″W / 44.21250°N 104.34444°W / 44.21250; -104.34444Area480 acres (190 ha)NRHP reference No.73001929[1]Added to NRHPApril 24, 1973 Inyan Kara MountainHighest pointElevation6,368 feet (1,941 m)GeographyLocationW...
صبحي القاسم وزير الزراعة الأردني في المنصب19 يونيو 1991 – 21 نوفمبر 1991 العاهل الحسين بن طلال رئيس الوزراء طاهر المصري معلومات شخصية اسم الولادة صبحي عبد الفتاح أحمد القاسم الميلاد سنة 1934 بلعا الوفاة 25 مايو 2020 (85–86 سنة) عَمَّان مواطنة دولة فلسطين الأردن ع...
Mexican-American actor (1920–1974) For the Colombian composer, see Rodolfo Acosta (composer). Rodolfo AcostaAcosta in One-Eyed Jacks (1961)BornRodolfo Acosta(1920-07-29)July 29, 1920El Paso, Texas, U.S.DiedNovember 7, 1974(1974-11-07) (aged 54)Woodland Hills, California, U.S.Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood HillsOccupationActorYears active1946–1973Spouses Jeanine Cohen (m. 1945; div. 1957) Vera Martínez ...
Emblema del Movimiento Masortí en Israel. El judaísmo Masortí o conservador surge en Alemania a mediados del siglo XIX como una reacción al judaísmo reformista, posicionándose como una síntesis entre este último y el judaísmo ortodoxo. Junto a estos dos, el judaísmo conservador es una de las tres grandes corrientes religiosas del judaísmo. El judaísmo conservador se institucionalizó en los EE. UU. alrededor del 1900. El conservadurismo postula la devoción a la tradición y ...
Giovanni Battista BorghiBiographieNaissance 25 août 1738CamerinoDécès 25 février 1796 (à 57 ans)LoretteActivités Compositeur, chef de chœurAutres informationsGenres artistiques Opéra, musique classique, musique liturgique (en)modifier - modifier le code - modifier Wikidata Giovanni Battista Borghi (Camerino 25 août 1738 - Loreto, le 25 février 1796) est un compositeur italien. Biographie Il a reçu sa formation musicale de 1757 à 1759 au Conservatoire de la Pietà dei Turchini...