Young Labour Clarion Tour visit
Rear from L:Ella Hardy, Jordan King, Kurt Sharpe, Soraiya Daud, Nicola Wood, Eric Goddard. In front from L: Rory McCourt, Andreas Triandafilidis, Shona Jowett, Paul Ma’a.Photo: Neil Wilson.
“Young people seem to think that politics is just about people arguing,” says Young Labour activist Andreas Trindafilidis. “It’s much more than that; it’s about the big things that affect everybody and the processes that we’re all involved in.”
Andreas was in Golden Bay last week as part of the nine-member nationwide Clarion Tour undertaken by Young Labour members. The tourists weeded at the Community Gardens, a task organised for them through the office of list MP Damien O’Connor. The previous day they had been track-clearing in Ngaio in Wellington, and after leaving the Bay they were due to help build a barbecue area at House 44, a community house in Nelson.
Another member of the tour, Ella Hardy, vice-president of the Young Labour wing, explained the motivation of the participants.
“There’s a common perception out there that our generation are apathetic and more interested in commodities then communities. We’re trying to challenge that stereotype while helping our local communities at the same time.”
Eric Goddard said that the young people on the tour were also motivated by a commitment to social justice and an interest in volunteering.
“New Zealand has one of the highest rates of volunteering in the OECD. We’re interested in a better, fairer, nicer New Zealand. Voluntary work helps us to reach out to people in communities. The Clarion Tour is lots of fun and it’s great to see some of the large number of groups doing good work in our communities. It’s inspiring to see that there are so many people who care enough about others to do all the community-building things.”
None of the group expressed an interest in becoming an MP. They say they prefer to put their efforts into getting Labour candidates elected by doing grass-roots work like delivering leaflets. “They value our energy and motivation,” said Eric.
Soraiya Daud said the group believed in a fairer, freer, stronger community. “That’s easy to say but, by becoming actively involved, we like to think we are getting beyond the buzzwords. Young people need avenues for communal action and our organisation provides them.”
About half of the group are students or recent graduates, but some took leave from their jobs to participate in the 12-day tour. It received no direct financial support from the Labour Party or any other organisation. The young people held a fund-raising quiz in Wellington to help pay their way.
The tour takes its name from a socialist newspaper in England. In 1894, the Clarion cycling club was formed in England by members of the Independent Labour Party and readers of The Clarion newspaper. This group sought to “combine the pleasures of cycling with the propaganda of Socialism”. Cyclists in the club would dutifully distribute copies of the newspaper and informational leaflets to all corners of the country.
Neither the cycling aspect nor the propaganda were evident during this visit to the Bay.
Community Gardens manager Paul Ma’a was impressed with the Clarion tourists.
“At first I thought they were from the Labour department or something. I think it’s awesome that they’re going out around the country volunteering.”
MP O’Connor said he had been delighted to be around “these impressive, high-minded and idealistic people”.
“Our polling tells us that voters today are mostly motivated by self-interest and issues that directly affect them. It’s refreshing and humbling to be reminded of the energy, passion and altruism that young people bring to politics.”
Neil Wilson
