The office of SoSaturnistic has produced the following statement in light of recent developments in New Zealand politics:

Recently there have been reports that the Democratic Socialists, or Mana Hapori, aim to press a number of radical and extreme policies in negotiations. A number of people have approached us, seeing Labour as a party of moderation and sensibility and the only force willing to face up to the most reactionary National Party in a generation and new populist insurgents on the left. With the new pronouncements from a party many see us likely to partner with, it’s vital to set things straight. Let me be clear: Labour will always be a party of pragmatism which will prioritise the real needs of people over vanity projects and unnecessary quibbling.

Therefore Labour is making its standpoint clear on two matters of national and constitutional interest.

First, we utterly reject any and all proposals to abolish the GCSB from the radical fringes. Our party will ensure that our national security is not compromised. With a new round of state backed cyber-attacks aiming to comprise infrastructure of national importance, such as telecommunications networks and the banking system, it’s vital that we uphold and in fact put greater investment into our cyber-security infrastructure, including through the GCSB’s CORTEX system. Labour made a clear manifesto commitment to see this prioritised and we have no intention to see that undermined. Certainly we won’t take radical and unnecessary steps to leave us absolutely defenceless in a completely hostile world. Labour will keep New Zealanders safe and secure.

The second matter is that we’re seeing this fringe group demand new divisive referendums on the status of our nation’s flag and even name. Labour believes that another pointless and expensive set of constitutional referendums is neither needed nor wanted at this time. There was quite a degree of cross-party consensus on this issue when it was suggested that we have a new flag referendum. While I personally believe there is a real merit to revisiting our national symbols in some time, the fact of the matter is that the people of this country had its say. Give it a rest, and respect the vote. It’s utterly pointless to bring it up after having just had a referendum on the flag in not only living memory, but the past few years even. Should we undergo a substantial constitutional change, such as a shift to a republic, at some point in time then perhaps it would be worth revisiting. But now it’s a dead issue. We in Labour aren’t interested in relitigating these niche issues that are totally removed from the concerns people have about things like the quality of health services, their take home pay, and the ability to pay the bills. Labour stands ready to address these real issues in Government rather than waste time on political indulgences.

That's not to say that we are a party of the status quo. Labour will advance intelligent and progressive reforms to the country's constitution. It is a simple matter of fact given our record, be it ensuring the integrity of the civil service or by moving forward on local government reform. We have made our society more democratic, effective, and accountable without having to focus on things like symbols or compromising safety and wellbeing.

Labour stands ready to work cross-party to form a stable Government for this country, but our values and priorities will not be compromised. Standing up for security and the will of the people is important in adhering to our vision of a democratic, safe, and equal society.