Victor Billot is a former co-leader and electoral candidate for New Zealand's Alliance party. He is also known as a writer, musician, unionist, past editor of Critic Te Ārohi magazine, and a performer in the bands Alpha Plan,[1] Age of Dog[2] and Das Phaedrus.[3]
NewLabour and the Alliance Party
editBillot was a founding member of the NewLabour Party, which was set up in 1989 by Jim Anderton.[4] In 1991, NewLabour was one of four parties to form the Alliance political party.
He was a candidate for the Alliance in 2005 (at number eight on their list), 2008 (three), and 2011 (six), contesting the Dunedin North electorate.[5][6][7] In 2008, he was berated by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, for all the faults of the National Party when she mistook him for a supporter of that party.[8]
At the party's 2006 conference, held in Wellington, no co-leaders were elected. Instead the party decided to concentrate on internal reorganisation; Billot was elected president. At the 2007 national conference, held in Dunedin, two co-leaders were elected, Billot and Kay Murray, with Paul Piesse returning to his former role as Party President. Billot was co-leader for one year.[9]
Billot persuaded his Wellington friend and businessman Jack Yan to stand for the Alliance in 2008;[10] Yan was number 12 on the list, but did not contest an electorate.[6]
Clare Curran, the New Zealand Labour Party MP for Dunedin South from 2008 to 2020, has repeatedly encouraged Billot to join her party.[11]
He stepped down from his role as Spokesman and occasional co-leader of the Alliance Party in March 2014.[12]
Billot still engages in left wing activism in Dunedin, campaigning against cuts to postal services in 2015.[13]
Professional life
editBillot was the National Communications Officer for the Maritime Union of New Zealand between 2003 and 2016.[14] In January 2017 he began working as publicist for the Otago University Press.[15] He writes a weekly column for Newsroom.[16]
Publications
editBillot has published three poetry collections:
His work has also appeared in Australian and New Zealand literary journals including Cordite,[20] Meniscus,[21] Minarets[22] and Takahē.[23]
Recordings
editBillot has recorded several albums since the early 1990s with music groups in addition to a solo album, including:
- 1996: City of Bastards[24] by Alpha Plan
- 2002: Plutocracy by Victor Billot
- 2016: Machine Language by Alpha Plan
References
edit- ^ "Alpha Plan's first Dunedin show in 20 years". Otago Daily Times Online News. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Age Of Dog – AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Andrew Spittle – AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ Billot, Victor (10 February 2011). "New Zealand is ripe for an alternative: a new Left party". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ^ "Party Lists of Unsuccessful Registered Parties". Elections New Zealand. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Party Lists of Unsuccessful Registered Parties". Elections New Zealand. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ "Party lists for the 2011 General Election". Elections New Zealand. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ Mackenzie, Dene (14 October 2008). "Students give PM rock star welcome". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ New Zealand Press Association (17 March 2008). "Cheap Chinese labour paid the going rate – PM". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
- ^ Hewitson, Michele (31 August 2013). "Michele Hewitson Interview: Jack Yan". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ^ Rudd, Allison (8 November 2011). "Candidates find common ground at election forum". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ^ "Victor Billot | LinkedIn". Nz.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "Question mark over posties | Otago Daily Times Online News : Otago, South Island, New Zealand & International News". Odt.co.nz. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "Alliance electorate candidates for 2011 announced" (Press release). New Zealand Alliance Party. Scoop. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ^ "A man of a few words". Otago Daily Times. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Victor Billot". Newsroom. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ Department, Malcolm Deans, Senior Library Assistant, Heritage. "What's New McNab". Dunedin Public Libraries. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Poetry roundup". Otago Daily Times Online News. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "The Quantum Uncertainty of Now". Landfall Review Online. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Life in the Permian". Cordite Poetry Review. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Meniscus". Meniscus. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Victor Billot – min – a – rets". minarets.info. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Victor Billot". takahē magazine. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Robots & Electronic Brains – eclectic music zine". www.robotsandelectronicbrains.co.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
External links
edit
- Billot's official site
- Indonesian crew members suffered 'months of abuse' interview given to TVNZ News at 8 in 2011 (5:39)