Victor Billot

Billot was a founding member of the NewLabour Party, which was set up in 1989 by Jim Anderton.{{cite news |last1=Billot |first1=Victor |title=New Zealand is ripe for an alternative: a new Left party |url= http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/opinion/147152/new-zealand-ripe-alternative-new-left-party?page=0%2C1 |access-date=4 September 2014 |work=Otago Daily Times |date=10 February 2011}} In 1991, NewLabour was one of four parties to form the Alliance political party.

He was a candidate for the Alliance in {{NZ election link year|2005}} (at number eight on their list), {{NZ election link year|2008}} (three), and {{NZ election link year|2011}} (six), contesting the {{NZ electorate link|Dunedin North}} electorate.{{cite web |url= http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2005/e9/html/e9_part3_2.html |title=Party Lists of Unsuccessful Registered Parties |publisher=Elections New Zealand |access-date=21 September 2011}}{{cite web |url= http://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2011/e9/html/e9_part3_1.html |title=Party lists for the 2011 General Election |publisher=Elections New Zealand |access-date=24 September 2014}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Mackenzie |first1=Dene |title=Students give PM rock star welcome |url= http://www.odt.co.nz/election-2008/the-south/27165/students-give-pm-rock-star-welcome |access-date=5 September 2014 |work=Otago Daily Times |date=14 October 2008}}

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.{{cite web |author=New Zealand Press Association |author-link=New Zealand Press Association |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10498715 |title=Cheap Chinese labour paid the going rate – PM |date=17 March 2008 |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=28 February 2009}}

Billot persuaded his Wellington friend and businessman Jack Yan to stand for the Alliance in 2008;{{cite news |last1=Hewitson |first1=Michele |title=Michele Hewitson Interview: Jack Yan |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11117125 |access-date=23 September 2014 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=31 August 2013}} Yan was number 12 on the list, but did not contest an electorate.{{cite web |url= http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2008/e9/html/e9_part3_2.html |title=Party Lists of Unsuccessful Registered Parties |publisher=Elections New Zealand |access-date=21 September 2011}}

Clare Curran, the New Zealand Labour Party MP for {{NZ electorate link|Dunedin South}} from 2008 to 2020, has repeatedly encouraged Billot to join her party.{{cite news |last1=Rudd |first1=Allison |title=Candidates find common ground at election forum |url= http://www.odt.co.nz/election-2011/latest-news/185625/candidates-find-common-ground-election-forum |access-date=4 September 2014 |work=Otago Daily Times |date=8 November 2011}}

He stepped down from his role as Spokesman and occasional co-leader of the Alliance Party in March 2014.{{cite web|url=https://nz.linkedin.com/in/billot |title=Victor Billot | LinkedIn |publisher=Nz.linkedin.com |access-date=2 July 2015}}

Billot still engages in left wing activism in Dunedin, campaigning against cuts to postal services in 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/333099/question-mark-over-posties|title=Question mark over posties | Otago Daily Times Online News : Otago, South Island, New Zealand & International News|date=14 February 2015|publisher=Odt.co.nz|access-date=2 July 2015}}

Billot was the National Communications Officer for the Maritime Union of New Zealand between 2003 and 2016.{{cite press release |date=25 October 2011 |title=Alliance electorate candidates for 2011 announced |url= http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1110/S00425/alliance-electorate-candidates-for-2011-announced.htm |publisher=New Zealand Alliance Party |agency=Scoop |access-date=29 November 2013}} In January 2017 he began working as publicist for the Otago University Press.{{Cite news|url= https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/man-few-words |title=A man of a few words |date=23 January 2017|work=Otago Daily Times |access-date=26 April 2017|language=en}} He writes a weekly column for Newsroom.{{cite web |title=Victor Billot |url= https://www.newsroom.co.nz/profile/Victror/posts |publisher=Newsroom |access-date=27 March 2022}}

Billot has published three poetry collections:

• 2014: Mad Skillz For The Demon Operators{{Cite news|url=https://hail.to/dunedin-public-libraries/article/z2X5jAh|title=What's New McNab|last=Department|first=Malcolm Deans, Senior Library Assistant, Heritage|work=Dunedin Public Libraries|access-date=17 August 2018|language=en}}
• 2015: Machine Language{{Cite news|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/books/poetry-roundup-1|title=Poetry roundup|date=7 March 2016|work=Otago Daily Times |access-date=17 August 2018|language=en}}
• 2017: Ambient Terror{{Cite news|url=https://www.landfallreview.com/the-quantum-uncertainty-of-now/|title=The Quantum Uncertainty of Now|date=31 October 2017|work=Landfall Review Online|access-date=17 August 2018|language=en-NZ}}

His work has also appeared in Australian and New Zealand literary journals including Cordite,{{Cite news|url=http://cordite.org.au/poetry/notheme7/life-in-the-permian/|title=Life in the Permian|date=30 April 2018|work=Cordite Poetry Review|access-date=17 August 2018|language=en-US}} Meniscus,{{Cite web|url=http://www.meniscus.org.au/current-issue|title=Meniscus|website=Meniscus|access-date=17 August 2018}} Minarets{{Cite web|url=http://minarets.info/victor-billot/|title=Victor Billot – min – a – rets|website=minarets.info|language=en-US|access-date=17 August 2018}} and Takahē.{{Cite news|url=http://www.takahe.org.nz/victor-billot/|title=Victor Billot|date=2 May 2018|work=takahē magazine|access-date=17 August 2018|language=en-NZ}}

Billot has recorded several albums since the early 1990s with music groups in addition to a solo album, including:

• 1996: City of Bastards{{Cite web|url=http://www.robotsandelectronicbrains.co.uk/reviews/archive/oct99.html|title=Robots & Electronic Brains – eclectic music zine|website=www.robotsandelectronicbrains.co.uk|access-date=17 August 2018}} by Alpha Plan
• 2002: Plutocracy by Victor Billot
• 2016: Machine Language by Alpha Plan

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Victor Billot}}

• [http://www.victorbillot.com/ Billot's official site]
• [http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/indonesian-crew-members-suffered-months-abuse-4306294/video Indonesian crew members suffered 'months of abuse'] interview given to TVNZ News at 8 in 2011 (5:39)

{{NZ Alliance Party}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Billot, Victor}}

Category:21st-century New Zealand poets

Category:New Zealand musicians

Category:Alliance (New Zealand political party) politicians

Category:NewLabour Party (New Zealand) politicians

Category:Living people

Category:University of Otago alumni

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 2005 New Zealand general election

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 2008 New Zealand general election

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 2011 New Zealand general election

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:21st-century New Zealand male writers

Category:21st-century New Zealand journalists