With the Labour leadership race all but over and the votes now coming in, let’s have a look at how the contenders fared against their objectives:
Robertson had to show some flare, show he’s more than an affable apparatchik, that he’s capable of wowing crowds and raising his profile: Not achieved
What happened to Robertson? You just didn’t see him. He couldn’t outshine either Cunliffe or Jones. Sure, he came out with decent policies – the same ones as Cunliffe – but, otherwise he faded into the background. That didn’t work for Shearer.
Jones had to show he had some real depth under the bravado and not start saying weird things under pressure: Not achieved
Yeah, he’s got the one-liners but what’s behind them? He talks about getting the 800,000 non-votes back to vote Labour… but has no actual plan to this other than being ‘un-PC’ (which, if you ask me is the new PC). And he says mad stuff.
Cunliffe had to show he that he can meter his charismatic side to avoid gaffes and that he was genuinely something different from the B Team that’s led Labour since Clark: Achieved.
The media tried to make hay out of a couple of small comments but, nah, it was a gaffe-free campaign. The way he stood by the standard of conduct he had set is in contrast to the vacillating of Goff, the weakness of Shearer, and Key’s blind eye. And he offers a real, genuine, credible economic vision that unashamedly contrasts with National.
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