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Shearer’s Address in Reply

Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, December 18th, 2011 - 97 comments

David Shearer’s brand is of a new kind of politician. Not burdened by the old rivalries, he is touted as the man that can move New Zealand forwards – a consensus-builder rather than a scarred old warrior. The weekend media coverage has been excellent. His Address in Reply this week will consolidate his brand. Here is what I would say if I were him.

Easy come, easy go

Written By: - Date published: 6:51 am, December 17th, 2011 - 143 comments

The judicial recount has given Waitakere back to Bennett. By 9 votes. Could swing back on a high court petition. Who knows who really has more support out west. Sepuloni and Bennett are essentially as popular as each other. Just shows the stupidity of winner take all electoral systems.

Petty politics as usual on poverty

Written By: - Date published: 2:33 pm, December 15th, 2011 - 37 comments

Key is playing petty politics as usual on poverty. He should have accepted Shearer’s call for a cross party process and his offer of help on the new “ministerial poverty committee”.

David Shearer – The Backstory

Written By: - Date published: 7:19 pm, December 14th, 2011 - 44 comments

One of David Shearer’s campaign volunteers organised this video as a surprise for David on the night of the Mt Albert By-Election in 2009. We played it to David and the Labour Party activists during the election night celebrations and I’ve had it sitting on my computer ever since. After re-watching it with my partner […]

Auckland’s election result was not so bad

Written By: - Date published: 2:55 pm, December 14th, 2011 - 50 comments

micky savage writes about Labour’s results in Auckland. There were some stunning results, particularly in South Auckland where Labour’s share of the vote increased by 10.2% in Mangere, 7.3% in Manukau East and 5.2% in Manurewa.  And in Phil Goff’s Mount Roskill it increased by 1%.  These were very good results in an election where the tide was going out.

What to do with Cunliffe

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, December 14th, 2011 - 62 comments

There’s talk Shearer might hand Cunliffe the poisoned chalice of foreign affairs. As Clark did her main rival, Goff. That’s no job for a man with a young family. Anyway, Goff’ll want it back ahead of taking the Chinese ambassadorship. Instead, let Cunliffe swap with Parker, who was invisible in economic development and energy, and take on Joyce.

Countering the Tories’ bait & switch

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, December 14th, 2011 - 89 comments

Congratulations David Shearer, you’re leader of the Left now, and the prime target for the Right’s smear machine. The Right’s strategy is obvious: bait and switch. Having proclaimed Shearer’s virtues to high heaven, they (and their useful idiots) will now say ‘who is this man?’, try to frame unreasonable expectations, and try to beat up leadership rumours.

David Shearer

Written By: - Date published: 6:34 pm, December 13th, 2011 - 69 comments

Here is David Shearer’s first speech as Labour party leader.

Selections I have known

Written By: - Date published: 5:18 pm, December 13th, 2011 - 38 comments

I’ve now seen David Shearer in three Labour selection contests – I was on the panel in Waitakere in 2002 and Mt Albert in 2009, and I was in Wesley Church last Wednesday in Wellington. He’s won two out of three, and been most impressive every time. Had I been a caucus member today, he would have had my vote. This is why.

And the decision is…

Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, December 13th, 2011 - 340 comments

Labour have come out of their caucus after their vote on who should succeed Phil Goff as leader.  The new leadership team is David Shearer and Grant Robertson.

Good luck, David

Written By: - Date published: 8:27 am, December 13th, 2011 - 31 comments

To Cunliffe and Shearer, good luck. To the 34 people choosing the next Labour leader, remember your task is to choose the person who can represent a million+ centre and left voters. The man to take the centre-left to victory in 2014. Don’t you dare let petty personal issues cloud your judgement. We, whom you are privileged to represent, deserve better.

The lesson of Lange

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 pm, December 12th, 2011 - 65 comments

David Lange was a good man with a sharp mind, he was quick as a cat thinking on his feet – especially debating – he was an excellent communicator. With only six years’ parliamentary experience before becoming leader of the NZLP he was also the least experienced of all Labour’s twelve leaders to date. David Lange got eaten alive.

ImperatorFish: The Labour Leadership Indecision

Written By: - Date published: 3:43 pm, December 12th, 2011 - 10 comments

Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here

The Labour leadership contest is not a left-right battle, but a tough call between an Obama-like orator and a down-to-earth guy who lives his values. Both talented and want to reform the party: but hard to chose who’s best to lead the fight to National.

Right-whiner: Paula Bennett

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, December 12th, 2011 - 33 comments

Paula Bennett did pretty well in 2008, she won a seat that gave more party votes to Lab+Greens than Nat+ACT. But she was a bad MP. The electorate swung away from Nat+ACT and Bennett lost. But does she take it with grace? No she whines that Labour used “nasty and vicious” tactics like “mobilising the left” and getting out the vote on election day.

Carmel wins, Nats down 1, MMP to stay

Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, December 10th, 2011 - 196 comments

Official Election results are out. Carmel Sepuloni takes Waitakere back for Labour by 11 votes, and National loses one seat to the Greens. MMP wins by a mile. Well done Carmel – I’m really glad she stays in Parliament. I don’t think a recount will change anything – I scrutineered the official count last election and the people doing it were very very careful.

Nats throwing the kitchen sink at Cunliffe

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, December 9th, 2011 - 89 comments

Nat masterminds Farrar and Slater are throwing it all into the anti-Cunliffe push. Farrar has a quote dredged up by the Nat research unit of Cunliffe in 2007 saying he doesn’t want to be PM because “it’s bastard of a job and I have a young family. I don’t think the two would go together.” “They must be older now” smirks Farrar. Yes, dumbarse. 7 years older by 2014.

ImperatorFish: Which Candidate Gets My Non-Vote?

Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, December 9th, 2011 - 16 comments

Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here 

Scott wants his say on the Labour leadership – even if he’s not sure who he’d vote for. But he’ll decide like many of us at the Sunday Meet the Candidates Meeting.

David Cunliffe

Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, December 7th, 2011 - 193 comments

I am tribal labour. I am the son of an Anglican Minister known as the “Red Reverend” and a stalwart member of Timaru Labour. My political beliefs were instilled into me from birth. For me the foundation is that every human being is of equal moral worth and the structures of our society must give everyone a chance to be the best that they can be. That means leaning against the free market when it undermines human dignity and starves many of the opportunities they need to build a good life.

 

Playing to lose

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, December 7th, 2011 - 88 comments

“That’s MMP for you” John Key smugly proclaimed in justification of his charter schools policy. Apparently, it’s MMP’s fault that he chose to rort the system and then us the one ACT MP as an excuse for unmandated rightwing policies. But why are the Nats suddenly acting so haughty and pushing through unmandated policies? The answer is MMP.

What gains for Nat support “parties”?

Written By: - Date published: 2:34 pm, December 5th, 2011 - 75 comments

Coalition agreements are expected to be signed today, with Ministerial roles expected for both Dunne and Banks.  But it is the details of the policy gains that will tell us the mettle of these two.  Did they achieve anything significant with their negotiating power?

In praise of David Cunliffe

Written By: - Date published: 11:25 am, December 5th, 2011 - 131 comments

I enjoyed Jenny’s piece the other day on David Shearer’s leadership abilities. His skill at taking the ball and running with it, and doing what he thinks is right. I want to similarly praise David Cunliffe for his leadership in economic thinking. God knows we need someone who gets the problems and the solutions. Cunliffe brings that understanding in droves.

Buying back the assets

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, December 5th, 2011 - 216 comments

David Cunliffe has said that, if he is Labour leader, he will look to buy back any assets National sells once he is PM. Under the existing Takeovers Code, that wouldn’t be too hard. But why not go a step further and make it clear to any potential investor that our energy sector won’t be their cash cow? A bit of regulatory reform would sink the assets’ share value.

Questions for DS and DC

Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, December 4th, 2011 - 82 comments

What questions would you ask David Cunliffe, and why?  What questions would you ask David Shearer, and why?

A two horse race

Written By: - Date published: 6:50 am, December 4th, 2011 - 194 comments

A tough decision for Labour looms – go for the gamble on the hero, or back the proven performer? (This post should have been on Friday night but got munched by Wordpress…)

The little I know about David Shearer

Written By: - Date published: 1:55 pm, December 3rd, 2011 - 134 comments

I ran David Shearer’s campaign headquarters in the 2009 Mt Albert by-election. That gave me unique perspective to get a good hard look at a man in a pressure cooker environment. David arrived from the middle east literally a few short hours before the candidate selection speeches.  It showed.  He looked tired. But he went […]

Labour’s decision and Labour’s alone

Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, December 1st, 2011 - 84 comments

It worries me that the media and right wing are trying to take control of the Labour Leadership contest. There’s no great hurry with Christmas around the corner (no new leader is going to get a lot of traction over the summer holidays), but the consequences of making a hasty decision will be disasterous for the party, and disasterous for New Zealand.

Two weeks to choose

Written By: - Date published: 3:42 pm, November 29th, 2011 - 160 comments

Have just received an email from Labour’s President Moira Coatsworth. Phil Goff and Annette King to resign Labour’s leadership effective December 13. Moira is urging all Party members to make their views known to their MPs about the new leadership.The caucus will make the decision but members will have their say. Good.

NRT on Democracy 101

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, November 29th, 2011 - 20 comments

No Right Turn takes Key to task on his perception of a “large majority”.

Choosing our next PM

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, November 29th, 2011 - 172 comments

Looks like Labour will have a proper leadership comp with Goff as caretaker till early next year. Good. Let’s get to know the options. Labour needs to get this right. Because the next Labour leader needs to be the next PM in 2014. Needs to be able to win. The poor people of NZ can’t afford another lost 3 years being squeezed and ripped off by the Tories.

Old Masters on Election 2011

Written By: - Date published: 3:54 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 11 comments

The Old Masters give us their verdict on the 2011 election.

Bugger the polls

Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, November 28th, 2011 - 141 comments

Pundit’s poll of polls tracked 57 individual polls this year, four of them appearing just a day or so before the election.  Every single poll predicted National with the seats to govern alone.  Didn’t happen.  The polls over estimate Nat support to the tune of about 4%.  They need to rethink their methods.