It sounds like Chris Carter has shot himself in the foot, or rather in the handwriting. Phil Goff and the caucus look like they have taken the required quick and decisive action.
MP Chris Carter has been suspended from the Labour Party after admitting to sending an anonymous letter claiming there is a plot to overthrow leader Phil Goff.
“His actions were stupid and disloyal,” Labour leader Phil Goff told a press conference this afternoon.
“There are no more chances. His future in the Labour Party is at an end.”
Mr Goff said Labour’s caucus had met today and a unanimous decision was taken to suspend him from the caucus
This is annoying at many levels. But the primary one is that I can’t see any damn reason to monkey around with the leadership before the election.
“The content of his letter, while not true, was designed to damage the party I lead,” Mr Goff said in his post-press conference statement.
“It was stupid and disloyal. His actions breached caucus rules and were calculated to damage the party and the leadership. This is unacceptable to me and my caucus.
I’m not interested in having a merry-go-around of leadership as we saw at the end of the 4th Labour government. It does nothing for the party and quite a lot to damage it. Stroking individual MPs egos and having a vicarious burst of excitement mid-term may liven up parliament and the political commentators lives. However it does absolutely nothing for the hardworking volunteers within the party.
If anyone is such a dickhead as to actually thinking about this kind of stupidity, then you can expect my very vocal opposition. If you don’t like what Phil has been saying – then don’t form factional cabals or write idiotic letters. Go and argue it in caucus, inside the party, or if you really feel strongly about it – write a post here.
It will be interesting to see what Chris decides to do. Hopefully not a distracting by-election. At least if it does come to that we’ll have some fun demonstrating to National that the Mt Albert by-election was no fluke.
I hate political stupidity!
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