Labour’s leadership team

Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, April 6th, 2017 - 40 comments
Categories: Andrew Little, articles, jacinda ardern, labour, leadership - Tags: , , ,

Labour’s new tactic of featuring a leadership team seems to be working well. Tim Murphy at Newsroom has some numbers:

Labour draws National into a game of mixed doubles

Little-Ardern vs English-Bennett is actually a thing. The Labour pair appeared on the cover of the country’s best-selling magazine, the New Zealand Woman’s weekly, in a feature about their special relationship.

Labour’s polling company UMR Research has just examined New Zealanders’ attitudes to the pairings.

Take it with a red grain of salt, if you will, but the poll of 750 people in late March found their team marginally more favoured by Kiwis as a leadership ticket – 56 percent viewed them as favourable or somewhat favourable against 54 percent for the blue duo.

English and Bennett also had a higher somewhat unfavourable and very unfavourable rating of 37 percent against 27 percent for Little-Ardern. The red side did rate higher among those who were unsure or had never heard of them.

UMR found the Labour leaders fared better than National’s in Auckland, provincial and rural New Zealand, but fell behind in Christchurch and Wellington. The Nats win men by a healthy seven points and Labour the backing of women by 10.

National voters like their own leadership (89 percent favourable) a little more than Labour voters like theirs (85) and New Zealand First people are way more favourable to Little and Ardern (49 to 31). Predictably the Labour Party’s declared partner, the Greens are 71 per cent favourable to the red team and just 27 percent for National. …

The Woman’s Weekly piece is gold for Labour (and it has the added benefit of annoying Mathew Hooton). We’re going to be seeing a lot more of Andrew and Jacinda…

https://twitter.com/MatthewHootonNZ/status/848784585773023234

 


Updated – lprent: There is nothing about the Hagaman vs Little case in this post. However I have just banned two people for raising it in what are clearly diversionary comments. Read the policy that governs this site before wasting my time.

So I have put the post on auto-moderation, and will henceforward ban anyone raising that case in this post. Use OpenMike and avoid idiotic slogans – I tend to view those as attempts to astroturf and ban for those as well.

Anyone raising it here as a new topic here will get an mandatory ban to one month past the election. It seems like a good way to weed out the most stupid of the trolls – especially the ones who don’t read the posts down to this very clear warning.

40 comments on “Labour’s leadership team ”

  1. Tui 1

    here come the right wing trolls! lololol

    ~ tui

    • Easily knocked down and put firmly in their place.

      Like sandfly’s at a beach picnic. More of a nuisance than any serious threat to ones health.

    • lprent 1.2

      It takes a simple click to move the off the topic comments (and all respondents) to OpenMike.

      In this case “charen” was trying a post diversion and has been banned until 1 month after the election for wasting my time in having to do it.

  2. Antoine 2

    So if the Left wins the election, will they be PM and Deputy?

    A.

    • Ad 2.1

      Or Captain and Tenille

      • WILD KATIPO 2.1.1

        Better than the Three Stooges – oh wait ! one missing … Stephen Joyce will do … hang on – absent because of two failed campaigns whilst Nat party campaign manager..

        Oh well… Judith will do … no wait again !!!

        Too much profile with Orivida – besides – she’d want a new position as emperor !

        Well , … I guess we could try Brownlee… hang on … failed EQC guy and security door crasher… better leave him as Minister for Defense … he can crash a few more security doors , then …

        What about Smith ?

        Yeah he’ll do – he ‘ll make the other two look positively dynamic even though they’re both equally as incompetent !!!

      • billmurray 2.1.2

        +100

  3. ianmac 3

    As magazine articles go, it seemed like they are more natural than the Key stuff.

    And where does Paula sit on the preferred PM stakes?

  4. I think the WW article is gold for Labour.

    While I think it is unfortunate that the voting public are likely to respond very well to this puff piece, the reality is, this is how it works, how you win elections.

    My own pet theory is it is all about manipulating the amygdala (the flight flight mechanism of the brain to put it in very simple terms). When things are very bad, someone like Trump ramps up peoples anger (fight) and they feel they have been heard and understood on an emotional level.

    With Key he calmed things down (allowed the amygdala to relax)………..this is what the WW article is presenting, its all fun and lightness here in the red camp.

    Anyway, good luck to Andrew Little in court. If it is judged on motivations and intention, Little should be the clear winner.

  5. mary_a 5

    Great to know Matthew Hooten finds the WW Little/Ardern article vomit stuff. That says the Labour leadership team must be doing something right, unlike his Bill and Benn.

    Anyway how many times over the past eight years has the NZ public been expected to put up with in-your-face Key and family in magazines? Seeing Little/Ardern makes a refreshing change from the Key sycophantic smarmy BS!

    • And by the looks of it we will be seeing a lot more of both Andrew Little as the next Prime Minister and Jacinda Adern as his Deputy Prime Minister and as successful leaders of the NZ Labour party .

      – Without the hair pulling !

      • Antoine 5.1.1

        But this is the thing, will she be Deputy PM? I mean I am glad they are working together well at the moment, but if the actual leadership team turns out to be Little/Peters or Little/Turei post-election, then the Little/Ardern combination may not actually count for much.

        A.

        • SpaceMonkey 5.1.1.1

          It counts for plenty if it helps get a Labour-led Government over the line. Job done. Beyond that… it will depend on where the votes fall.

  6. Alan 6

    “our special bond – road trips and whisky sessions”.
    Punters scanning the shelves will think they are shagging – doh!

    • Antoine 6.1

      Ok that was uncalled for

      • Phil 6.1.1

        Yeah, you’re right Antoine, but the cover and article are basically carbon-copy of a “Exclusive pics from inside Richie and Gemma’s lovenest!” article that passes for Women’s Weekly material in 2017.

        • Alan 6.1.1.1

          My point exactly, did someone in Labour not get the opportunity to see/edit the cover before it went to publication?
          Surely someone should have raised concerns about the by line?

          • lprent 6.1.1.1.1

            FFS Are you that ignorant? It would be quite unusual to pass those kinds of details past every person in an issue.

            From what I understand from the people who do this sort of crappy ‘news’. You usually organize the details in general terms in advance limiting what will be in the article. Might get a look at the text and photos if that was part of the agreed on details. Virtually never get to look at the things like the front cover because they are usually done too close to publication time.

            Yes, there is room in that to get deliberately screwed over. However magazines that do that kind of thing don’t seem to survive for long. No interviewee wants to be screwed over by someone thinking that they are as self-entitled as Cameron Slater (who has done exactly that a few times).

            Do it once and an organisation gets a reputation for being untrustworthy.

    • Alan, did you miss the bit about the “Dad jokes”????

      I think what a lot of WW readers will think is “that’s so sweet, its just like the bond between my daughter and husband “Oh dad really” sort of thing.

      If you noticed the Dad joke bit and then thought people would conclude they are shagging thats a bit……….well its a bit off from you really.

      • BM 6.2.1

        Little is 51
        Ardern is 36

        Not exactly Dad and Daughter unless you’re from somewhere like Dunedin.

      • Ski 6.2.2

        I think Alan was commenting on the possible impression that magazine store browsers might get from a quick scan of the cover – of course purchase of the magazine and a full read of the article would give a fuller picture.

  7. Siobhan 7

    “The red side did rate higher among those who were unsure or had never heard of them.”…what on earth does that mean? Should the Labour Leadership celebrate being liked by people who have never ‘heard of them”?? is this really the level of voter engagement??

    As to the kudos of a Womans Weekly cover….Self serve at the Supermarkets is an abomination from an employment perspective, but then it means you avoid the womens magazine drivel with their freaky covers….so its a dilemma.

  8. Adrian Thornton 8

    It’s not often I agree with Hooton…

    • billmurray 8.1

      I agree with you, I bought the WW and read the article and looked at the photo’s several times.

      I have now turned to prayer, seeking solace.

    • rod 8.2

      Well Hooton knows a lot about vomit, he spews it out all the time he is on air.

  9. tuppence shrewsbury 9

    good to see that someone in the labour comms team has finally got their act together and started to reaching out to actual voters.

  10. Wonderpup 10

    And Nats response? Spaghetti on pizzas (avec pineapple). When you see the whole spaghetti pizza post from English as a direct response to this article in the WW, it looks oh so contrived and cynical. “Adern and Little look human! They don’t like pineapple pizzas! We have to respond with Bill cooking something that makes him look human!”.

    • AB 10.1

      “Bill cooking something that makes him look human”
      Too late for that – a 1990’s Treasury-built robot – the old v1.31X release that was experiencing catastrophic failures by 2002 and was permanently junked by all discerning owners.

      • peterlepaysan 10.1.1

        You would not expect the nats to come up with someone who cares about anything except profit and greed would you? (double dipping excepted).
        Once a treasury bot always a treasury bot. Humanity is irrelevant to economic conjecture.
        The conjecture of economic purity is all the matters. Humanity is an irrelevance.
        Every treasury bot I have spoken to (unfortunately probably too many) have had similar attitudes. Humans simply do not realise economics. Only economists know what is best for humanity.

    • Muttonbird 10.2

      It didn’t occur to me straight away but you’re right. The Nats did do the spaghetti and pineapple thing in direct response to the Women’s Weekly article, attempting to paint Labour as intolerant and snobbish I guess.

      They end up looking over sensitive and churlish.

  11. adam 11

    Did we really need “Matthew I’m Hooton on something” comment attached to this post?

    This guy only knows hate for anything which is not his brand of ideology, and you can buy it today just go to this link https://ifunny.co/fun/inKkOTGY2?gallery=tag&query=Libertarians

  12. timeforacupoftea 12

    Haa !
    I laughed out loud when I saw the WW article and automatically thought of David Lange and Margaret Pope.
    Ahhhhh a good old bit of seedyness from Jacinda and Andrew and us from the Labour Clan will be out in force to vote for you.
    I’m excited at the thought !
    Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr………………….

  13. Michael who failed Civics 13

    An absolutely brilliant and incisive piece of journalism that should ensure a landslide victory for National-lite in September. I think you can all safely rest on your laurels between now and then.

  14. Cinny 14

    Womens magazine, targeted at women with a headline designed to engage interest. Women tend to vote Labour. No matter what some male commentators etc are saying, it’s a marketing win for Labour. Well done, bang on target.

    Personally I’m not into those types of mags, BUT they sell so more power to them. 😀

    Great looking pic’s btw.

  15. TheBlackKitten 15

    Sorry but I don’t see what is so special about Arden. Perhaps someone could enlighten me as to why she stands out more than the other Labour Party MPs.
    I can’t help but get the impression that she is only where she is due to being female & childless.
    Its almost like the Labour party are so desperate for a return of Helen that have resorted to pinning their hopes on someone who is also female and childless in the hope that she will bring back the old glory days of Auntie Helen.

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