Some worthwhile questions raised by Vernon Small in today’s Dom Post:
Eight months ago to the day Labour awoke to find itself out of power for the first time this century….Now, the cliched wisdom is that an electoral trouncing prescribes that an opposition take its medicine, learn its lessons, stay focused and constructive, avoid being overly negative and keep its policy powder dry.
But there is a growing unease among some grey heads in the party that things are all a bit too pragmatic; out-Clarking Clark. If vision was hard to articulate in Government, it is crucial in opposition.
There is also a growing fear the party is missing the boat in the economic crisis; that it is so extraordinary and the rise in joblessness and the need for skills training is so core to Labour that it should move beyond criticism to solutions.
As one Labour activist said, “we know unemployment is up and National is not doing enough . . . but it would be nice to know someone has some ideas”.
And farewell to Mike Smith. With the combination of new blood and experienced heads the opportunity has never burned brighter for Labour to pick up the challenge and take the fight to National .
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