Phil Twyford for Te Atatu candidate

Written By: - Date published: 6:01 pm, December 18th, 2010 - 25 comments
Categories: election 2011, labour - Tags:

Phil Twyford is selected as the new Labour candidate for Te Atatu from a strong field.

Phil Twyford is a formidable campaigner, as I know from past experience. He is going to be exactly what is needed in the Te Atatu electorate organisation that has probably been somewhat shaken over the last few months. But I almost pity whatever sacrificial lamb that National put up in that electorate.

There was a good field of candidates and my commiserations go to them. Keep trying. Phil has shown it is possible to overcome these wee setbacks in a political life. Although I still think that anyone wanting to be a politician is kind of nuts, I do like supporting the good and insane.

It is going to be amusing watching the right-wing nutters spinning this for the next few days. Even a cursory glance at the sewer shows there are some pretty weird theories going on already.

Updated: Thanks to mickeysavage for the photo from the selection

25 comments on “Phil Twyford for Te Atatu candidate ”

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  1. Zaphod Beeblebrox 1
    18 December 2010 at 6:25 pm

    You jest surely. He lost North Shore by 14K in 2008 and 9K in 2005- so not a great record there. The local party organisation expressed no confidence in the party leader 2 weeks ago- then they endorsed Phil.
    What Labour needed was someone who is not connected to or endorsed by the previous member (who is not even in the party) and his previous supporters- given how good the other candidates were what a really bad choice.

    • gingercrush 1.1
      18 December 2010 at 6:31 pm

      North Shore is an entirely different electorate. Anyone Labour puts up should do poorly there. And 2005 and 2008 were when National’s polling was doing far better. As such in strong National areas Labour shouldn’t be expected to do well.

      Te Atatu swings far more left than it does right though its always a possibility for National but only when they reach high polling.

      I like Te Atatu because its a future looking electorate in that its demographics is basically what New Zealand will be in 20 years. So what happens there is important because in many respects that is New Zealand’s future.

      • Zaphod Beeblebrox 1.1.1
        18 December 2010 at 6:45 pm

        Quite true, I live in Te Atatu and you can’t help be struck how diverse the population is and how much of a microcosm of NZ it remains. Labour has support but parts of the Peninsula and Te Atatu South have lots of uper middle class areas.

        If he was such a good campaigner why do he go backwards so far between 2002 and 2008?

        The differences with North Shore are exactly the point. Phil who comes from Pakeha dominated North Shore now has to campaign in ethnically diverse middle NZ. He is not a local and he will be up against Tau Henare who has been living here for years, is well known and is Maori. Thats even before you consider the problems created by the previous member.

        • lprent 1.1.1.1
          18 December 2010 at 7:39 pm

          Phil has also been heavily involved in Mt Albert. Mt Albert is and always has been (since I grew up there) a very diverse electorate.

  2. gingercrush 2
    18 December 2010 at 6:35 pm

    BTW I can’t help but see Goff’s t-shirt reads skids. Is that what we should expect from Labour in 2011.

  3. QoT 3
    18 December 2010 at 7:23 pm

    Dear West Auckland,

    We’ve already pulled an Uhura move with Carmel, so get used to white male faces throughout the rest of the region.

    Love,

    Labour

    • just saying 3.1
      18 December 2010 at 7:58 pm

      Dear QoT,

      There are real alternatives, but as it turns out, they are pretty much the same alternatives that National is offering. The natural order is returning.

      Love (in anticipation of your vote),
      Labour

    • mickysavage 3.2
      18 December 2010 at 8:01 pm

      QOT you have to be joking

      Marginal seats in Auckland:

      Waitakere – Carmel
      Auckland Central – Jacinda Ardern
      Maungakiekie – Carol Beaumont

      Next most marginal seat:

      Northcote – Paula Gillon

      Safe seats where a vacancy has arisen:

      Manurewa – Louisa Wall (strength to her)
      Te Atatu – Phil

      White male faces are in a distinct minority. And this is not a bad thing.

      • QoT 3.2.1
        18 December 2010 at 8:06 pm

        West Auckland:

        Waitakere – the minority twofer, Carmel
        New Lynn – white male David Cunliffe
        Te Atatu – white male Phil Twyford

        Generously extending definition of “West Auckland”:

        Mt Roskill – white male Phil Goff
        Mt Albert – white male David Shearer

        … all of whom are also presumably heterosexual and fairly ablebodied.

        For some of the “most diverse” electorates in the country it’s not looking like their Parliamentary reps are going to be, well, too representative …

        Please understand micky that this isn’t a strawman feminist demand for people to be appointed on their identities, merely a comment on the fact that I don’t feel particularly inspired by a Labour Party promising to change its ways and defend the unprivileged when its lineup is more of the same old kyriarchy.

        • mickysavage 3.2.1.1
          18 December 2010 at 8:15 pm

          So you advocate that Labour should take the leader Phil Goff and the finance spokesperson David Cunliffe out the back of somewhere and shoot them so that two more female candidates can be selected??

          Honest the selection process in Auckland has resulted in many good female candidates being offered in winnable seats. Right now there are 6 Labour held Electorate seats all held by men, 5 of them pakeha. I really hope that after the next election there will be at least 9 Labour electorate seats, 4 held by women, one Pacifica and one Maori. And I really hope there will be a surprise in the 10th seat so that Auckland’s Labour MPs will in gender terms be equal.

        • Zaphod Beeblebrox 3.2.1.2
          18 December 2010 at 10:12 pm

          I’d just like someone who actually lives here. Do any of labour’s West candidates actually live west of the Whau?

  4. Shazzadude 4
    18 December 2010 at 11:02 pm

    I think Twyford would easily account for Tau Henare. I wonder if the Nats would look to stand Michael Jones there though?

  5. Sanctuary 5
    19 December 2010 at 8:37 am

    Twyford is my Labour polititician of 2010 – he kicked Rodney Hide’s ass and won the battle the hearts and minds of Aucklanders and averted (for the time being) the corrupt hand over of Auckland to ACT’s backers in the Auckland business oligarchy.

    His ability to score a decisive victory from the opposition benches (the only time so far a minister has been bested) marks Twyford as a man to watch – and someone Farrar and the rest of the sewer will strenuously try and smear.

  6. Swampy 6
    19 December 2010 at 7:56 pm

    So what is that recycled billboard from 2008 doing there?

  7. Annalivia prurabella 7
    20 December 2010 at 11:12 pm

    Welcome to the West Phil. With David in New Lynn, Carmel in Waitakere and Jeremy in Helensville, we will have a cracking campaign