Shearer Says

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, December 14th, 2012 - 17 comments
Categories: david shearer, labour - Tags:

A year to remember

One year ago today [received yesterday] I was honoured to be elected as the 13th Leader of the Labour Party. Labour has a proud tradition as a progressive force in New Zealand life, and I am humbled to be part of that tradition.

We end 2012 in a strong position. Our team in Parliament have held the Government to account for its many failings. We’ve closed the gap on National, and Labour is setting the agenda on the issues that count – the economy and jobs, housing and education.

But for John Key and National it is a year they would rather forget. As I said in my final speech to Parliament for 2012, it’s been the year of the brain fade.

It’s also been a year of disappointment. Unemployment is up to 7.3%, 1,000 Kiwis are flying out on a one-way ticket for Australia every week and the Government has no answer. And that’s not to mention the many debacles in education and the scandals in ACC and the GCSB.

The Government has taken its eye off the ball, and New Zealand is drifting.

Kiwis deserve better, and Labour has spent the last 12 months doing the hard yards in Opposition so that we are ready to deliver in Government come 2014.

We’ve charted a new direction for New Zealand, where a hands-on Labour Government backs our families, workers and businesses. We’ve rolled out major new policies on affordable housing, education and jobs.

There’s plenty more hard work to be done, but as the year winds down Labour can look back on a great year.

Cheers
David Shearer
Labour Leader

17 comments on “Shearer Says ”

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  1. fustercluck 1
    14 December 2012 at 9:57 am

    No word on attacking the systemic/structural causes of poor housing, a crippled education system or the paucity of living-wage jobs.

    The very name of the party presupposes the primacy of labor, human capital in corp-speak, over finance capital. 1000 kiwis a month? Who cares? For a few hundred bucks they can come back! What about the billions of dollars irretrievably siphoned off by Australian banks?

    Labor needs to be deeper a shade of red than the TINA neoliberals at the parliamentary trough will countenance.

  2. Craig Glen viper 2
    14 December 2012 at 12:10 pm

    “We end 2012 in a strong position”

    Your dreaming mate!

  3. Socialist Paddy 3
    14 December 2012 at 1:20 pm

    Interestingly it was 12 months ago to the day when Shearer was elected leader of the Labour Party. Time will tell if that was the right decision.

    • xtasy 3.1
      14 December 2012 at 5:56 pm

      SP: I am afraid time has told most of us, but some ostriches have their heads deep in the ground, now having penetrated the globe with their extended necks, looking out of a chilly hole over the icey Arctic in the dark of night!

  4. fender Viper 4
    14 December 2012 at 1:26 pm

    “We’ve closed the gap on National, and Labour is setting the agenda on the issues that count….”

    National are sinking south to meet us, and The Green Party are proving to be the real opposition as they are setting the agenda on the issues that count. FIFY

  5. King Kong 5
    14 December 2012 at 1:41 pm

    I hate Shearer. Everything he says and does is wrong. Sometimes I don’t know why it is wrong but I have a firmly held belief that in these situations David Cunliffe would do it right.

    I will now start tearing into the Labour party like a petulant child. This is mainly because Shearer has taken the party from a practice of pure Socialism, under the Clarke and Goff years, into something to the right of Genghis Khan.

    I mean this piece of filth may have improved poll approval ratings from the lowest in Labours history but he only did it by making a neo liberal pact with the corrupt and evil MSM.

  6. lurgee 6
    14 December 2012 at 5:37 pm

    “Our team in Parliament have held the Government to account for its many failings. We’ve closed the gap on National, and Labour is setting the agenda on the issues that count – the economy and jobs, housing and education.”

    Even I think that’s a bit of wistful thinking by the Dear Leader.

    If they’d even gone half way to holding the government to account over even half its failings, National would have been shredded.

    As for setting the agenda on economy, jobs, housing and education, other than building a few homes to flog off to the middle classes, what are your policies on any of these? I could go and find out, but the fact that I’d actually have to do that indicates you ain’t setting no agenda on nuffink.

  7. xtasy 7
    14 December 2012 at 5:44 pm

    Dear David, thank you for you “say” again!

    I notice how you emphasize that Labour is a progressive force in NZ life, and that you feel honoured to have been elected as its 13th “leader”.

    Your speech on the last day of Parliament was well noted. I heard you talk a lot about John Key, John Banks, memory issues, implying there are issues with honesty and justice.

    Justice is to me something I value immensely, and I will not vote for any party that I may even in the slightest perceive as being somewhat “unjust” in any way.

    So I have a request to you. It was under the last Labour led government, that the Ministry of Social Development was enabled to create and fill some new key advisory roles on health and disability. Senior advisors were appointed in 2007 to “advise” case managers and other WINZ staff on matters regarding benefit entitlement for sick, injured and disabled. All seemed to have been designed out of perhaps constructive or even good intention.

    Sadly though, over recent years I have come across a fair few bits of highly sensitive and controversial information, which have given me immense worry about the direction of the last Labour led government, as well since then the National Party led governments.

    We have a man there, whose name is Dr David Bratt. He was appointed under your party’s last government’s regime, and he is somewhat bizarre, yes worrisome or even frightening a sort of character, when I come to read about what he is all about, and what he has been publishing.

    Now with a new year ahead, I trust that Labour will focus on justice and that also in the area of social security. I know you had some issue with a “sickness benefit roofpainter” at one stage, but perhaps you can respond to those of us, being more concerned about details, on this forum, by stating what you think of the right approach in social security, and especially what your view is of Dr Bratt.

    Perhaps have a look at some publications from and about him, before you do so:

    http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/in-print/2012/august-2012/1-august-2012/harms-lurk-for-benefit-addicts.aspx
    http://www.gpcme.co.nz/pdf/2012

    http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/in-print/2012/august-2012/29-august-2012/questioning-the-direction-of-msd-policy.aspx

    /Fri_DaVinci_1400_Bratt_Medical%20Certificates%20are%20Clinical%20Instruments%20too%20-%20June%202012.pdf

    http://www.gpcme.co.nz/pdf/2012/Fri_DaVinci_1400_Bratt_Medical Certificates are Clinical Instruments too – June 2012.pdf

    http://www.gpcme.co.nz/pdf/GP%20CME/Friday/C1%201515%20Bratt-Hawker.pdf

    http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/7309-drs-anthony-djurkov-david-bratt-peter-jansen/

    http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dr%20david%20bratt%20medical%20certificates&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CFEQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rgpn.org.nz%2FNetwork%2Fmedia%2Fdocuments%2FConference2011%2FD-Bratt.ppt&ei=86vKUNSwI6nNmQWbvYDgCA&usg=AFQjCNFEdYN_dDW9BAZvZo_cQpC2rFyelg

    http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dr david bratt medical certificates&source=web

    This man has made a name for himself to be extreme on the question of “work fitness” for sickness and invalid’s beneficiaries. He was appointed under a Labour minister. He compares benefit dependence to drug dependency in a number of his many “presentations” full of selected, one-sided information, which he presents to GP conferences and other forums.

    He is also known to have “trained” designated doctors, who are WINZ commissioned medical practitioners, who are supposed to be “independent”. But by training such key assessors, where does this leave NATURAL JUSTICE, dear David?

    I would really like to hear your answer, as of recent, even Jacinda Ardern has acknowledged, that something “rotten” seems to be going on at MSD!

    Sick and disabled want to know now, before we get the next thrashing, under this government! Thanks!

  8. bad12 8
    14 December 2012 at 5:57 pm

    Dear Dave,

    Please, please, stop writing these insipid diatribes, they are as uplifting and enlightening as mud, i will do whatever it is you want if you stop with the weekly blast of lukewarm invective,

    Yours,a Sickness Bene…

  9. xtasy 9
    14 December 2012 at 6:01 pm

    “But for John Key and National it is a year they would rather forget. As I said in my final speech to Parliament for 2012, it’s been the year of the brain fade.”

    Yes, that was so for Banks, Key and a few other NatACT members.

    It was for Labour and you, dear David, also a year of too many unfortunate stutters, incomprehensible mutterings, stumbles and mumblings.

    So I trust you are taking time over the holidays, to get more “training” in media fronting, management of caucus affairs and how to apply Stalinist compassion on bloggers and the lower party ranks.

    We will have another look at you in February, that is, if the Central Committee will so allow us.

    Thank you so kindly, master.

  10. Lefty 10
    14 December 2012 at 6:45 pm

    How the hell can he describe bashing sickness beneficiaries and raising the retirement age for the low paid as backing families and workers?

    As for his final speech to Parliament, being a smart arse is not the same as making a speech with substance. To find that you would have to look at the speeches of Hone or Metiria on the last day of Parliament.

    • Neoleftie 10.1
      14 December 2012 at 7:50 pm

      Moderate progressive lite neoliberal crap just tailored for the centre of tmop shifting middle.Gooooo team shearer or else we all lose.

  11. xtasy 11
    14 December 2012 at 8:48 pm

    For the political addicts – read ALL the LAST speeches for the year, from 12 Dec. 2012:

    http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Debates/Debates/9/4/c/50HansD_20121212_00000008-AdjournmentUntil-TUESDAY-29-JANUARY-Sittings.htm

    Consult your GP (NOT Dr Bratt) if any side effects may become a concern!

  12. QoTViper 12
    14 December 2012 at 11:50 pm

    Kiwis deserve better, and Labour has spent the last 12 months doing the hard yards in Opposition

    [citation needed]

  13. Rob 13
    15 December 2012 at 2:10 pm

    More neo liberal clap trap from the biggest rogernome of them all!