Shearer Says

Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, October 13th, 2012 - 18 comments
Categories: david shearer, labour - Tags:

A message from Kathy

I received a really moving Facebook message this week from a 12 year old girl who lives in Invercargill.

She was writing to me about the Tiwai smelter. She’s afraid it’ll be shut down and says ‘the most horrible part of it is that people will lose their jobs and have no money for their families’.

Her email is pretty heartrending because her own family will be affected. But it also captures the human impact on the thousands of families around the country who are suffering because of job losses.

In the past four years, there have been 40,000 jobs lost in the manufacturing sector alone.

National is doing nothing about that. They’re too busy arguing about the figures and whether there is a ‘crisis’ or not.

While they’re debating that, Kiwis are hurting. Their jobs aren’t secure. They’re struggling on low wages while the cost of groceries and petrol are going up. They’re leaving the country in their thousands headed for Australia.

Labour has a very different plan. I’ll be talking about this plan in a speech next Thursday in Christchurch and about how we’ll take an active approach to creating decent jobs that pay decent wages.

I want more for our country and I’m prepared to fight for it. As Prime Minister, my focus will be on jobs, creating opportunities and making New Zealand a fairer place.

Warm regards,
David Shearer
Leader of the Labour Party

NEWS IN BRIEF

I spoke to Cantabrians this week about the need for the recovery and rebuild effort to be driven from the community rather than by decisions imposed upon them by central government. You can read my full speech here.

18 comments on “Shearer Says ”

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  1. PlanetOrphan 1
    13 October 2012 at 11:20 am

    Great speeches David Shearer!

    Those judgemental RWNJs that demand you order them around in the name of being a “Leader” will always find something to moan about.

    They sit there in their little rooms judging everyone by their twisted little standards, and then bleat on about being a “Leftie” to give themselves cover for the obvious bigotry and judgments they just made from their “Wannabee Alpha” minds.

    They laugh when someone calls them on it, which is classic delusional behaviour.

    Keep up the great work David.

  2. Rhinocrates 2
    13 October 2012 at 1:27 pm

    have no money for their families

    Yes, I hear that’s a problem many beneficiaries have, Doctor Dave. If I give you my warm regards, I’ll be pissing on your leg.

  3. BLiP 3
    13 October 2012 at 2:41 pm

    .

    Did Shearer actually write this?

    • Rhinocrates 3.1
      13 October 2012 at 3:38 pm

      No, if he wrote it would be like this:

      Well, there are some who say, I mean some people think that I had a telegraph, ah, I mean that there are some who think that there may or may not be a message, from twelve girls and I was fighting them while playing a violin, making sad music to bring tears to your eyes. My focus group told me that sentimental stories about twelve girls sway people’s emotions, especially if there are twelve girls who could be sent up chimneys to paint roofs. I might have been. I mean by my focus groups. Violins are very sad, they make you sentimental, like twenty-four girls. No, that’s not true… I was holding forty-eight cellos to account. And a bassoon. I have it on good authority that there was an orchestra involved, and they were at, um, the smelter. There are a lot of musicians. I’m very sad. You should be sad too.

      And kittens too. Kittens and puppies. Well there might have been puppies, but my real point is that there are armadillos.

      No armadillos aren’t cute. There were baby harp seals and one sent me a message by passenger pigeon. Um… Baby harp seals will be clubbed to death if the smelter has an orchestra in it.

      I promise that we will hold the government to account over this: there must be no orchestras on the roofs of smelters. Or at least orchestras with string sections. There must only be brass bands. We will fight for that. I am ambishus for New Zild… no, I didn’t say that, someone else said that. Ah… I mean I’ll fight. I’ll fight girls and harp seals. Especially cute ones that make you sad.

      Look at this link, it has my speech on it.

      What do you mean it just links to Rick Astley singing “Never Gonna Give You Up”?

      Well as far as I’m concerned, that’s true.

      Hello? Hello? Is this switched on?

      • xtasy 3.1.1
        13 October 2012 at 6:00 pm

        The unspoken truth is, Labour are quite happy to not be in government at present, and they do not mind a fair share of the tough welfare reforms Bennett and her NatACT mates are pushing through.

        Yes, they are relieved that it is this government getting the flack for it, so once the public is truly disillusioned with Key and the lot, and once Labour have a chance to lead and form a new government, they will simply move on, as even “sick” “beneficiaries” will then be job-seekers, whom they can “ready” for the jobs they want to create.

        The savings achieved by welfare will be used for some nice new middle class welfare presents for those still in work. That would ensure Labour a second term, and all would be fine.

        I mention this, just in case you miss some reference to the unemployed, sick and disabled on benefits. The majority in the public have little time to support beneficiaries, and Labour knows this. So beneficiaries may consider Greens or Mana as an alternative, perhaps.

      • just saying 3.1.2
        14 October 2012 at 4:52 pm

        I do enjoy your weekly send-up of Shearer’s vapid bollocks, Rhinocrates

        • Rhinocrates 3.1.2.1
          14 October 2012 at 9:26 pm

          Thanks, I’m glad you enjoy them. Unfortunately my motivation is anger – I have a brother and a close friend on the sickness benefit and I’ve been on it myself. That shallow, inept, opportunistic hypocrite just pisses me off no end. I’m waiting for a real Labour party leader who actually leads rather than panders. The sooner he goes the better.

  4. Kotahi Tāne Huna 4
    13 October 2012 at 2:52 pm

    She’s afraid it’ll be shut down and says ‘the most horrible part of it is that people will lose their jobs and my Dad won’t be able to paint the roof without some cynical politician beating him up…”

    There you go Dave, FIFY

  5. Bill 5
    13 October 2012 at 3:48 pm

    I received a really moving Facebook message this week from…

    Thought he didn’t read blogs ‘n stuff (presumably) like facebook? But since he obviously does these days, I guess I’ll be getting a response to thestandard post I addressed to him and Robertson and Pagani.

    Cool!

  6. QoT 6
    13 October 2012 at 3:53 pm

    As Prime Minister, my focus will be on jobs, creating opportunities and making New Zealand a fairer place.

    Yes David, but how? HOW????

    Devoid of the context, that line could be uttered by any politician ever – I’m pretty sure John Key will have said almost the same thing word-for-word at various points as leader of National. Why not add “and kittens or puppies for all our children, and our children’s children” in for bonus points?

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1
      13 October 2012 at 6:57 pm

      It’d take a strong politician to stand up and say that they’re not about creating jobs although John Key did come close when he said he wanted lower wages.

  7. alwyn 7
    13 October 2012 at 3:58 pm

    Actually what Shearer wrote about the subject was
    “I got a heart-stricken e-mail from a 12 year old Fran Mold today. She is scared stiff that she is going to be sacked for putting me in an impossible situation when she persuaded me to make a totally false claim about there being a video of John Key et, etc. Well she damn well should be worried. She has made me look stupid and, if I haven’t been rolled by Tuesday morning, I am going to kick her out of here.”

    • ianmac 7.1
      13 October 2012 at 4:51 pm

      Don’t think for a moment that it is a false claim alwyn. Do you?

      • alwyn 7.1.1
        13 October 2012 at 5:48 pm

        Only the word “damn”.
        Every Labour supporter appears to think that Shearer is Mother Teresa’s more saintly younger brother and I am sure he would recoil from the use of such an expletive.
        I do wonder if he was set up by Grant Robertson though.

        • mickysavage 7.1.1.1
          13 October 2012 at 7:42 pm

          Um Alwyn most labour supporters are very discerning.

          Some of them hung around during the 1980s and saw Douglas and Prebble and their ilk off.

          All of the Labour politicians need to respect the members.

  8. TighyRighty 8
    13 October 2012 at 5:42 pm

    Kathy? I don’t believe it. Show us the email David, redact the name, but lets see some evidence for once

  9. starlight 9
    14 October 2012 at 3:28 pm

    I remember the days when my dad hated muldoon so much he named two
    pigs he was fattening for the table,he called one muldy and the other one
    doon,politics was always high on the agenda in our home,election night
    was huge,with other family around to watch the election on tele,those
    days are gone,my dad is gone,sadly,but his political interest lives on in
    me, fairness,justice,should be for all nz’ers,discrimination has taken
    hold in nz by those who have been blinded by power,those who wish
    to make an example of a section of the community for their own selfish
    purposes and usually its done by those nimrods in government.
    The election showed that 800.000 people couldn’t bring themselves to
    vote,why ? because govt has largely lost all trust, integrity and the interest
    of those people, “why vote ? they say, nothing will change ”
    There used to be two distinct political parties labour and national,but
    what the voters see and dont accept is that there is an amalgamation of
    labour and national,meaning the policies mirror each other with the
    occasional tweak,there is nothing more powerful for prospective voters
    to turn away from either party than have no particular party representing them.
    Mr Shearer should have a read.

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