Shearer Says

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, October 27th, 2012 - 13 comments
Categories: david shearer, labour - Tags:

The bad news they expected to hear.

The Greymouth community got the news it had been dreading yesterday.

Solid Energy has decided to mothball the Spring Creek mine, making around 220 workers redundant. This is devastating news for the miners and their families. It also has a serious flow-on effect for local businesses, including up to 130 contractors, and the community as a whole.

The decision is directly connected to John Key’s obsession with selling our assets. He’s focusing only on the bottom line and making sure that Solid Energy’s in good shape to sell off to private investors.

That’s the wrong path for New Zealand. National is simply managing the decline rather than building a future of opportunity.

Selling assets won’t grow our economy. The Government needs to get off the side-line and into the game to back businesses and communities. Under my leadership, Labour will take a hands-on approach to harnessing innovation and creating jobs. You can read more about our ideas in my recent speech.

We must not resign ourselves to a future of constant struggle. Labour is proud of our country and we’ll take NZ on a path to a new high-wage, high-skill economy.

Kiwis want to work. They’re crying out for jobs. We need to make sure the opportunities are there so we don’t lose more of our workers to Australia.

That’s where many of the Greymouth miners are headed. And that’s a sad loss to our country.
Warm regards,

David Shearer
Leader of the Labour Party

PS – As I mentioned last week, along with the Greens and NZ First we have launched a Parliamentary Inquiry into the Manufacturing Crisis. You can read more about the situation at the Manufacturing Inquiry website – www.manufacturinginquiry.org.nz

13 comments on “Shearer Says ”

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  1. just saying 1
    27 October 2012 at 10:48 am

    …Under my leadership, Labour will…

    Kind of jars. Is this kind of phrase usual for a Leader of the Opposition to make at this point? I’m wondering if it sounds odd to my ear because it’s coming from Shearer’s lips, or if it is just generally off.

  2. Bill 2
    27 October 2012 at 11:13 am

    … National is simply managing the decline rather than building a future of opportunity.

    No. National engineered the decline to afford a certain section of people wonderful opportunities. Wonder why Labour (or Shearer) accept this idea of ‘the decline’ as something that was beyond the government’s control and somehow ‘natural’.

    Nice opener for Labour to do more of the same (but in a ‘nicer’ fashion).

    (Yawn) And then we get the fuckwitted obsession with fucking jobs again. Has Mr Shearer any idea how many people have listed ‘getting a job’ on their long finger list? No. Of course not. No idea at all. And even if he was, what would he do? Yup. Keep the faith. Peddle the jobs as salvation line.

    Got to stop reading these stupid ‘Shearer says’ posts. Reckon my cat’s more on to it.

  3. Draco T Bastard 3
    27 October 2012 at 12:22 pm

    He’s focusing only on the bottom line

    No he’s not, he’s focusing on selling off NZ to his foreign masters.

    National is simply managing the decline rather than building a future of opportunity.

    Actually, they’re not even doing that as they couldn’t careless if society declines as long as they and their rich mates are taken care of. Besides, the decline is putting more and more of the communities wealth into the hands of the already wealthy and thus making everyone else dependent upon those wealthy – exactly as it was back in feudal days.

    Selling assets won’t grow our economy.

    Stop thinking of growing the economy as it’s neither a) responsible or b) possible. What we need is a no growth dynamic economy. What that means is that we produce more and more of the stuff we use ourselves, minimising international trade and and looking after the environment.

    Kiwis want to work. They’re crying out for jobs.

    Yep, unfortunately, Labour just gives us more of the same.

  4. hellonearthis 4
    27 October 2012 at 1:52 pm

    Another short sighted action by National.

    Ok, Coal prices are low and the Mine isn’t up to the competitiveness of other international mines.
    It’s a rough job if everything is working out at sale value dollar.

    I wonder where the added value in this coal could be? The people, the community, the sciences?

  5. tc 5
    27 October 2012 at 9:01 pm

    Yawn, is this the best he can do. reminds me of middle of the road music, ineffectual background ambience easily forgotten and no one will remember it next cycle.

  6. Jim Nald 6
    27 October 2012 at 9:15 pm

    Is there a typo ?

    Shearer Stays – The bad news they expected to hear ?

  7. blue leopard 7
    27 October 2012 at 9:28 pm

    Oh gee, I can’t help laughing, some of these comments are so scathing lol
    Is this usual for Standard comments to be so critical of Labour?
    …
    …
    …
    “yawn”
    “Is there a typo?”
    LOL

    Is anyone in Labour reading these posts?
    Are they concerned that a left-wing blog-site appears to have “turned”
    Knock Knock Is there anyone in there ?
    …
    …

  8. xtasy 8
    28 October 2012 at 4:44 am

    The “Shearer” seems to have lost his “clippers” now, is stumbling about in the shed, looking for them. The sheeples are waiting to be shorn, but the shearer looks himself shorn, yet without clippers, so there we are back to square one, where it all started.

    And for National, if they would “manage” the “decline”, let alone anything, that would already be real progress for them, for a change. Instead it is amnesia, catching on quickly throughout the ranks, it seems like it may be a case of Creutzfeld Jacob Disease, spread from a former Nat member, now in ACT costume, who is passing it on.

    A rudder-less ship with no captain on the bridge, a sheaerer with no clippers, and a situation of incompetence on both sides of the political trenches.

    That leaves the aspirational true opposition with green and black colours to do the calling, while the sailors are lying intoxicated and numbed in their bunks.

    Watch out for the shallow reef ahead. I am very, very frightened.

  9. Chris 9
    28 October 2012 at 9:12 am

    “Under my leadership”sounds too much like key.Hoping that come November we will have a united Labour Party who are all working TOGETHER! and who have have the same goals towards getting NZ out of the present abysmal situation we find ourselves in. Only by being strong and united can Labour overcome the rot that has set in under national. Put strong passionate personalities to the fore. People listen to people that stand up and speak out loudly and sincerely for what they believe in. Sometimes we need a bit of mongrel! Quiet and steady as she goes doesn’t always cut it. For instance, the questions asked to bennett come out sounding like nats patsy questions. All they do is give the opportunity to assume the position and go into FAFS (facts and figures) that are rarely challenged, and they should be as everybody knows that she doesn’t do her homework. Anyway,just saying!

  10. xtasy 10
    29 October 2012 at 3:14 am

    I see and read here, the “enthusiasm” for Shearer is growing by the day, ahem!?

    Was there not a job somewhere else well paid and worthwhile, not long ago advertised?

    Ahem, what is this all about, ah, well, leaders don’t drop out like babies on an assembly line, I presume. Then again, who “is” a “leader”, for that sake a “Shearer leader”? Clip go the shears, clip, clip, clip, watch out, they may just cut something off very shortly!?