Much to the delight of the right wing chattering class, the Te Atatu electorate has written a letter attacking Labour leadership:
Labour’s Te Atatu electorate committee has written for a second time to the party backing expelled MP Chris Carter and effectively expressing no confidence in leader Phil Goff.
The letter, dated November 20, said the local committee had two weeks earlier unanimously resolved to write expressing “our disgust at the way our MP Chris Carter has been treated over the last four months”.
It took issue with how Mr Carter was told of his expulsion from the party and complained the committee had not been consulted about his future and says there is “no certainty” that any other Labour candidate would retain the seat.
It isn’t clear who wrote the letter, but it is clear that its intent was to do maximum damage:
Electorate secretary Jenny Atkins today confirmed the letter, sent to party president Andre Little and leaked to National-leaning Kiwiblog website, was legitimate, but declined to comment on any details of it.
She denied a suggestion Mr Carter himself had written it, but would not say whether she had written it herself.
I’m not going to condemn the electorate for standing by Chris Carter. Having done the odd turn as an electorate chair, I know how strong the bond of loyalty with each other, and with the MP, can be. However I do suggest, with all due respect to Te Atatu, that the way that they are choosing to express that loyalty is both unwise, and damaging to a greater bond that draws the whole party together.
Whatever. I have no doubt that Te Atatu will keep doing what they feel they must, and I suggest that none should escalate the situation by responding too loudly. In any case, I don’t think there is any shock value to the public in further revelations about Chris Carter, just a bit of titillation for the blog fodder.
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress