Thank you Andrew – go well Jacinda!

54 comments on “Thank you Andrew – go well Jacinda! ”

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1. Ovid 1

   1 August 2017 at 11:15 am

   And now it’s confirmed. Ardern is leader and Davis the deputy.
2. Bunji 2

   1 August 2017 at 11:17 am

   Thank you Anthony.
   I don’t blame Labour Caucus either. I thank Andrew for uniting Labour for the last 3 years & getting Labour moving in the same direction. Not sure why there was a lack of cut-through to the public, but hopefully Jacinda can get that.

   Can you please put up live stream of formal announcement of Jacinda&Kelvin as new team at midday?
   • r0b 2.1

     1 August 2017 at 11:20 am

     Will do.
3. RRM 3

   1 August 2017 at 11:21 am

   Hear hear, I wouldn’t vote for him (obviously) but he seems like a good honest guy. Better luck in his next endeavours.
   • garibaldi 3.1

     1 August 2017 at 11:34 am

     Go back to your union bashing RRM. You’re not needed here.
     • RRM 3.1.1

       1 August 2017 at 12:32 pm

       I <3 haters 🙂
       • lprent 3.1.1.1

         1 August 2017 at 12:48 pm

         As a gentle warning RRM. Curb your tendency to do dumbarse trolling.

         I have a low tolerance for it these days due to a lack of time, and tend to give a very fast 4 month ban when I detect it. Add to the discussion rather than give me cause to look at you with my moderator cap on.
         • RRM 3.1.1.1.1

           1 August 2017 at 1:11 pm

           I have been nothing but complimentary of Andrew Little today. You look and see if I haven’t.

           At least he was a union man and, therefore, by definition, for those who work.
           • In Vino 3.1.1.1.1.1

             1 August 2017 at 4:44 pm

             Weasel words RRM. May I quote your comment No.40 (11.18am) from Bunji’s post?
             “Little seemed like a decent guy to me. Just not quite right for that job.
             Thanks trade unions for your influence and control over who gets to be labour leader. It keeps the party divided and weak, therefore it’s good for New Zealand!”
             Garibaldi is right – you are a Tory Union-basher. And the implication is that Little – even if he was a decent guy, was forced upon the party by the dastardly unions. “Just not quite right for that job” indeed…
             Take responsibility for the bilge you write – don’t try to veneer over it.
             • One Anonymous Bloke …

               1 August 2017 at 4:48 pm

               Asking a right winger to display some personal responsibility begs disappointment.
4. WILD KATIPO 4

   1 August 2017 at 11:25 am

   The NZ Herald is right into the Dirty Politics campaign with Jacinda now – a large picture of her looking frumpy , head down … didn’t take them long ,… there needs to be some complaints laid about all this … broadcasting standards and electoral interference or something…

   WHAT . A . PACK . OF . ARSEHOLES . NZ . HERALD
   • Ffloyd 4.1

     1 August 2017 at 11:41 am

     I have the feeling that key is lurking in the background. Orchestrating.
     • WILD KATIPO 4.1.1

       1 August 2017 at 11:45 am

       Nah. Just a few good mates of Mattew Hooten in the Labour party. And as I maintain , they need to be purged. Neo liberals belong in either ACT or National.

       Not Labour.
   • Jilly Bee 4.2

     1 August 2017 at 12:44 pm

     My thoughts too about that photo WK – also Audrey Young, Barry Soper, Matthew Hooten et al are all weighing in now with their six-penneth worth. Dirty Politics 2017 style, here we go. My initial response to Andrew’s resignation was a weary ‘Oh No’ to whoever was in my hearing range (just a couple of cats actually!), and then I was going to resign from the party I have been a member of on and off for over 40 years and stop my monthly donations to VFL. Have calmed down now after also pondering who the hell I would vote for, but the other parties just don’t add up, though if push came to shove I could vote for the Green Party. I actually went to school with Gareth Morgan, he was a few years younger than me, but no TOP for me. So, come on Jacinda Ardern and Kelvin Davis, show us what you are made of. Just caught a bit of the live stream interview with Jacinda giving that odious Paddy Gower a serve – you go girl (and Kelvin).
     • Wensleydale 4.2.1

       1 August 2017 at 3:23 pm

       She needs to keep that up. Giving Gower stick, I mean. He’s a smug hobgoblin of a man, and she’ll likely win a few hearts and minds by slapping him down every now and then.
   • rhinocrates 4.3

     1 August 2017 at 5:07 pm

     Doesn’t come on rolls, doesn’t absorb, coarse texture, all these ugly black markings instead of pastel images of seashells and starfish. Not even scented. What use is it?
5. Ovid 5

   1 August 2017 at 11:30 am

   One positive note is that Ardern signals a generational shift and aside from David Seymour is the only Parliamentary party leader under 40.

   She may yet weave the same magic Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau have enjoyed. In the US presidential election last year, Xers + Millennials outweighed Boomers. If not this year then very soon it will be the same case here.
   • DoublePlusGood 5.1

     1 August 2017 at 11:42 am

     The allusion to Macron and Trudeau is apt – both of these have pretended to be left wing but are actually committed neoliberals.
     • Ovid 5.1.1

       1 August 2017 at 11:46 am

       You’re not going to pull in soft Nat supporters without appearing moderate. Surges between the Greens and Labour are not enough.
6. nzsage 6

   1 August 2017 at 11:32 am

   I like Andrew, a honest, hardworking man and with something very rare in politics, integrity.

   However, the bigger picture is getting Labour into power at the next election and I think he’s done the right thing by resigning.

   Jacinda WILL give Labour a boost in the polls.

   Let’s hope, for the sake of the majority of New Zealanders, it’s enough to get them across the line.
7. indiana 7

   1 August 2017 at 11:32 am

   When National won the last election, there were many commentators here that said that National did not have a mandate, as there was such a low voter turn out and proportionally they did not have the mandate of the NZ public. I’m expecting voter turnout to be even lower this time round. If Jacinda some how pulls it off, will she have a mandate?
   • garibaldi 7.1

     1 August 2017 at 11:36 am

     The answer ,indiana , is yes.
   • DoublePlusGood 7.2

     1 August 2017 at 11:43 am

     I don’t expect any government to have the true support of the people for a long, long time.
8. Cinny 8

   1 August 2017 at 11:38 am

   Thank you Andrew, you’ve worked so very hard. A true team player, he was never in it for himself. I wanted to vote for you Andrew.

   Jacinda I had the pleasure of meeting you a few months back, amazing lady, all the best to you.
9. SP 9

   1 August 2017 at 11:41 am

   My party vote will be going to Labour for the first time in a very long time! Finally someone that I can relate to. Go well Jacinda!
10. kane656 10

    1 August 2017 at 12:15 pm

    Thanks Anthony. My thoughts exactly. Andrew did a good job and had external factors against him most of the time.

    I think this will be a good thing for the party, and hopefully the country as whole when it comes to election time. No more questions about leadership. A really clear vision. And for the first time in a long time, Gen Y and Zers on the left have someone in Jacinda they can really connect with in the Labour Party. And it would seem she can connect well with members of the caucaus too.

    I can see the polls going up (and up) for her and Labour as her profile increases. Momentum will create even further momentum. Social media will go into overdrive. Pics of her and her partner (well-known ex-bFM personality Clarke Gayford) in the womens’ mags. Suddenly things will look brighter. Could we even see the first PM in history DJIng at her election night victory?

    Go Jacinda!
11. savenz 11

    1 August 2017 at 12:23 pm

    Totally disagree, Little’s strategy was working.

    Yep the Labour/Greens/NZ First alliance was on 50% beating National 47%.

    So apparently that was not acceptable to National and to MSM – so pressure was put on to give National the help they need to keep selling off our country and importing in cheap workers but derailing the steady hand aka Andrew Little keeping the alliance in place.

    Andrew Little was a fucking hero, against all the odds ensuring that the alliance could work and beat the Natz.

    Little got results that mattered – the guy was beating the Natz and NZ First voters overwhelming wanted an alliance with Labour – together they were on 50% with the Greens.

    So Andrew Little got fucked over somehow and made to feel like a loser, before he could even play his final cards to take out the Natz.

    It was all fake news of doom and gloom, his collaborative strategy was winning!
12. Andre 12

    1 August 2017 at 12:29 pm

    Hmm, could be interesting negotiations around the Prime Ministership.

    Suppose the results end up something like 22 Labour/16 Greens/16 NZ1st. Then Labour doesn’t really have much of a claim to being the senior member of the group. Of the party leaders, Winston would have by far the most experience and seniority, with Metiria next, then Jacinda, then James.

    A year apiece as PM and Deputy for Winston, Metiria and Jacinda?
13. Louis 13

    1 August 2017 at 12:44 pm

    Gosh if only people had of been this supportive of Labour when Andrew Little was leader. How many parties have won after a leadership change this close to an election?
14. Henry Filth 14

    1 August 2017 at 12:45 pm

    The timing just makes me think of 1990.
    • Psycho Milt 14.1

      1 August 2017 at 12:50 pm

      With good reason – it features similar levels of mindless panic and will have a similar effect on voters.
      • swordfish 14.1.1

        1 August 2017 at 1:50 pm

        Nyet

        Moore replacing Palmer 6 weeks out from 1990 Election saved Lab a number of seats + about 2 % (according to NZ Election Study). He repelled some but attracted more.
15. Adrian 15

    1 August 2017 at 12:55 pm

    Andrew would have made a very good Prime Minister but in this new media age its is all about the salesperson.
    Watch Jacindas approval among women jump markedly, I know of 3 Nat women who will now vote for her but they never would have voted for AW. It is simply about the spokesperson for the things that concern even quite a few Nat women, child poverty, health and education. Hard things to sell to the target audience by an older white male.
    ( Disclaimer: I’m one ! )
    And I haven’t even mentioned the young.
    I suspect that she is secretly the leader that a very large proportion of our Labour Party has wanted all along.
    She owned that press conference like no other Labour leader has done since Helen Clark and with “relentless optimism ” theres your slogan right there.
    • Draco T Bastard 15.1

      1 August 2017 at 3:24 pm

      I suspect that she is secretly the leader that a very large proportion of our Labour Party has wanted all along.

      Yes, the speed of the transfer was amazing. Almost like it was planned.

      She owned that press conference like no other Labour leader has done since Helen Clark

      Yep, she did well in it.
16. seeker 16

    1 August 2017 at 1:03 pm

    @lprent

    Not being able to write comments too easily anymore I would like to say that I totally agree with everything you have written in your post and your comments (not sure about NZF one tho’) Thank ypu for expressing them so well. Am voting Green too now.
    • seeker 16.1

      1 August 2017 at 1:32 pm

      Oops my comment is on wrong post, should have been on lprent’s “O.K. so I’m pissed off with the Labour caucus…”.
      This dopey mistake just reinforces why I don’t comment too much anymore!
      • Draco T Bastard 16.1.1

        1 August 2017 at 3:25 pm

        Heh, we’ve all done it 😀
        • seeker 16.1.1.1

          13 August 2017 at 10:05 am

          Even tho’ it’s days later……… thanks for the cheery uplift Draco. Much appreciated.
17. Marcus Morris 17

    1 August 2017 at 1:48 pm

    A seamless and inspired transition. My first reaction to the news that Andrew Little might stand down was one of mild dismay but I had not seen this combination coming. Now I feel energised.
    Andrew Little is a sincere and able person but, from the outset, he lacked the x factor needed to get wide public support, especially from the swinging voter, so essential for success in any election.
    Over the last fifty years Labour has had three such figures, Norman Kirk, so tragically taken in his prime ( and how the country has suffered from that loss), David Lange ( whose legacy was principally his stand for an independent foreign policy – Tomorrows Schools was a disaster) and Helen Clark. All three were, in their own way, charismatic and certainly strong orators. Andrew really has neither of these qualities. Neither of course did a whole succession of National leaders, especially the current incumbent but such is the psyche of New Zealand’s conservative element (little c intended) that those elements are not essential.

    Jeremy Corbyn ran a magnificent campaign in Britain a very short time ago and with little more time to have done it in. Every New Zealander who is tired of what must rank as the most duplicitous government in modern times, needs to get behind and promote the new faces (Greens included) of the Left and do their best to return New Zealand to the just and fair society it once was. Three more years of Tory neglect is going to make that adjustment very difficult indeed.
18. silvertuatara 18

    1 August 2017 at 1:54 pm

    Jacinda will make a fantastic prime minister, and I am also really happy to see Kelvin Davis assume the role of Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

    I know of many 40-50 year olds that have the upmost respect in the way Jacinda Adern approaches politics.

    Jacinda has also brought a level of dignity to politics that has not been seen in the last 9 years within the current National Government. Jacinda has stood above personal attacks on her appearance and does not involve herself in petty/ and or dirty politics which is refreshing to see.

    Yet at the same time Jacinda will not back away from asking the hard questions of the current National government, both through the press and within parliament. So if you ask me who I would be comfortable with as being the next female prime minister of New Zealand when comparing Jacinda Adern, with say, National’s Paula Bennett, Nicky Kaye, etc, Jacinda wins easily through her advanced intellect and greater emotional intelligence.

    And I am looking forward to seeing Kelvin Davis’ and Jacinda Adern’s greater prominence resonate in a manner that will be positively embraced by the Maori population as a whole, so that Labour, as part of the wider left movement is seen as a fresh and credible option for support this election so as to displace the National Government who have failed New Zealand’s middle and lower (for which Maori are over represented in) classes over the past 9 years.
19. RedLogix 19

    1 August 2017 at 3:08 pm

    A thoughtful comment from Gareth Morgan:

    It’s an awful day for Andrew Little and I for one am sad to see him go; he’s a gentleman and for sure has the interests of New Zealanders who are struggling deeply ingrained in his being. That matters.

    While Andrew has gone I would say that his departure does not address Labour’s challenge to stay relevant in 2017. What would do are policies that are designed for the 21st Century and not attempts to rehash a 1970’s tax and targeted welfare regime that is well past its use-by date.

    Labour has gone so close to trying to promote stuff that’s relevant to the plight of increasing numbers of New Zealanders who are not sharing in the prosperity that the rest of us are. Their “Future of Work” conference and capital gains tax initiatives have been just two examples. But each time the party has pulled back for fear of opening too big a policy difference with National, the incumbent government. And that has been a loss for voters who need contestability of ideas if they are going to find the best way forward.

    http://www.top.org.nz/labour_in_trouble_is_not_good_for_new_zealand
    • Draco T Bastard 19.1

      1 August 2017 at 3:28 pm

      I’d agree with him there.
      • Anne 19.1.1

        1 August 2017 at 5:33 pm

        Me too.
    • DoublePlusGood 19.2

      1 August 2017 at 3:40 pm

      Spot on commentary from Gareth. He’s can be quite astute from time to time, when he decides to take a break from calling people morons.
    • rhinocrates 19.3

      1 August 2017 at 6:13 pm

      Likewise. I respect Gareth Morgan as a commentator who has something interesting and astute to say. As a politician… well, that’s an unknown.

      when he decides to take a break from calling people morons

      The problem with intelligent people is that most of the time, especially in politics, they are dealing with morons – just look at the major parties’ front benches that are stuffed with the intellectual equivalent of Christmas Puddings who couldn’t find jobs elsewhere and use parliament as a stepping stone to corporate board memberships. People like Morgan can be forgiven for forgeting that they aren’t the only smart people around.
      • RedLogix 19.3.1

        1 August 2017 at 6:41 pm

        I’ve just come out of a two hour meeting with someone very much like Morgan. Incredibly smart and if you say stupid things around him you do get the ‘moron’ treatment PDQ. It can be bit bloody at times.

        But he does keep me on my toes, and I have nothing but respect for what this man has achieved in his chosen field.

        I imagine a lot of people find it hard to distinguish between bullying and challenging. Especially when you’re on the receiving end of it. The difference is a question of motive and outcome; bullying is intended to diminish and demean, while challenging may be uncomfortable, it creates new possibilities.

        I can see how Morgan’s blunt presentation offends a lot of people; but I find him interesting.
    • mosa 19.4

      1 August 2017 at 6:47 pm

      Word’s of truth !!!!!!!!!
20. dave 20

    1 August 2017 at 5:19 pm

    Can’t believe labour were so dumb here.

    Ditching the leader this close, and for Jacinda. Seriously?
21. rhinocrates 21

    1 August 2017 at 5:34 pm

    Well good luck to Jacinda Ardern and I’m glad to see someone as spirited as Kelvin Davis as her deputy instead of one of the lukewarm bowls of porridge as her deputy.

    Personally, I’ve not seen much from her yet, but people I respect speak well of her, and these are politically volatile times when safe extrapolations are not at all safe.

    I’m sure that Little is a nice guy, indeed a gentleman, in his limited way, but he would have been a competent dependable senior minister or a good steady hand in safe, steady times. His very inoffensiveness was his weakness however – it indicated that he’d never offer a real change. His willingness to back down on the 90-day law so easily and his willingness to ridicule transgender folk for a cheap score showed his lack of backbone.

    Ardern still seems to me someone who is privileged, not someone who has had to fight. Her dismissal of Metiria’s necessary and desperate dealing with Winz was nasty and showed her disconnection from the struggles many New Zealanders face daily.

    Hopefully Kelvin Davis will compensate for that. He seems to have a popular appeal that Labour’s incredibly tin-eared selection of the misogynists O’Connor and Jackson as candidates are supposed to have, but obviously don’t. Women and minorities vote FYI, and you don’t have to be an awful reactionary bigot in the advanced stages of testosterone poisoning to be populist (and why, for God’s sake, Nash? Just tell him to join National and be honest).

    Thankfully, it wasn’t just a caucus schemer like Robertson or Parker that was selected. However, the self-appointed nobility are still around, aided by people like Pagani, Quinn and Iagreewithmatthew (is his name Williams? I forget). If Labour is unable to make a government after the election, then the opportunists will be out with their knives once again. That will be Labour’s death-knell and demonstration of its terminal decadence as a party.

    I’ve a little smidgeon of hope that there will be a Labour-led government supported by the Greens and the Maori Party. Now, I know that the latter may seem like a strange choice, but Labour has to admit that it took Maori for granted and the split that produced the Maori Party was an avoidable catastrophe. The Maori Party in coalition with National has not delivered for Maori and that is well known. Weka, I disagree that Tuku Morgan has been “unnecessarily antagonistic.” That anger was well-earned and he needs to make his party’s position clear while making his own detachment from National credible as a consistent concern for Maori, not attachment to a party of capitalists. If Adern and Davis can build a bridge with him, that would be a great thing. Labour’s dealings with the Maori Party in the coming weeks may be critical.
    • Draco T Bastard 21.1

      1 August 2017 at 5:51 pm

      The Maori Party in coalition with National has not delivered for Maori and that is well known.

      Which is why they’re now on their deathbed pleading with Labour to work with them.
      • greywarshark 21.1.1

        1 August 2017 at 6:06 pm

        If the Maori Party can work with Labour it is right for Labour to have some sort of working agreement with them and give them the opportunity to advance good Maori policies. Also to ensure that the good ones they have built up are not left to drift without sufficient funding. We could look forward to another renaissance. That would be heartening.
    • Anne 21.2

      1 August 2017 at 6:33 pm

      Her dismissal of Metiria’s necessary and desperate dealing with Winz was nasty and showed her disconnection from the struggles many New Zealanders face daily.

      Yes. that dismayed me too rhinocrates. She was pandering to the ignorance of the middle classes who have never been in that situation and therefore don’t have a clue what it was like for the many thousands thrown on the scrap heap in the 1990s… trying to live on $130 per week and disallowed by law to make up the shortfall with a bit of part-time work. The destitution of so many finally prompted the Bolger govt. to introduce an $80 gross income per week from other sources over and above the benefit. It was increased to around $100 (not quite sure what it is now) by the Clark govt, in the 2000s.

      As one of those affected at the time I found that statement of Jacinda’s revealing.
22. mosa 22

    1 August 2017 at 7:15 pm

    Yes Anne i was on the sickness benefit from 1999 to 2002 with a neck injury that ACC would not cover.
    I was able to work 12 hours a week in a low risk job while i waited for surgery and to supplement the benefit which was very little to live on by $80 per week.

    You have to know what it is like to live or exist on a low income which is why i had some sympathy with Metiria and her disclosure of claiming allowances from the system that is so punitive and destructive.

    If the amount you can earn has improved…. fantastic.

    As for Jacinda i would not worry too much because the Greens will be Labours conscience in government.
    • rhinocrates 22.1

      1 August 2017 at 9:35 pm

      As for Jacinda i would not worry too much because the Greens will be Labours conscience in government.

      Labour needs one, for sure. They’ve been trying so desperately to gain the Nat voters for so long, they’ve forgotten who they are. Mumbles the Clown once said that gaining a National vote was worth twice as much as any other, and while he’s gone, that thinking remains.

      If they make a government, they need a conscience to be as big a part of that coalition as possible, and for that reason I’ll be voting Green.

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