Written By:
mickysavage - Date published:
8:19 am, August 3rd, 2017 - 18 comments
Categories: election 2017, jacinda ardern, labour, Politics, the praiseworthy and the pitiful -
Tags: Mark Richardson, mike hosking, Patrick Gower
Man it has been good to be a left winger lately. A few days ago Labour was looking at a really rough defensive campaign where it struggled to hold its vote. Now anything looks possible. And Labour has dominated the media for the past few days with positive stories in a way I have not seen for a long time.
Things have really changed from three years ago.
A present from Gerry Brownlee… Accusing me of being "Cheerleader-in-Chief" for Jacinda Ardern. Proof they are scared. pic.twitter.com/IHm3eoJjvi
— Patrick Gower (@patrickgowernz) August 2, 2017
And National cheerleader Mike Hosking has gone really weird. A week ago he did not want a public debate about how much he is paid by the State broadcaster. Now he wants to ask what Jacinda’s future plans for her uterus are.
"It is just a question!" – Hosking agrees with Mark Richardson pic.twitter.com/7FzUnUfL1k
— NZ Media News (@thetvnews) August 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/jjpalethorpe/status/892664817214816258
Former Kiwi Cricketer Mark Richardson has also entered into the debate asking the same questions. Jacinda’s response was perfect.
Mark Richardson and Ardern – in today's @nzherald pic.twitter.com/smwSiSvIhg
— Rod Emmerson (@rodemmerson) August 2, 2017
And the twitter response has been brutal.
Ridiculous in 21stC that #women in leadership positions are subjected to gender-based attacks. Are those who make them proud of themselves? https://t.co/pgqhVUuCYE
— Helen Clark (@HelenClarkNZ) August 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/GCSBIntercepts/status/892673572598013955
What has been noticeable is that the campaign now has real momentum. The money is flowing in and volunteers are signing up at record rates. Dare I say it but it feels like the campaign has the big mo.
I hope I have not jinxed things by saying this too early.
But all kudos to Labour’s social media team for this outstanding effort.
With us and @jacindaardern? Say you're in now ➡️ https://t.co/1yZVSzeIxP #LetsDoThis pic.twitter.com/aRX73mGiMM
— New Zealand Labour (@nzlabour) August 2, 2017
But we still have just over seven weeks to the election. And there is a great deal to do. The final word goes to Dovil:
https://twitter.com/Dovil/status/892508104952209408
The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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‘Let’s Do This’ would make a great campaign slogan.
The obvious choice!
What’s more, it has an inclusive feel about it. She’s inviting everyone to join her and together we’ll do it.
How about forwarding that to LP headquarters! In three words it says challenge, excitement and optimism.
The media got hold of it. Not sure if it will come to anything but we’ll see over the next few days.
I think it’s powerful and direct and very Kiwi.
Let’s get this done !!!!!!!!!!!!
That letter from Gerry to Paddy is workplace bullying, surely.
I think it was a gentle reminder to Paddy that as Paddy is a weapon for National, he must not get enthusiastic about Jacinda.
Paddy you have been warned.
And a perfect example of why journo’s are just a little too matey with politicians these days.
I prefer the Tom Scott/Rob Muldoon type relationship.
Jacinda has handled things incredibly well so far and Labour have definitely got momentum. We need to be ready for attacks, though and that includes attacks from people on this site and others who only want THEIR idea of TRUE Left politics and can’t accept that there’s more than one way to be Left. I welcome Jacinda’s review of Labour’s policy mix and strategy – it makes sense to take the chance to re-evaluate. People have to be realistic, though – Labour has always been a broad-based party and it needs to pull in voters who’ve swung away from Left parties in recent elections. There needs to be room for both Labour and the Greens – if they’re carbon copies of each other then they’ll only really be in competition with each other, and that leave NZ no better off.
I think Jacinda’s made a great start. This election has come alive!
I think there’s a couple of polling points in looking like a competitive force. Nothing succeeds like success and I’m sure there are people who sat out previous elections because the results looked like a foregone conclusion.
Its as if the election campaign had just started. Like Nationals habit of boring themselves back to power with hackneyed tropes to their own competency. The rowers all worried they’d fall in and get sick mantras.
Like May in the UK. Had polls kept going Little being top of the list would have failed to be returned and by default… …Ardern would be weaken as victor, since if as many Labour voters realize they can get two MPs by split voting naturally means a diminished lab party vote. So its just obvious that Little would stand aside and ensure a strong Labour leader, coupled with a obvious change in style and substance.
Just hope split voting takes off coz Epson rich shouldn’t have two and the rest of us one.
Ha ! That’s generally what he does, isn’t it ?
Well … that and exploring his pedigree …
And now the poor fellow’s reduced to this level of desperation …
Putting aside the “actualy” typo … what precisely does the clause “when they have not had a chance to actualy observe their leadership skills for just two months” you know,actually mean???
DPF maybe channelling Napoleon Dynamite…
You know like numchuck skills… bowhunting skills… computer hacking skills… Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills!
Yeah, there’s like a boat-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join ’cause I’m pretty good with a bo staff.
At the moment, and allowing for pretty high levels of “media sugar fizz”, I’m picking that NZ Labour have done or are in the very early stages of doing what The Greens perhaps failed to do following the “safety net” speech.
Taking something and pushing it hard on all fronts is a world away from expecting the “something” to just magically propagate itself, which sadly, is what I think the Greens are kind of guilty of. (A “this good idea will spread on its own merit” type mentality versus the “must hammer this and sell this on every street corner” mentality of activism.)
The first approach always tends to fade off the back of an initial ‘whoosh’ of self congratulatory celebration at having come up with something really good. The second approach takes the something good as a mere starting point and a call to get all hands, more hands, sign people up hands on deck.
We’ll see in a week or so I guess. I sincerely hope I’m half wrong, because the Green Party has some very good policy that a whole heap of people in NZ really need to see enacted.
Anyone who has played cricket at a reasonably high level knows that among players it really is the bitchiest sport arround . A popular name for the worst of the perpetrators was ” cricket prick”
Mark Richardson has proved without doubt the title fits him perfectly.
I am struck by the contrast of a young bright smiling jacinda Adern, happy excited and energetic, vs the interviews with the PM and national mps, older, dull, beige, arrogant, cynical.
Better yet the media is intrigued.
There is real promise here for labour.
THE JACINDANATOR IS COMING FOR YOU BILL, GERRY , NICK AND PAULA.
And anyone else on a National party billboard.