Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Some Lines for Labour

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  • A C Young,

    In some ways it almost seems like Labour wants to lose the next election.

    In terms of clear and consistent messaging and voting on principles, the Greens have earned any extra votes they pick up.

    Wellington • Since Feb 2011 • 35 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    good luck with finding any Opposition here in NZL.

    have voted Labour forever. not this time round. they're just too bloody useless for words.

    perhaps this election will see the rise of a third party able to oppose the NatLab centre-party.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Labour turned Question Time into a series of questions for Key that, as John Armstrong noted the next day, the Prime Minister simply batted away. Or, rather, he returned each serve with spin.

    And, I think it’s fair to note, degenerated into an incredibly serious allegation from Trevor Mallard (which he has refused to repeat outside the protection of Parliamentary privilege, naturally) that wasn’t so much half-baked as raw dough.

    As National took far too long to learn, when you’re attacking the Prime Minister’s character it kind of helps if your attack doesn't have truthiness issues.

    It might also help if Mallard wasn't re-Tweeting lame and offensive cracks about Maggie Barry being a "hoe". Not the kind of front bench support Labour's candidate in North Shore needs or welcomes, I suspect.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Carol Stewart,

    Hard to disagree, AC Young.
    Every time I watch the Parliament coverage on TV, I am struck by just how awful John Key is. He doesn't seem to have a strategy in Question Time beyond laying every current problem at the door of the previous administration and this surely can't carry him much further, it's pretty lame already.

    Wellington • Since Jul 2008 • 830 posts Report

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    Mallard seems to spend most of his days posting bizarre conspiracy theories on his blog and exchanging insults with Cameron Slater over Twitter.

    He who fights with monsters . . .

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • 3410,

    (although as Scott Yorke says, doing so is largely fighting the last war -- I'd link to his post but Blogger is having a sulk)

    http://www.imperatorfish.com/2011/05/fighting-last-war.html

    _________

    Patrick Gower's stout series of reports revealing that cars owned by the taxpayer actually use petrol.)

    Well, that's the way everyone seems to be framing it.
    To me, it looks very much like Judith Collins' husband is getting $12k pa of free petrol, and Bill English's kids have pranged the free car 15 times.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Carol Stewart,

    Every time I watch the Parliament coverage on TV, I am struck by just how awful John Key is. He doesn’t seem to have a strategy in Question Time beyond laying every current problem at the door of the previous administration and this surely can’t carry him much further, it’s pretty lame already.

    And what’s Labour’s grand strategy – oh, that’s right. “National’s secret agenda”! “A vote for National is a vote for Don Brash eating your kitten!” “Yes, we voted for it but it’s still evil anyway!”

    I'm sure this will be dismissed as concern-trolling, but I'd rather like to have a serious Labour Party back again. As a partisan Tory, of course I want Labour to keep screwing up. But as a citizen, we all need an opposition that can (or can be bothered) acting as a credible check and balance on the government of the day.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Carol Stewart,

    Can we agree that they're both awful, Craig? What have we done to deserve such all round awfulness?
    Maybe 'twas ever thus.

    Wellington • Since Jul 2008 • 830 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Carol Stewart,

    Can we agree that they’re both awful, Craig?

    Madame, I believe we can enter into good-faith negotiations on that basis. :)

    What have we done to deserve such all round awfulness?

    If my karmic overdraft isn't seriously reduced, I'll be having words with the cosmic bank manager.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Carol Stewart,

    You're on!

    Wellington • Since Jul 2008 • 830 posts Report

  • Paul Campbell,

    I think that aforesaid 'cosmic bank manager' is probably crying in his/her beer and complaining about overdrafts and wondering about govt bailouts

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • 3410,

    Since we're on the subject of What Labour Can Do, can I offer a suggestion?

    Phil,
    I know some twit told you that a non-stop massive grin makes you look confident and in command. It doesn't; it makes you look like you are just thrilled with having National in charge.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Joshua Arbury,

    Good post Russell.

    It's interesting to think that at the last election I really wanted to vote for both Labour and the Greens as I felt both parties were worthy of my vote. I suspect this time my decision will come down to which party is being less useless. The Greens are probably winning on that front at the moment - though I wish they would learn that they lose far more votes than they gain from many of their "hard left" policies.

    One wonders whether Labour's uselessness right now is because they have stuffed up with the timing of settling on their policies. There may be a growing unease about the government but at the moment there is no alternative vision, Cunliffe's good work is being ignored because Labour are too busy focusing on stupid stuff, and they generally seem disorganised.

    I know some good policymaking is going on behind the scenes, they just need to start talking about it - quickly.

    I thought Goff's "The many not the few" speech a while back was great. How come we haven't heard that line in months?

    Auckland • Since May 2009 • 237 posts Report

  • andrew r, in reply to Che Tibby,

    'have voted Labour forever. not this time round. they're just too bloody useless for words.'

    Greens maybe ? Russell Norman seems currently to be very, on the job.

    auckland • Since May 2007 • 100 posts Report

  • Paul Campbell, in reply to Paul Campbell,

    (BTW I was referring to the bank's accounts for various political party functionaries, not yours in particular Craig, which I'm sure is full to overflowing)

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • Che Tibby, in reply to andrew r,

    to be honest, it's all we're left with.

    perhaps, with the right kind of approach, the Greens could shake their looney-left image and seriously position themselves as a credible government leader.

    with the two main parties now completing for the same bribe-induced vote, something aspirational would be a thing i'd vote for.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic,

    Policy is on Labour's side, and Key is increasingly a sitting duck. But their PR has been patchy since Mike Munro departed. And Goff comes across as a first-rate captain and a second-rate general - like Mike Moore in the 1990-1993 term. Any suggestions for a decent PR man/woman?

    Another factor is the well-oiled theo-con lobby hijacking the culture war agenda in the Clark Govt's last term. Previously it was easy to dismiss the theo-cons as a joke, but now that many of them have been appointed to jobs for the old boys, I'm not so sure.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Kumara Republic,

    Policy is on Labour’s side, and Key is increasingly a sitting duck. But their PR has been patchy since Mike Munro departed. And Goff comes across as a first-rate captain and a second-rate general – like Mike Moore in the 1990-1993 term.

    Whatever charisma Goff had -- and it wasn't a lot -- seems to drain away daily. 3 News had quite a nice little story about old Clyde dam workers outraged by the idea that the dam might be privatised.

    It was clearly a story supplied by Labour, and Goff was there on location -- but every time he was on camera it was like the lights went out. I think it's a real problem for them.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to A C Young,

    seems like Labour wants to lose the next election

    Actually I don’t F’ing care what they want. It’s their responsibility as representatives of a portion of the population of NZ to try and represent those people. That portion of the population desperately wants the National government removed, the job of the Labour party is to try and do that even if the subsequent job is difficult .

    When you represent people what you want matters less than the people you represent. FFS it’s in the damn job title!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    I’m sure this will be dismissed as concern-trolling, but I’d rather like to have a serious Labour Party back again.

    Nope not a troll. You are exactly right.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Carol Stewart,

    What have we done to deserve such all round awfulness?

    I actually think there are serious answers to this question.

    My personal guess is that by making elections popularity contests we (the public) have promoted an environment in the political parties that is totally focussed on personal popularity.

    Policy is only relevant if, and only if, it will raise the popularity of the faces on the billboards.

    How you create an environment where the consequences of policy is more important than personal popularity becomes the difficult question.

    Labour appears to be paralyzed because they haven't got a popular person to promote (Goff) and have no idea to do anything else eg promote policy.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    What have we done to deserve such all round awfulness?

    My thesis is that Clark and Cullen were brilliant and driven enough to run their party, and then their government by themselves, aided by very high calibre staff (Heather Simpson, Mike Munro, Grant Robertson). To secure their own position they stacked their cabinet with people who were personally loyal to them, and incapable of challenging them.

    Which worked really well, until all the people who ran the party left at once. That's why we currently have a vacuum instead of an opposition.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Ian MacKay,

    I think that Labour is using so called trivia currently, but the wasteful spending does resonate with people who just read the headlines and glaze over economic detail.
    I predict (and I am sometimes right about the weather) that following the Budget next week Labour will launch a make or break campaign. Its the Economy stupid and it is in the form of the problems we have with the cost of living.

    Bleheim • Since Nov 2006 • 498 posts Report

  • Peter Martin,

    To me, it looks very much like Judith Collins' husband is getting $12k pa of free petrol, and Bill English's kids have pranged the free car 15 times.

    Zackerly. How that helps an MP do their business about their electorate is anyone's guess.

    degenerated into an incredibly serious allegation from Trevor Mallard (which he has refused to repeat outside the protection of Parliamentary privilege, naturally) that wasn’t so much half-baked as raw dough.

    It's now morphed into the dealer expressing an interest in picking up the old Cars for resale...

    An Opposition party that simply declares it will return every government policy to its previous default will struggle to convince anyone that it is looking forward.

    Yeah well at this stage ...yanno: the lead into the election with the budget due, all we seem to have is an Opposition that appears to be in broad agreement with the Govt.

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 187 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Meanwhile, Don Brash's open letter to John key might be the most socially divisive rant I've ever seen from a New Zealand political leader. Winston Peters included.

    It's bizarre.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

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