Union structures and their hierarchy are virtually impregnable

What absolute bull faeces DexterX.

The most successful union in the country is the business lobby. Their spokesperson and figurehead is John Key. He wasn't elected...he was chosen by good organisers.

A union is just a bunch of people with the same self-interest...not a bunch of commies hanging out under our beds.

A well organised union is a successful union. An badly organised union is by definition not a union at all. The Labour Party hasn't been a well run union (small "u") for a while now.

the vote should’ve just been made by the caucus.

Why? Because it's more democratic? Or because the evil union guy wouldn't have won?

All I'm saying is that I think he has a long-term plan and that I believe that he is competent. Everyone else in the competition seemed to be relying on their own imagined cult of personality and some sort of marketing miracle.

New Plymouth...sorry New Plymouth...doesn't REALLY matter does it? His campaign has been focused on this role from the outset. Justifying New Plymouth is the least of his problems...

Yeah...he may be an abject failure...I'm happy to be proved wrong. But...like I said, I've seen him operate and rate him.

I agree Jack.

Hooten is right...Little doesn't need us all to "give him a break", he just has to harden up...which is exactly what he's doing and has done in a very successful campaign that goes right back to the union-backed election of Cunliffe. If you doubt his ability to organise and get what he wants, look at what's just happened.

I figure most of the "Labour" people complaining about what's happened voted for the Greens anyway...

Like

What a bunch of anti-union horse shit from the MSM and people who should know better. How about basing opinions of Andrew Little on some sort of experience of working with the guy?

Here's my experience - for what its worth: I worked with him when I was a journalist delegate in the EPMU during a very unsettled period of labour relations. Andrew was cool - not hip - just calm, rational and inclusive. As delegates we were never bullied or manipulated by him and his team - he always came across as working for us in our best interests. His organisational skills were good - and best of all he always came across as honest. His ability to work with the most intransigent arseholes (my words not his) from the management side amazed me. He always understood that they had a business to run and that profit AND survival were their goals. He never seemed to take anything that was dished up to us all personally.

Like John Key before him...a man that to me has no charisma...you might all be surprised by what he can do. Hell...even Paula Bennett has proved herself to be an awesome politician (unfortunately).

Then again...I could be wrong...after all I'm just a unionist.