Labour leadership

[Stylo]

All over bar the shouting, Cunliffe's in serious trouble and things are looking to be very ugly ( uglier) within the Labour camp in the next few days ( weeks, months ).

He should have fallen on his sword on Saturday night given the shocking result , worst result in over 90 years for Labour, but, he hasn't and so the leadership challenge is about to kick off. It actually already has behind the scenes and probably started about about a year or so ago.

Who's gonna be the main contender and when will it happen. Robertson, Parker, Adern, Shearer , Little, Nash or .. ?

Or maybe Cunliffe should stay on, he's like the gift that keeps giving, that would probably be Key's preferred choice

[MisterD]

For my money, Kelvin Davis is their solution. Obviously a decent bloke with the leadership and organisational skills otherwise missing in the caucus unfortunately there are too many in that group with an over-inflated opinion of their skills and electability. Roberston? He's been aiming for it but what cred does an MP who lost the party vote in his electorate have?

From a right wing point of view, leaving Cunliffe in place with Roberston constantly white-anting him is perfect.

[haydes55]

How about a normal person. Labour claims to represent the poor and working class.... Yet they keep being represented by rich, old, white men. Exactly what a poor, young, mixed race family look up to........

[Motu]

Yeah, Kelvin Davis, but I don't think changing leaders forever is going to do much good, they are as lost as National was a few years back. Labour always stood for ''the working man'', but the working man has disappeared...he now works in IT and never gets his hands dirty. They need to find the significant section of NZ that needs them, and get the IT workers to develop a marketing plan.

[Oakie]

Well it won't be Andrew Little will it as he missed out getting in by one place on the list.

[R650R]

Labour always stood for ''the working man'', but the working man has disappeared...he now works in IT and never gets his hands dirty.

Sweet jesus you have to be joking. Although there are plenty of IT jobs we are still are producer nation, with lots of primary industry and also big exports of primary products/raw materials, logs, milk powder, produce etc...
A massive 70% of kiwis earn under $30k a year, I'm guessing their stacking shelves at the warehouse or paknsave not swapping out burnt hard drives...

Agree with last part, they do need to figure out who they want to represent now. And get some decent marketing. Look at National, scandal after scandal up to the wire but a clear cut marketing message even if they did infringe 8mile copyright. Thank god Winston is about to mop up the protest vote otherwise the greens would be ahead even more...

[HenryDorsetCase]

For my money, Kelvin Davis is their solution. Obviously a decent bloke with the leadership and organisational skills otherwise missing in the caucus unfortunately there are too many in that group with an over-inflated opinion of their skills and electability. Roberston? He's been aiming for it but what cred does an MP who lost the party vote in his electorate have?

From a right wing point of view, leaving Cunliffe in place with Roberston constantly white-anting him is perfect.

Good call. I've been mulling over a Grant Robertson/David Parker 1 -2 and deciding I like it. Having said that a very learned person I know said that labour is unelectable because they have no coherent message, and three masters. the "left" parties overseas are going to what we call greens and organising on environmental and social justice platforms. so basically green becomes red and moves to the centre while retaining that left vote. It is what National did a few years ago... from the right oozed into the centre. they didnt ahve to worry about anyone further right than them because, well, there wasnt anyone. except that blue/yellow crowd with one MP. say what you like about djonkey and that crew, they do play the game very well in this MMP environment.

[Hitcher]

It's not just Cunliffe. The whole Labour Party machine is fucked. Total failure requires significant change and quite a bit of pain too. The president and other presiding role holders should really start standing aside too for some new blood. Possibly new blood that has yet to be born.

[Motu]

we are still are producer nation,

A far cry from where we were at 30 years ago with factories turning out everything from clothes and shoes to cars and washing machines - factories full of workers in unions....and mostly Labour voters. Their voter base has gone, they just have to find the voter base with the numbers to get into power.

[Oscar]

It's not just Cunliffe. The whole Labour Party machine is fucked. Total failure requires significant change and quite a bit of pain too. The president and other presiding role holders should really start standing aside too for some new blood. Possibly new blood that has yet to be born.

I think it's beyond saving.
It has been hijacked by the social engineers and the rainbow wing and has very little left to offer the working man or woman.
Look at the number of seats won by Labour MP's who obviously connected with the electorate, but where Labour lost the party vote...

[sidecar bob]

How about a normal person. Labour claims to represent the poor and working class.... Yet they keep being represented by rich, old, white men.

Id rather have a smart well heeled self made millionare running the country, rather than a broken arse white trash loser that cant tie his own shoelaces.

[Oscar]

Id rather have a smart well heeled self made millonare running the country, rather than a broken arse white trash loser that cant tie his own shoelaces.

Harsh, but fair...

[HenryDorsetCase]

I think it's beyond saving.
It has been hijacked by the social engineers and the rainbow wing and has very little left to offer the working man or woman.
Look at the number of seats won by Labour MP's who obviously connected with the electorate, but where Labour lost the party vote...

the average working man or woman these days doesnt work in what might be viewed as traditional Labour occupations.... because those jobs don't exist anymore. So they are cleaners or data entry operators at the IRD or work in appalling service industry jobs in fast food places or whereever.

the interesting thing to me is that less than 20% of workers are unionised, yet the unions have a massively disproportionate control in the labour party. All because of their silly "Lets get David Shearer out" constitution.

The Nats don' have to do ANYTHING because until there is an actual opposition they can just cruise. jonkey is being all statesmanlike and gracious at present. But the slitted pupil and slithery tongue of the lizard person is just there and in about year two of this third term they will really start fucking things over. Two areas they have signalled: the RMA and (related) local gubblemunt.

so soon ALL our rivers will be full of cow shit. Undrinkable, unswimmable, unsuable. the profits are privatised, the costs are socialised.

So, you know, yay!

[HenryDorsetCase]

Id rather have a smart well heeled self made millonare running the country, rather than a broken arse white trash loser that cant tie his own shoelaces.

"broken arse white trash loser who can't tie his own shoelaces" does not describe either Cunliffe, Shearer, Goff, Helen Clark or any of their likely or potential successors.

Love is blind, they say, but hate is more so.

I would rather have someone who cares about people and our environment rather than some lizard-man who might not even be human who is only here to rape our economy to benefit a few of his rich mates.

See? it works both ways.

[Swoop]

... I would rather have someone who cares about people and our environment...

Quite true!
However liarbour cannot comprehend this approach. They are still stuck in the unionist mindset where the base of their support are the unwashed and unloved. Sadly this describes the green-ist hippys and those who were parasites on society - the perpetual university students who were unable to get a job after completing their batchelor of arts/basket-weaving, tofu blending, societal-expansionist, "qualification".
Best be heading off to the UN for a lifetime career in that field.