Goodness last months June seems like years away doesn’t it? In June I pointed out a move by the ABCs to destabilise Cunliffe was under way. For pointing this out, Labour Party bloggers Rob Salmond and Lynn Prentice rushed to put the boot in.
I was “sensitive and inexperienced” according to Prentice and apparently criminally insane as far as Salmond was concerned.
I dared suggest there was internal division in June and the predictable, tired Labour Party tribalism did the rest. Labour’s inability to share the sandpit was one of the reasons I helped setting up MANA, Internet and Internet MANA because the only way you ever get Labour to do anything progressive is put a gun to their head and force them to do it. I support Cunliffe because I believe he has the ability to bring genuine progressive change, despite his Party’s infamous factions and tribalism.
So it’s a surprise a mere month after I pointed it out, that now everyone seems to accept that there is an attempt by the ABCs to move against Cunliffe, and even Prentice admits there needs to be a culling.
Wow. Amazing. So beyond the sanctimonious prick routine by some Labour Party hacks, we can now admit there is a problem inside Labour because Bryce Edwards says so? Maybe if Bryce spent less time awkwardly trying to be media star and more time researching he’d have been on this in bloody June, not a month later.
So let’s talk about what is happening inside Labour shall we?
The ABCs and Team Robertson were shocked when Cunliffe won. I mean shocked. They were so out of touch with the genuine demands from their members and affiliates for a leader who could articulate a real left wing vision that they along with the Press Gallery, believed Grant was going to be the winner.
What Wellington Labour and some of the leadership within the Unions who tried to whip affiliates away from giving members more say underestimated, was the muscle of Auckland’s left. The numbers avalanched towards Cunliffe because the democratisation of the Labour Party finally gave Auckland far more voice. This slap in the face wounded the ABCs collective ego as badly as the Press Gallery’s and shortly afterwards the knives were out for Cunliffe.
The media have waged a relentless character assassination on Cunliffe, creating fictitious bottles of $100 000 wine, creating fictitious $15 000 books and creating fictitious $150 000 donations to attack him with. They are attacking him for having a 3 day holiday, they are attacking him for wearing a red scarf, they are attacking him for showing remorse at NZs domestic violence stats.
It doesn’t matter what Cunliffe does, the mainstream media in NZ denigrates him. The bias is so extreme now, it may as well be Fox News covering Obama discussing gun control at a Gay Wedding.
Meanwhile the right wing ABCs of Shearer, Nash, Hipkins, Davis and Mallard led a social media attack last month to weaken Cunliffe’s ability to work with Hone post election, Trevor began talking about bloody Moa and Kelvin suddenly decided he was a roading planner playing Sim City. Those in Caucus who haven’t welcomed Cunliffe are more than happy to sit on their hands and let the Party lose just so those with naked ambition can set their sights on 2017.
None of this should come as any surprise.
Cunliffe was always going to have to win this election on his own, it will be his ability to front foot it with Key in the debates and the campaign that will legitimise his leadership and it will be his ability to go beyond the ABCs and reach agreements with the Greens, Internet MANA and NZ First that will give him the mandate to lead.
If Cunliffe wins and even if he doesn’t, then the culling should begin in earnest. The problem for the ABCs and Team Robertson is that if any of them are caught actively betraying Cunliffe, the membership via social media will rip them to pieces. Grant can’t become leader if he doesn’t have Auckland’s backing and if he is suspected of helping kill off one of Auckland’s favourite sons, he’s in for a hard road.
I still believe that Cunliffe can win this election, it’s just a pity there are some inside his own Caucus working to deny that.
It seems you want to deny that too. Really Martyn, was this really necessary or helpful? Arent you promoting it? Sometimes I feel that the “left’ bloggers are just as bad as the right.
Hi Martyn,
Agree the media have been relentless in their attack on Cunliffe. The fact that he has withstood it, is a testament to his strength.
I would like to know about your source re the ABC’s?
The real ABCers here are John Key and cohorts and the complicit lying media, who are doing everything they can to oust David Cunliffe out.
This election, seen from 3 years out, was Labour’s to win, or at the very least obtain a ‘winning second’. But already 2 years ago I realised Labour was sleepwalking to defeat. Serve them right. Labour got one of my votes last election; it will get neither this time around.
I feel sorry for Mr Cunliffe. He remind me of Emperor Romanus IV, setting forth to battle the Turk, in full knowledge of the knives being sharpened behind his back. When it’s the mercenaries who keep faith you know the imperial rot has really set in. Those Labour MPs betraying their Party, the principles of that Party, and their Party’s constituency ought to hang their heads in shame for the time serving useless hacks they are. Not a single worthwhile statesman to be found among them.
National meanwhile gets away with murder – people have died of this government – but instead of uniting to rid this country of that incubus, Labour hacks scurry about with their contemptible little backstairs intrigues, looking just like the pariah dogs of National, only scrawnier (leaner) and more petty (meaner).
How do you know there are labour MPs betraying the party? because the lying media said so? its not the first time the media have lied and stirred, remember the false Liu donations? where did that smear campaign come from… directly from the PM’s office.
where were you QB weekend? hipkins nash and davis lead a concerted attack for all the world to see on twitter.. this story is not so much about the ABCs but about those with their collective heads in the sand
Would that be in reference to the Mana Internet Party?
It has taken you a while Bomber but you have finally joined the dots and had the guts to say so publicly
Time after the election for a cull and let’s not forget the left wing of the media who have been just as disloyal
Yes Yes and Yes. Totally. I think he can win if the democratic process isn’t going to be tampered with. Labour need to have their scrutineers out in force to ensure votes are properly counted and all end up at the right place.
People are worried that John Key will rig the election.
It beggars belief, that they are so full of their own selfish importance, that they would rather allow one of the worst Prime ministers and Governments in N.Zs history, to have another three years of power than get in behind their leader and all the thousands of volunteers that make everything tick.
My late father was one of those volunteers, who over several decades personally gave thousands of hours, so I know first hand how much effort is put in by the grass root members. Its huge!
It actually makes me physically ill to think that a small coterie of people care only for their misguided ideological bent and are willing to go to such lengths, rather than think of the greater good of the party.
My father was an honourable man who when devoting himself to any task gave it 110%. He had no time for backstabbers or back sliders.
I know if he was alive today, he would be so furious about the lack of support shown for David Cunliffe (which means they are not acknowledging the effort put in by the volunteers) that he would personally go and start banging some heads together.
Either they should immediately get into line or get out.
David Cunliffe now needs to follow his instincts and go it alone. Thousands will applaud and support him for it.
We can definitely still win this election. Courage is what is required!
Yes – my mother and father were also strong groundwork volunteers and were very disparing of what happen after 1984. My dad said recently one of the worse things was how head office/caucus would just ignore the branches wishes (they would be at a branch meeting discussing something, vote against it and hear on the radio on the way home how it had been passed as policy by govt). I was on the phones in 84 as a 16 year old and I just can’t quite trust enough but my son is out every weekend doorknocking. It’s insulting – these people are really working hard and David Cunliffe seems – from everything I’ve seen and heard to be listneing to these people. I couldn’t give a crap what the ABC -if they’re there – think- it’s our lives that will be affected by another 3 years of Shonkey.
Definitely the revival of Moa stunt was contrived to look really stupid and embarrass Cunliffe. Hence the comments of reviving only the small ones that you can pat on the head, not the bigger ones. It stunned me because this came from a senior Labour minister who clearly wants to be unemployed come September.
There will always be people who stay too long in a career!
Oh horror, I did not even realise, this was actually written by Martyn, oh God, forgive me, I thought it was Chris Trotter.
What a change of tune though, yes, Martyn I share your concerns and assessment, for sure. Good post after all!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If the abc’s mean, is to lose this election, then the left needs to destroy them. It then becomes a priority to make sure they can’t do their jobs, by turning our collective activist skill sets, on them. Ultimately, it means creating an unworkable environments for them. Thus, forcing these idiots out of politics, for good.
Couldn’t agree more. Nicely put.
Having time to think about what I have now read and what I have suspected all I can politely say is what a fucking disgrace!
Objectively who would want Labour in government apart from at very best a junior coalition roll, ever?
If Robertson, Shearer, Nash, Hipkins, Davis and Mallard remain who the fuck wants to be around Labour with all that division, surely to God not any potential coalition partners with any sense! Although to be fair the chances of Davis and Nash even getting in to parliament with all this flurry of shit going on are getting slimmer by the hour.
Unless the above turkeys come out and get in behind DC in a positive, genuine and meaningful way maybe the time has come to vote for “Anyone But Labour” and expunge this shit from the party altogether.
Having said that it may end Labour as a political force permanently. too.
I should add vote for anyone but National/Act/Colin/Dunne
Bomber was right first time on this but don’t expect any apologies from the offending bloggers that hoed into him.
Mallard’s piss taking Moa stunt surely confirms the truth of Bomber and Chris Trotters take on the ABCs. As did the shocked look captured candidly by media on Jacinda’s dial when the leadership result was announced. They are really ALPs–anything but a left Labour Party.
Having ‘Chimpkins’ and co constantly hovering about him is a major mistake by David Cunliffe not an example of “keeping your enemies close”.
Regardless, people have to keep on keeping on, enrolling people to vote and encouraging and assisting them to do so via early voting stations. If people can’t or won’t vote Labour then they bloody well better vote Green or Internet Mana for a change of government.
If there is a move within Labour to force the present leader out then they have lost my vote this year and for evermore.
I don’t care who would take over as leader if they destabilise Labour this close to an election, that tells me they are more interested in their careers than in New Zealand and it’s people.
I’ll vote Mana/Internet Party.
Finally Martyn you might be getting through to some of the head in the sand brigade, I have asked you several times to expose all of the ABCs and are doing so again, not for me but for all those that deny.
Joyce did a wonderful job in naming quite a few of them in the general debate yesterday but most that deny would not have seen or heard that or put it down to the nats throwing crap.
Most of the ABCs are the leftovers of the leftovers of the douglas regime but there are new disciples as well in the form of hipkins, nash, davis. there are probably many other new ones that have sidled into a comfy seat as well that I am not aware of their leanings.
To be clear the ones that I know are: Goff, Mallard, Street, O’ Connor, Shearer, Hipkins, Davis, Nash, Twyford, Cosgrove, Dyson, King. a cpl have resigned during this term so I wont name them.
David Cunliffe WILL WIN this election. I’m going to help him, and have a man as PM who will listen to us. And we are going save NZ from the destruction now in dubious control under the current liars!!!
Dwants. Yes , now that’s the sort of attitude I want to see!
About the only think I can think of to save Labour from its right-wing faction is to follow the Internet Party in giving their members a direct say in policies. This will never happen and so Labour is dead – it just doesn’t know it yet.
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