Update: Who would you SUPPORT as Labour Party leader?
Andrew Little (48%, 106 Votes)
David Cunliffe (41%, 91 Votes)
Grant Robertson (11%, 26 Votes)Total Voters: 223
Poll on who who dailyblog readers want as Labour leader
It looks that the race for the leadership of the Labour Party will be between by two Right candidates, Grant Robertson and David Shearer. And two Left candidates David Cunliffe and Andrew Little.
The Labour Party caucus led by Labour Deputy leader David Parker is in open revolt against David Cunliffe as their elected leader. When the caucus made the undemocratic demand that Cunliffe hand over his leadership to someone of their choosing, (Robertson). David Cunliffe had no choice but to step down and seek a mandate from the membership. To do less would have been to let down those who had voted for him in the first place.
I have sympathy for Andrew Little’s bid, his Left Wing credentials are good.
My worry is that he will split the Left vote and allow the Right to take advantage of this split. The effect of splitting the Left vote will be particularly pronounced if David Shearer announces before Tuesday that he won’t be standing after all, so as to give the other Right candidate Chris Robertson a clear run at the top job.
David Cunliffe by stepping down is asking for a vote of confidence from the Labour Party rank and file. But more than being a vote of confidence, a membership vote that returns David Cunliffe as Party Leader, will be a membership vote of no confidence in the Right dominated Labour caucus.
So while I am sympathetic to Andrew Little…
Any other leader chosen, be it Robertson, or Shearer, even Little, will not bring this struggle between the Left and Right to a head. In my opinion none of these three either have the will or the experience to be able shift the caucus from their comfortable neo liberal positions. My fear is that in the case of Andrew Little, he will wind up just being played by a trucelent and unruly right wing caucus.
On the other hand a Cunliffe victory could change everything.
Coming from Right Wing perspective Vernon Small in a post last year sets out the size of the problem…..
“But if you were really weeding out the – shall we call it “less Left wing” – faction within the Labour caucus you would have to swing the axe much more widely, especially if the touchstones of Leftwingery were an empathy with Green issues and a hostility to raising the pension age and the TPP free trade talks. The red reaper would then have to take out the likes of David Parker and Shane Jones (unthinkable), David Shearer and a bunch of others.”
VERNON SMALL Rejuvenation tough challenge for Labour Stuff.co.nz, March 6, 2014
Note the dated reference to darling of the Right Shane Jones. “Unthinkable” that he should leave the Labour caucus, opines Small. But the unthinkable happened and Shane Jones removed himself. I expect that if David Cunliffe is returned as leader a few other Right Wing Labour caucus members will be moved to remove themselves. Good! What is unthinkable to the Right, is sweet reason to the Left. First amongst those to remove themselves must be Shane Jones close personal friend and admirer David Parker. Parker like Jones, is a staunch advocate of the fossil fuel lobby and a bane of the Greens. Therefore Parker’s exit will be a double blessing not just for Labour Party Left but for the environment as well, and will put a Labour Green coalition government a much more sounder footing making it a much more viable working arrangement.
PAT O’DEA is the Mana Movement spokesperson for climate change and a long time social justice activist and trade unionist.
Lot of thought there Pat,
I said a while back labour has to learn and learn quickly from National’s success’s since they were at rock bottom 21% in 2002.
The ultra right faction split from core National and some jumped ultra right and backed up Act.
So labour should do the same now, to move the right faction to another wing EG; some other name similar to “Act N.Z.” Party or other then we could see some leverage to bring forth a solid pressure on NatZ middle ground support right?
Who cares? Looks like none of them are showing any leadership. Where are the statements from Labour about the sale of State housing? Winston Peters and Hone Harawira are doing that mahi.
David Parker exposes himself in his own words
Talk about superficial. In a self serving statement, in which he thinks winning is about style and presentation.
In essence; a David Parker led Labour administration promises much the same as National, but with superficial changes in style and presentation.
David Parker may be right and New Zealanders may well be sick of a ‘comedian’ PM. But they won’t be satisfied with a cheerless Rogernome, no matter how he is repackaged and marketed.
Hi Pat, and anyone else that feels like commenting.
I’m not a Labour supporter, and am somewhat uninformed about the political stances of the various leadership hopefuls.
Over on The Standard, someone commented that from their experience Robertson was to the left of Little, and I caught a few words from Little the other day on the radio that weren’t as left as I’d hoped.
I understand Little has a strong union background, and this seems positive, but for all I know he could be a bureaucrat riding the wave.
Could someone offer some comments to show the ways in which the different candidates are more left or right-wing? And maybe how strong they are on issues like climate change and gender equality.
I think I saw that Martyn was going to write something after all the names are in on Tuesday, and I can certainly wait that long, but if anyone else has some thoughts to offer, that’d be great.
@JOHNATHAN
Rule of thumb
Whichever of the remaining candidates promises to make David Cunliffe deputy – support them.
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