I love how the mainstream media claim Cunliffe is a political charlatan who isn’t really left wing, yet the leader of the right wing faction of Labour leaves because Shane knows the change in direction beneath the surface is real. Why aren’t the political pundit headlines “We were wrong, Cunliffe really is left wing”?
Shane was lazy at the best of times. His half hearted joke attempt at Tāmaki Makaurau last election was a shocker and Pita Sharples should never have won. He had even less support amongst Caucus as his failed leadership bid proved and apart from his ability to amuse from time to time, he is hardly the great loss some have weeped openly for.
If ‘being a character’ means you are a sexist, anti-environmental head kicker, then we need far better measures of character. The idea that Labour will lose connection with the ‘working class’ because they don’t have an identifiably sexist MP is the projection of pundit bigotry, not insight.
There are of course still rumours swirling in regards to the Bill Liu case and if they ever surface all the wailing and gnashing of teeth from some would change pretty bloody quickly.
The idea that Shane would take up a grubby deal with McCully where aid to the Pacific will be used to create profit opportunities for local elites rather than alleviate poverty are as questionable as leadership donations to Shane by oil and gas industry representatives and National Party heavyweights.
We now find out he would never work under a Green-Labour Government.
Seeing as one of the most crucial relationships next Government will be the Green-Labour one, Shane’s attack shows how septic he had become.
Maori deserve a better leader than this, Labour deserve a better leader than this and progressive voters deserve a better leader than this.
Let’s acknowledge this for what it really is, a clever deceitful Machiavellian move by a National Party seeking to damage the Opposition via a person who had already abandoned the values of the Party he had been elected to serve.
In the end, none of this crap matters. What matters is 285 000 children in poverty, what matters is social inequality, what matters is jobs created in an economy that is working for all NZers, not just property speculative baby boomers and those who aspire to be property speculative baby boomers.
Those people want to know what David Cunliffe’s Labour Party will do to help them make the ends meet each week, and beyond House of Card/Game of Thrones distractions by the National Party, John Key has shallow solutions to those issues.
Some will cry for Shane leaving. I certainly won’t.
Agree that Labour is much better off without Jones. No loss whatsoever. And I agree with your statement that “none of this crap matters”. Now that everybody has given it a good airing we need to move on from the issue. Its a distraction. The nasty nats continue with their hideous agenda and energy needs to go into continuing to oppose them. A good example is Dianne Khan’s excellent post here
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/04/23/educanz-educant/
So lets forget about Jones. He is an irrelevancy. Let’s focus on the things that are important. Kia kaha.
He’s history and a dull account at that. Media insinuation of a crisis on his departure is mere flattery. No crisis, only an opportunity. The future is what really matters.
Not surprised with his failed bid as Labour leader, all he offered was more of the same, the only noteworthy issue he added was concerning the supermarket duopoly, even then no policy was outlined. The countdown issue doesn’t seem to have gained much traction based on how quiet it is.
His headline comedy routine concerning Key’s privates was crude and devoid of originality. Only played to the Tories advantage by making them appear more mature and sensible, as well as helping reinforce them in their love of perpetuating stereotypes.
Anyone who is sincerely progressive is not going to mourn his parting; an unremarkable actor leaves the dreary political soap opera. Best tune-out from the media’s prolonged rambling and ranting on the issue. Might as well call it a day on the blog posts and debate as well. Focus the energy where it’s needed – plenty problems need fixing.
So, let me get this straight. Your opinion, Martyn, of the exit, stage-right, of the Jones Boy is that it doesn’t matter and is a good move for the Labour Party. So much so, you’ve written three posts on it.
But in the same breath you say “Let’s acknowledge this for what it really is, a clever deceitful Machiavellian move by a National Party seeking to damage the Opposition”.
So which is it?
Just because Baldric McCully comes up with a scheme so sneaky you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel doesn’t mean said plan will achieve anything.
From a hard right perspective, Jones was the best Labour had to offer, from a social democratic perspective he was nothing special. Labour wouldn’t be getting votes from the hard right even with him there.
Still, it got Collins off the front page, albeit briefly.
Summed up nicely.
Cheap. sleazy, and thick with contempt. The PM will be laughing thinking Jones a cheaply bought schmuck. The trouble is once Jones usefulness is spent then what for him? At least Tau Henare will head Maori TV even though he hasn’t a clue what he is doing there while Jones’ job is made up and of no substance!
Nice misuse of taxpayer money though National and again complete contempt shown for anything even vaguely associated to morality and ethics or the right and correct way of running a government.
None of that matters because it has been cleverly obscured behind a smokescreen of perceived perpetual Labour Party crisis.
It seems that Labour will not be permitted to be in government again until it drops any semblance of left wing politics. What this year has demonstrated is the vice like grip that the right has on the media and on public discourse. The left cannot win for a long time, perhaps never, and must accept this as fact. Pretending otherwise is pointless.
Disenfranchise a democracy and you take your life in your hands.
@ Stuart Munro: “Disenfranchise a democracy and you take your life in your hands.”
Yup. The road to revolution lies that way. See what’s happening in the Ukraine right now. Don’t be fooled by Uncle Sam claiming that it’s Russia’s fault: it isn’t. The activism there is entirely home-grown.
“Let’s acknowledge this for what it really is, a clever deceitful Machiavellian move by a National Party seeking to damage the Opposition via a person who had already abandoned the values of the Party he had been elected to serve.”
Machiavellian schmachiavellian. I doubt that he’d have stooped this low. Call it for what it is: corruption. I’m sure that Machiavelli would agree.
Comments are closed.