While I am still angry that Chippy screwed the election with a terrible election policy platform that was more right wing than the British Tory party, I have softened my stance that he should be shot at dawn.
His agreement that he will clean the policy slate and start again is enough to steady the ship and have a long hard look at what Labour actually stands for and what they are prepared to fight for.
Let’s keep him around.
The Shadow Cabinet is probably the strongest Shadow Cabinet in recent political history.
The full line-up:
- Chris Hipkins – Leader of the Opposition, Ministerial Services, National Security and Intelligence
Has already shown his skill as the Leader of the Opposition. Has held National’s feet to the fire over Luxon’s handling of Winston, and has been a powerful counterweight in the news. Was strong when he called for a ceasefire. Those moments of political courage matter.
- Carmel Sepuloni – Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Social Development, Pacific Peoples, Auckland Issues, Child Poverty Reduction
Look, I want to like Carmel, I really do, but her time as Social Minister was just bullshit. We suspended thousands of people from benefits, we didn’t implement all the welfare recommendations and the whole issue of dumping the Children’s Commissioner stank to high heaven. She has to take a completely different policy package towards welfare forwards if she is to gain any actual mana in this field.
- Grant Robertson – Finance, Racing
So desperately needed.
- Megan Woods – Climate Change, Energy, Resources, Associate Finance
She is going to have to spend time getting ready to take over when Grant finally steps down
- Willie Jackson – Māori Development, Broadcasting and Media, Employment, Associate Housing, Associate Workplace Relations and Safety
The only one who knows how to scrap. Will be essential in the strategy to build a Māōri electorate strategy that maximises MMP.
- Dr Ayesha Verrall – Health, Public Service, Wellington Issues
Now we get the full scope of NZ Firsts weird Conspiracy Swamp, her scientific credibility will be essential in pointing out the anti-science quackery.
- Kieran McAnulty – Shadow Leader of the House, Housing, Local Government, Regional Development
Has real star power and intellectual heft.
- Willow-Jean Prime – Children, Youth, Associate Education (Māori)
She’s so cool.
- Ginny Andersen – Police, Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Social Investment, Associate Social Development
Good. I don’t care about the latest bulling accusations. She’s smart.
- Jan Tinetti – Education, Women
I want to like Jan.
- Barbara Edmonds – Economic Development, Infrastructure, Associate Finance
- Peeni Henare – Defence, Sport and Recreation, Associate Health
Should move on.
- Priyanca Radhakrishnan – Conservation, Disability Issues, NZSIS, GCSB
Super smart.
- Jo Luxton – Agriculture, Biosecurity, Rural Communities
- Duncan Webb – Deputy Shadow Leader of the House, Justice, Regulation, Earthquake Commission, Christchurch Issues
Smart, I like him. He should have smashed the Supermarkets!
- Deborah Russell – Revenue, Science, Innovation and Technology, Associate Education (Tertiary)
- Rachel Brooking – Environment, Food Safety, Space
- Damien O’Connor – Trade, Associate Foreign Affairs, Associate Transport
I’ve always liked Damien.
- David Parker – Foreign Affairs, Shadow Attorney General, Electoral Reform
Should have his Wealth Tax!
- Kelvin Davis – Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti, Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
Should look to move on.
- Tangi Utikere – Chief Whip, Transport, Oceans and Fisheries, Associate Education (Pacific)
- Camilla Belich – Junior Whip, Workplace Relations and Safety, Emergency Management
- Arena Williams – Assistant Whip, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Building and Construction, State Owned Enterprises
I think Arena is a future superstar of the Party.
- Phil Twyford – Immigration, Disarmement and Arms Control, Associate Foreign Affairs
Thank God he has been finally allowed back in.
- Greg O’Connor – Assistant Speaker, Courts, Veterans
Should stay on, important electorate to hold.
- Jenny Salesa – Ethnic Communities, Customs
- Rachel Boyack – ACC, Arts, Culture and Heritage, Animal Welfare
- Adrian Rurawhe – Whānau Ora, Associate Māori Development
A wonderful human being and the best Speaker NZ ever had.
- Rino Tirikatene – Corrections, Land Information
- Helen White – Community and Voluntary Sector, Small Business and Manufacturing, Associate Justice
Just keep her away from Auckland.
- Ingrid Leary – Seniors, Mental Health
- Lemauga Lydia Sosene – Internal Affairs, Associate Pacific Peoples, Associate Social Development and Employment
- Reuben Davidson – Statistics, Digital Economy and Communications, Associate Broadcasting and Media
- Cushla Tangaere-Manuel – Tourism and Hospitality, Forestry, Cyclone Recovery
This is a good Shadow Cabinet.
Labour must take the Summer to truly think about what their purpose is.
They must comprehend their policy failure.
What is their value?
They must be able to put together a new vision.
A State built to help the people, not a State built to hurt the people.
Our social infrastructure needs total upgrade.
Tax the rich to fund that upgrade.
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I’ll reserve my judgement until I’ve observed them in action. Everyone gets a job so we get the chance to do that.
Lots of new faces but I have no real idea who many of them are.
Will Labour hear the message the electorate sent?
Will Labour find it’s soul again?
Will Labour and Hipkins especially eat humble pie and work with the Greens and Te Pati Maori to build a unified, effective opposition to the Coalition of Cruelty?
They will be good, as talking is all they were good at….follow what I say, not what I do!
Seems like Willis and Luxon are good at talking and not delivering (already). They are the laughing stock of the world. Labour were never that low.
Most are past used by date. But desperately thin talent pool means they limp on
Losing Nash, Wood, Allan, Angry Andy and Dr Sharma is talent that can’t be replaced.
Greg O’Connor is my electorate MP and a good guy. He was shamefully underutilised by Labour.
Although I was not a fan of the previous labour government I was pleased that he won his seat here again.
A proven, track tested roll call of failure, incompetence and wokeism.
Yeah, I worry about Hipkins. He turned out to be Luxin Lite and doesn’t seem to comprehend how totally he fucked everything up.
The only reason Labour was able to fund a campaign in 2017 was because Sir Bob Jones thought that a strong 2 party system would be better for NZ.
After Labours last term that’s never going to happen again
https://nopunchespulled.com/2023/09/14/political-donations/
It will be easy to knock this government down because they are already self imploding. How can Shane Reti defend the anti smoking legislation how can he defend a cooker and a racist as his associate health minister. How can a non teacher Stanford turn the education stats around “Piha rescue” anyone. Enough said about Willis and her snakes and snails . Winston Peters is pushing his conspiracy theories for all he’s worth . All this government is doing is getting rid of stuff which like de cluttering (when you put your mind to it )is quite easy. Let’s face it they haven’t got a clue, it must be utter chaos behind the scenes at the National party all that donation money for nothing. The chaos in parliament will be worth watching , lazy Brownlee will be asking for Mallard to come back that’s how bad it going to get. Bring on the popcorn and let the fun begin. Still Not My Government
‘Still Not My Government’
Then I hope you are living overseas now?, if not…and living in NZ, then does your defiance in this govt being ‘not my govt’, you will be paying no taxes?
You will stop working so they can’t get any taxes from you, and then you live off your savings for the next few years because taking any welfare from ‘not my government’ would be terribly hypocritical of you.
So what is it ‘NOT MY GOVERNMENT’, what rebel act are you going to do to show everyone this is not your government….wait, I know, post messages on blog sites using the name ‘not my government’, yes….yes that will show them! Lol
” This is a good Shadow Cabinet. ”
But achieved very little of consequence except covid management ensuring many lives were saved in government with authority and a MMP majority.
LINO imho is better suited to opposition than doing anything meaningful on the treasury benches even after spending nine years in opposition all they had was a slightly kinder version of free market policies that were never going to solve the problems they promised action on , even Hipkins in those final months had no conception of what bread and butter issues actually meant to so many suffering from the cruelty of the market and were looking to him and his party to seriously address them.
Hiplins and the rest were still talking the language of neo liberalism and that the belief in the market was the answer
A case in point
” He should have smashed the Supermarkets ”
But didn’t.
By their very own belief in unregulated capitalism is the biggest roadblock in offering a real alternative to what they have allowed into government.
One of the worst ever picks for Prime Minister has been kept on, because the rest of the field are so weak. And any real life within the Constituency Labour Party branches is totally extinguished — unless you count branch stacking as ‘life’!
Both parties have nothing to offer except managed decline: strategic abandonment, encouraging emigration, the deliberate lowering of living standards, acceptance of economic backwardness, and cheap foreign labour imported en masse.
Willy Jackson would be great, replace Hipkins with him.
“Labour must take the Summer to truly think about what their purpose is” Labour already know what their purpose is. Hanging onto their seats and administrating capitalism. Banging on and on about Labour taxing the rich to help the poor is just windy posturing.
Great line up there….They all did so well before the election so they should make fine opposition members. Their record of competence and achievements should hold them in good stead.I bet the coalition are shaking in their boots with this fine line up of achievers…..
Lots of chaff. Should be in order of political nous; Robertson (leader), Parker (dept), McAnulty (Almost everything else), Woods.
Sepuloni, Jackson, Davis, White. You gotta be joking
Labours dumbo ministers get played & the taxpayers get reamed. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/301016530/how-a-developer-held-the-government-to-ransom-for-a-378-million-bailout?cid=app-android
Imagine Treasury getting it right!
Conspicuously absent from the article was any personal information about the building company director, seems that Kainga Ora was naive enough to set up contracts on the assumption they were dealing with people of integrity however more information on whoever drafted the contracts & the companies involved might provide a better insight into what happened.
The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
I suspect that if National/ACT etc had been organising this the builder would still have got a payout but the customers would have lost their future home as well to enable the real estate party funders to profit as well.
Ahhh Bonnie ‘whatifs’ and ‘whataboutisms’, plus your reckons!
Soooo Labour caught handing out cash, when treasury argued against it…BUT it would have been worse if National were the Govt!
So no matter what scandal and/or dodgy decisions made by the Labour Govt that gets uncovered, don’t worry as it would have been worse if it had a National Govt, nothing to see here move on…lol
Wow pales into insignificance to this though…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/south-canterbury-bailout-bill-405-each/7X6HE2HIBLAEA6KFKJBIY66UDE/
Dumbo National ministers got played and us taxpayers got reamed.
Not quite the same when you take into account the $100b bazooka Robo spunked and most NZ’ders got fuck all from it.
Some more good news! “Aucklands CRL’s 3.5km tunnel cost $1.5 billion/km. That’s 50% more than US tunnels cost, three times more than Australian tunnels & almost nine times more than in Finland, Spain & Portugal!!”
Haaahaaa Bert/Squeaky, always going back a decade+
Shhh don’t mention the last 6yrs, go back a decade….look there is nothing to see here, look what happened 14-15yrs ago lol
Completely different. The SCF bail out was part of shoring up confidence in the financial markets, and preserving the funds of investors. The KO deal was about dishing money out to a private company to protect Kiwibuild. It was typical of the deception of the last government.
Get Barbara Edmonds somewhere she can use her experience in Select Committee.
Well, we know what this ‘brand new exciting’ line up is capable of – or not. We’ve had six years of it. So it’s pretty safe to assume that Labour are not planning to win the next election. Weird.
” His agreement that he will clean the policy slate and start again is enough to steady the ship and have a long hard look at what Labour actually stands for and what they are prepared to fight for.”
Labour’s long dead in a shallow grave somewhere so one must ponder what the fuck’s chipkins up to because it can’t be tuning a dead labour walking, let’s be clear on that. It’s therefore far easier and more commonsensical to assume it’s a feeble attempt at prolonging is six figure salary. The little prat threw us under the Three Stooge’s bus. His management and steerage of what some might still think was a labour run up to the election was farcical and embarrassing. Chipkin’s cringing acquiescing to the Stooges was an indication that Chipkins was begging the Natzo’s and its confederates to take the roger douglas’s fuck-up off his pink little hands. My tenuous grip on what I perceive as being reality sees a different thing happening and ever gaining momentum and here’s my opinion based on what my eyes and ears tell me. We have no politic. We have business and business is crooked. Our primary industry is pirated, what was once eminently accessible social infrastructure, services and amenities are gone, our protective membrane over our labour force is in tatters and Big Crooked Business, Banksters and sundry pirate capitalists are now in control and really, the vile natzo’s and it’s cancerous appendages are merely a caretaker circus for a cryptic greed fest now that our wonderful universities have educated the soulless and greedy to exploit us without us barely noticing. Unless you’re one of the wretched homeless in which case you’ll notice that you’re homeless but you’ll not have a clue how you got to where you live under the decorative shrubbery along Ponsonby Road while Bentley’s and Ferrari’s pull up to disgorge the beautiful people to head into the bars to buy $20 glasses of wine.
We shouldn’t have any faith in Labour because that merely distances us from the need for a big fat hairy fucking revolution against our neo-liberal abusers which, incidentally is every fucking political party you can name.
So. Since we have no political infrastructure left that we can trust and rely upon we should be somewhat concerned for where we’re headed, in my humble opinion and I’m not that humble. We have NO political infrastructure at all that we can regard as ours. We have instead a mechanism, an extension of the rich who need that extension to function on a broader, global scale. That, and it’s still impolite to murder us without some war of some kind to hide their evil selfishness and their crimes and so really, chipkins is merely the fourth Stooge to appease the masses who’s senses are already dulled.
Meet Emil Sitka.
Sitka served the role of a literal “stooge,” or straight man, to the Three Stooges. Sound familiar?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Sitka
Here’s his kids. Little-Star Sitka, Saxon Sitka, Storm Sitka, Eelonka Sitka, Darrow Sitka, Rudigor Sitka
100% 🙂
Most of these only got in by slim margins .Not a ringing endorsement no fresh faces just a bunch of losers playing at politics
Just like the previous election and now this previous bunch of losers just playing politics have got back in. Big Ben pies Brownlee, Benson and Hedges Bishop, corrupt Collins etc etc.
‘We won, you lost..eat that!’
Since you like going into the past Squeaky/Bert, that quote was from who?
Hint: Someone who was at the forefront in getting the honours list scrapped in NZ, then when they were reintroduced, and he was nominated for a knighthood… he grabbed it with both hands!?
NSC you lost.
Hipkins doesn’t have the Ardern touch – speaking outside his institution. He will do okay against the manifest stupidity of the 3way – (one might’ve thought the Gnats might’ve learned from Key’s failure with one) – but no sign of coherent planning ability.
Robertson is inadequate – Labour need a finance minister strong enough to chide Treasury – Cullen could, Robertson can’t. Up his game or send him out – unless kicking the can down the road were somehow imagined to be adequate.
Megan Woods – superficially competent – rather questionable given inadequate housing outcome.
The rest – big on representation, no Left chops to speak of. Yes, most are infinitely more talented than the “government” in power. But look how little we have to show for it. Until they realize it, why would anyone support them?
‘smart’ – have you actually met Ginny Anderson?
another selection of neo-lib administrators means literally nothing
I would shit on all of them if they were below my bum in a toilet bowl. All the Left the plutocrats since ’84 will allow.
Entirely disproved over the last 6 years. Speaking the truth but not doing it.