There were two Jacinda’s.
The first was bold, kind, empathetic with an emotional IQ in communication unseen in politics and who was prepared to make huge calls in moments of national crisis.
The second Jacinda was hyper cautious and timid about challenging the actual neoliberal hegemony of the State beyond rearranging the bureaucratic deckchairs on the Titanic.
The anguish so many Wellington Unions and NGOs would publish as press releases towards her lack of actual reform were painful to read because they would all start with ‘first great step’ by a leader they celebrated and loved but were endlessly disappointed by.
There are only so many ‘great first steps’ you make in 6 years without realising you are actually just jogging on the spot.
Chippy’s recent policy focus hasn’t been about a great first step at all, it’s been about stepping up.
He acknowledges the election loss and has come back steely eyed and said, ‘I’m here for another decade’.
That is as strong a call as you can make after losing to the most right wing Government in NZ history.
Those who voted Labour in 2020 and voted National in 2023 did so because they hoped their house value would go up by 10%, they weren’t buying a culture war with Māori!
It is these voters Chippy needs to appeal to.
Those who voted Labour in 2020 and didn’t vote at all in 2023 did so because they were disappointed that when Jacinda had an unprecedented MMP majority, that she squandered it, those who didn’t vote however sure didn’t want this hard right Government to rule.
It is these voters Chippy needs to appeal to.
Those who voted Labour in 2020 and voted ACT or NZ First in 2023 are too far gone and are unreachable.
Support for NZ First and ACT are the collateral damage for Labour refusing to diffuse the dumb lives matter protest on Parliament Lawns.
They are lost to us forever.
Those who voted Labour in 2020 and voted Greens in 2023 did so because they were also appalled at how little Labour achieved domestically and were won over by the Greens Wealth Tax.
With the Darleen Tana saga dragging on, Chippy needs to appeal to those Green voters with a better tax policy and electrification would appeal while for political reasons, stealing the Greens down to 7% would be a smart move tactically.
Those who voted Labour in 2020 and voted Māori Party in 2023 are clearly telling Labour and the Māori Party to work together!
Māori voters gave their electorate vote to the Māori Party and their Party vote to the Labour Party, they are some of the most successful tactical voters in NZ politics.
The Māori voters want the Māori Party and Labour to work together, unfortunately the Māori Party is more focused on political theatre and hats than they are to actually forming a Government.
Chippy has to negotiate that.
I think people are battered and surprised by the right wing blitzkrieg and are looking for a decent bloke to protect them from this.
Chippy is that decent bloke.
There are ways to win a Labour led victory in 2026, if Chippy blows it, he won’t get that decade long chance to again.
It’s time for Chippy to step up because we are all over Labour’s ‘first good steps’.
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Maori party will lose the seats gained from Labour at next election. Main reason is that at some stage Greens and Labour have to denounce the maori party policies and rhetoric, they will be asked on numerous occasions (rightly so) by MSM ‘will you work with the maori party’s, if Labour says yes then the bill boards will speak for them selves…a vote for Labour is a vote for maori party.
Will the maori party tone down it’s inflammatory headline grabbing policies and statements, probably not!
Chippy has a decision to make before next election….well the next leader of Labour has, as it will NOT be chippy.
I’m right The Greens could start by denouncing their own co- leader’s racist sexist proclamation that violence is caused by white heterosexual males. Endorsing women’s right to speak might also help.
The culture of jealousy,envy and downright nastiness dominates the Greens
Bob the first Marama publicly blaming white Kiwis for the terrible Muslim massacres was particularly nasty and other Greens act as if they have learning difficulties, IMO.
Good description Brigid.
You were simply describing yourself.
No, any party leader can do a Winston and say they will make a deal after the election once they know what cards they hold. Even if it is an open secret.
Who will lead National as the current one is crap, divisive and out of his depth. He can’t rule as a dictator for too much longer and Simeon Brown is just a boy in a man’s pair of underpants.
The pool of talent is deep in the National Party.
They are a bunch of old has-beens BtF. If they’d had talent they wouldn’t have let Luxon be PM so soon after entering parliament. That alone, proves their lack thereof.
Ambitious, talented people do not sit back and let newbies take over.
Well said Joy, your intellectual post will be lost on Bob the bullshitter.
Labour had the WORST defeat in NZ political history, a massive 25+% swing against in just 3 years….but yes, let’s talk about Luxon and his party and the coalition who are still able to govern as per almost all the polls after what, 10mths so far, in Govt.
Yes squeaky, you ignore Chippy the NZ political historic political loser as it must be painful for you hearing the facts (find a safe space in those McDonalds toilets you clean).
IMO TPM should fold as a political party for the greater good a well known Maori principle. Maori issue are rendered toxic political rhetoric and the right will mostly prevail in this environment and if the left want to win 2026 they need to rid the “Identity politics” from the equation. How that done is another thing? I believe TPM voters would either vote ‘Greens or Labour’
Hahahah, absolute nonsense. The Maori Party is the only actually left-wing party in parliament at the moment.
Chippy will more likely be the Bill Rowling of the 21st Century.
Did anyone attend Labour’s meeting to discuss tax reform, unemployment, the housing crisis, & the cost of living crisis at the Cardboard Cathedral yesterday? Or did Labour have more important issues to deal with?
Hard to find fault with that analysis Martyn.
Chasing votes from NZFirst anti-Vax nutters or ACT gun-barrel stroking pedo’s is not only a waste of time, but you wouldn’t want these nutters associated with your political brand anyways!
Look how Winston has to bend like a pretzel to accommodate his nascent supporters (they’ll turn on him eventually anyway when the World Health Organisation isn’t thrown in jail & other weird demands aren’t realised).
And check out how Seymour has to deny any links with Atlas (when it’s on public record – doh!), try to pretend military style weapons in the hands of Tom, Dick and Harriet are just fine, and make out that ACT party ranks aren’t infested with members like Tim Jago.
One of the best things they can do is educate Kiwis about the sham reasons for the CoC’s austerity programme and the actual privatisation agenda they are pursuing. ACT’s campaign to erase the Treaty is obviously a key ingredient.
Some of the more intelligent swing voters will realise this when more cuts/insufficient funding for Public Services appear in next years budget, and the penny finally drops. Tribal NAct & Winnie voters will swallow anything and are too far gone (you only have to read the comments of right wing nut jobs on TDB to understand that).
Chippy needs to allow David Parker to work with the greens and TPM on a robust tax reform policy .If one had thrown out our red neckness and voted on policy TPM would have won by a landslide .
NZ has massive projects it needs to get done ASAP ,not in 10 years or the next 30 years ,NOW .
To get those started we need to step up and start paying ,and that funding needs to be up front and not smoke and daggers as is happening right now with Browns false ,we will build this ,mantra because the stuff he is talking about is just that talk .One only has to look at the ferry bullshit to see what a shallow bunch this government really is .Brown should have been the man and told Willis to back off because actually ,we need those ferries and ports today and the mini minor ones wont cut the mustard .But being the whimp he really is he bent over and said spank me .
Do we really want Chippy hanging round for the next decade? He has too much baggage and for the good of everyone, he needs to step aside. He’s probably a nice guy but there’s nothing worse than a leader who won’t accept that their time is over.
Prefer him to let Jackson or someone who can repatriate the Māori and Green vote, then get back to normal LABOUR policy. With the emphasis on workers. They need a leader with some intellectual credibility, not just sausage roll salesmen. We are not children and at this point, to upstage the prime minister in the intellectual stakes, wouldn’t take much.
The Greens have too many boxes to tick. Have forgotten that fair social policy and green issues are what they got voted in for. They have been distracted. Where are the manly men in the Greens? Are they being hidden? May they only speak when spoken to? They need to be front and centre for male voters to see.
TPM could have been good but yes, they got too carried away with what they wear. Also distracting and isn’t actual policy.
Very well said Joy.
That’s silly Joy. What TPM wear is only highlighted by petty people uncomfortable with individualism.
One could say the same of Peter’s and his pin striped suit. Not noticeable until someone says ” look what he’s wearing”.
Bob aka Joke. Really ? TPM’s aping the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party looks more like a silly attempt to distract from their having nothing of substance to contribute to anything, than an expression of individuality. They’re clowns.
Very good well paid Clowns Pip.
You prove my point, you labelled it mad hatters tea party, they didnt.
Name calling means you are the clown, probably not well paid though.
Cultural appropriation describes the FDP (Fancy Dress Party.)
Trying to take in everything I see when they are on TV. takes all my concentration and I can’t concentrate on the message. My fault, I know. I’d prefer to just listen.
Bob aka J. MP’s are paid to represent New Zealanders, not to go on ego trips expressing their individualism. There’s a time and a place for everything.
If that was the case Daisy there would be no National party. Thank you.
As a National voter I find your comment on the present Labour government similar to how I see them. I voted for them twice under Clark as their policies made sense and she was a good PM but they have lost there way and direction.Hipkins is a poor leader and has little to inspire voters
Allowing himself to be synonymous with sausage rolls a huge tactical error.
He was badly advised re the sausage rolls, copying Australia doing something with mince pies. Probably Our Man in London. Juxtaposed with Bishop’s dad whinging about driving the streets looking for sausage rolls, it wasn’t even cute.
You mean like Key trying to use a hammer or Lex Luther allowing himself to be synonymous with being the PM a huge tactical error
The biggest common denominator in all this is the fan girls and boys in the so called msm. Every day there is bouquets for Luxon and brickbats for Hipkins. Now that must tell you something in itself that Luxon needs their powerful protection every day. Remember the parliamentary sit in , well when the shit hits the fan with the Treaty bill watch out Aotearoa because Luxon will be appeasing his red neck voter base and that’s not pretty. He is ignoring the well educated young in our society at his peril. They will not go back to the racist past they have been brought up in two worlds with equality for Maori like never seen before and many of these 18 year olds will be voting for the first time in 2026.
Yes the next generation are going to turn the rednecks over .Just look how the youngest MP in the current parliament sat Peters on his backside when he tried to shut her down .At the last local body elections I met one of the candidates and suggested she get the younger voters on side .Her reply was they dont know anything and should be seen but not heard .The end result was she never got elected .
Gordon walker. If you’re talking about the wahine who boasted that she “ triggered Winston Peters”, IMO she looked a spoilt brat and Peters did not look triggered. She also does a song and dance act, which seems to be a prerequisite to being a TMP MP, along with Meghan Markle smuggery and kiddie dress-ups.
I, too, am hoping the young, educated voter will not let us go back to the past re The Treaty.
Luxon can appease the silly old fools who left school at 15 and managed to survive to be angry in old age. They never were much use. Although in that age-group myself, I do not want to be identified as being one of them. I know a few though and it’s harder than ever to find anything to talk about. They are just so cross. They cannot discuss, they only bully. They know best!
The well-travelled, politically aware, educated people with a social conscience, not scared of males, plus the males themselves, are the ones to attract. The clear thinkers. The ones who can see the enormous battles we have ahead and realise that this’ getting back on track govt.’ is actually leading us into the quagmire.
I like the way you think Joy
Wondering if his uncharismatic and ineffectual leadership is part of the reason Labour has been forgotten. At least Ardern was enthusiastic when she was doing little, plus she knew when to quit/flee to cash in what was left of her brand. Chippy is like a long-term back-room employee sitting out his time until retirement.
Yes he should take a leaf out of Keys book. When Key was doing nothing other than feathering his own financial portfolio nest and knew when to quit/flee to cash in what was left of his sordid brand( think Chow Bros, Ardern clearly had more intellect than Key on that one).
And you do not think Jacinda had her eye on the end game following Clark.She used her time in power as a stepping stone to greater thinks and why not. She is a savvy operator and knew when to move on.
Key and Jacinda were I the right place at the right time .bur knew when to quit Hipkins needs to move aside but there is no body putting their hand up to replace him.A lose in 26 my be needed
Chipkins should get a job as a Sausage Roll Salesman.
Fascinating comments. I am a 74 year old pakeha and I joined TPM two years ago. They and the Greens are the future. And I am interested to see if they ever vote differently. Chippie is pathetic frankly, I sincerely hope they ditch him. I have often wondered what he thinks of his younger self demonstrating outside parliuament when he was at university. I don’t see any dreadful headlines from TPM. But I do think, as a previous Green party member, that the Greens got totally hooked into another mantra, sis men and all that stuff is complete bullshit. But it came and will continue to come from Marama when she is back on board, I am a big fan of Chloe very smart woman. Marama keep your mouth shut more often than not.
So you’re happy to support a political party that labels you genetically inferior to Maori?
Appealing to White prejudice, ignorance and power is the reason the right wing dominates politics.
Since 1945 the right wing has never had less than 3 terms. Labour has had just one 3 term Government.
Governments are elected in on land slides and elected out on land slides.
Appealing to White prejudice, ignorance and power is the reason the right wing dominates politics.
Adern only just won in 2020 and only because Peters jumped ship.
Covid was great for Labour 2020 landslide but when Covid finished there was no plan B
In 2023 National invoked Maori blaming Maori Hate Maori bashing to win back power.
Appealing to White prejudice, ignorance and power is the reason the right wing dominates politics.
National will win in 2026 because they have never been elected out after just 3 years.
Maori blaming Maori hate and Maori bashing will not work in 2029.
Labour will win in a landslide in 2029 quite possibly with a Maori leader.
” I think people are battered and surprised by the right wing blitzkrieg and are looking for a decent bloke to protect them from this.”
” Chippy is that decent bloke. ”
Bomber your admiration and belief in this man is desperation and misguided if you think he and his colleagues are changed people after the previous three years of their last majority term in government.
The arrogance is plain to see. Hipkins refusal to look seriously at tax reform and regulating the worst effects of neo liberal economic policy by ruling out leveling the playing field that would have helped thousands of struggling families and only promoted polices that lifted the managerial class and encouraged their entitlement doesn’t make him a decent bloke.
This from T.D.B in July last year in response to Gareth Hughes post on Labours failure.
” Successive governments saw their role as guaranteeing low government spending, low government debt and low taxes, without upsetting an economic apple cart built on high house prices, high migration and high emissions.
By and large they achieved, and have maintained the status quo at the expense of all of us.
Even with a once-in-a-generation parliamentary majority and the spark of reformist zeal, real change was constrained by the post-1984 operating system.
Experts were asked what would end child poverty and the bare minimum was done
Labour didn’t expect to win 2017 and they didn’t expect to win an MMP majority in 2020, so they’ve had no real 100 day legislative agenda to ram through and as such have been stymied ever step by the Wellington Bureaucracy who are beholden to the Professional Managerial Class consultants who ensure the big part of town always have the upper hand in the market.
Instead of proper investment from revenue created by taxing the rich, Government has spent more money on social engineering media campaigns and a re-arranging of the Bureaucratic structures behind the Ministries to direct funding rather than actually funding the Ministries properly in the first place!
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2024/09/15/chippy-steps-up-but-is-it-better-than-jacindas-great-first-steps/
Hipkins inaction and lack of real guts , direction and leadership has resulted in throwing many marginalized exploited people in poverty and many thousands of the working poor including disabled people to the wolves.
That’s not a decent bloke from where I am standing.
Having been surprised into govt. in 2017, they had no plan. What on earth had they been doing in the previous 9 years? They should always have a plan.
Then 2020, people were still alive here while we were inundated with appalling death news from abroad. They might have guessed they’d win that one too. Still didn’t have a plan. I don’t care if Winston was a there, holding them back, or that there was a pandemic to manage, they should still have had a plan.
It suggests they don’t really have a clue what it’s like to be a low-wage earner at the mercy of an exploitative boss, or disabled and abandoned. They faffed around for 9 years without developing a plan. Didn’t matter who the leader would be to take them into govt. The plan would be almost the same at any time.
Get out of the way Chippy, you have had your chance. NZ cannot wait for you to pluck up the courage to be a good Labour leader. With 2 years to go to the election, if by some miracle this lot sees it out and more so if they don’t, time is not on your side. A new leader now please and you spend the next decade helping that leader in every way you possibly can. Be an elder-statesman instead.
It appears that Labour are Lost in Space, they do not have a Plan and are lacking any direction under Chipkins the Sausage Roll Salesman, ie a Ruderless Ship IMHO ???
Chippy either stays as leader of the Labour Party or takes unemployment,such is his desperation he won’t resign,he needs to be pushed.
To her credit she has certainly converted her brand to cash,heaps of it, like a first class capitalist.
Yeah, we already know that’s all that matters to you.
Chris Hipkins is out of here sooner rather than later because similar to Jacinda he has no personal hard ideological base. Unless he and NZ Labour finally repudiate Rogernomics/neo liberalism…and what ex social democratic Party, apart from UK Labour briefly under Corbyn, has done that anywhere?
Chippy pissed off David Parker to the extent of his portfolio landing on the Cabinet table and drove out Grant Robertson–hardly young Lenins the pair of them but an indicator.
Hipkins is no answer unless he makes a grovelling apology for Rogernomics, and democracy is restored to ordinary NZ Labour Party members.
That’s it. Hipkins is a career politician.
Never possessing any vision beyond re-election.
Perfect fit for any post 1987 Labour Party Caucus.
Absolutely correct RC.
With Hipkins the question is how someone who was a terrifically good technocrat in the way that he handled something like the Covid response, turned out to be such an underwhelming leader. Is it something intrinsic in his nature, or the near impossible hand he was dealt? And do the voters even understand that such a distinction exists at all – or do they simply attribute everything a person does to their instrinsic nature?
Whatever the answer to those questions, Hipkins has to appear different – the new Hipkins has to change from Chippy to not-Chippy. The Chippy brand needs to killed off. The best way to do that is through the thing Labour might have done in Budget 2022, but didn’t because of the pandemic, and didn’t do in Budget 2023 either because of inflation fears. That is, more money in the pockets of Labour’s natural supporters via a major tax switch of some sort – and it needs to be fiscally neutral because inflation is still around. Clearly all National’s tax giveaways to landlords can be reversed*, but it will need more than that.
Anything less than this will be seen as technocratic Chippy-style tinkering.
*Note: or more than reversed. The brightline test could go to 15 years in response to National lowering it from 10 years to 2 years. A more aggressive note from Labour occasionally would be well-received.
A poor Government leader, but perfect as a Opposition Leader for the next ten years.
Agree 100%+, if Labour want to stay in Oppostion keep Chipkins on, he is ineffectual and come s across as a grizzling school kid.
Certainly as a kid.
“ … comes across as a grizzling school kid. “ So do TPM and the gender-bender Greens.
Yet another neoliberal we place our ‘hope’ in. Nah. Hope is for the religious not the rational.
Caitlin Johnstone recently commented about the Democratic Party in America. A drunk is looking for his keys under the light of a streetlamp, the policeman helping him ultimately asked him is this where you lost them. The drunk responded, no, but this is where the light is. Neoliberal parties are all about the light but not the keys, winning but not delivering what is needed for the people. What we all thought and think about Ardern. And Hipkins is a shit on that std.
And the ultimate indictment of Trotter and his ‘politics is the art of the possible’. Most centrally him saying climate change can’t be stopped and so no point fighting it.
I like eternal fighters above all. So few of them. Those who view the Sinai as their real home rather than ‘The Promised Land’. 99 % of the fighters are corrupted by the victory. The end of the Welfare State was in its beginning.
Yeah but just wait the fuck up?
Chris Hipkins was six years old when the vile roger gnome shed its skin then proceeded to destroy our beautiful AO/NZ as it approached the cross roads just beyond the rickety bridge.
He has no idea what AO/NZ was like prior to the Dirty Little Liar cult aka The National Party who destroyed us to keep its secrets secret. ( What secrets you might ask. Stealing farmer money then redirecting it through a corrupt IRD then re lent to auckland’s fat arses now heading to the crematoriums, that’s who Aye boyz? You little killer boyz, you fuckers.
I see that old fucker from mainfreight parading about on rnz like a fucking hero along with that slug faced cunt from briscoes. Enjoying your billions are you, fuckers! And you can shove your charities up your oily arse holes.
AO/NZ was a warm, peaceful, fun country mostly. It wasn’t perfect but it could have evolved into something wonderful and special. But now, after forty fucking years of cheap, nasty greed feeding the artless, clueless and loveless it’s been reduced to a greedy fucking nightmare, as can be seen.
Chris Hipkins? Let the truth set you free. Ask your common sense? ” What are you trying to tell me?”
Then write it down. Also, go and have a cup of tea with Chloe Swarbrick. She’s fabulous.
Short answer. no.
Chippy must hand the reins to McAnulty or Jackson….. asap
Give the job to someone with a set of gonads, sooner rather than later, can’t stand Baldrick and this COC.
I hate to point out the obvious but it is not for Chippy to anoint who the next LP leader should be. And before you say Andrew Little, do you think that happened only because of himself? We were heading towards the loss of an election we shouldn’t lose and a fourth term in opposition ; Yes he did the right thing, but it was the result of many discussions, not just on blogs. Labour is getting on with the job and in case you don’t understand ; again it is not up to Chippy, or Willie, or Kieran to announce policy at this stage. The Labour Revenue spokesperson Deb Russell, a tax expert, is running discussions all over the motu. David Parker has his hand in too. Tax is complicated and needs work, as we all agree, but it’s not just about headlines. Labour members make policy. Watch and see how this emerges at the end of the year as policy begins to be voted on by them.
We’re just letting them know what we think, Darien. The main idea is, that more of the same won’t do.
I doubt many of us are party members but we have an opinion and we remember further back than many who might be in a position to decide, so let us express our opinions or you might inadvertently pick another neo-lib with no memory of how things were before Douglas and Co. did their Trojan Horse trick.
How did they let those guys become candidates? It can happen.
The fact that people are making these statements, shows how concerned they are that history does not repeat.
Darien, until you admit you voted to repeal the principles in the treaty back in 2006, your word means nothing.
You are happy to bemoan and hand wring about ACT and the principles bill on here as disgraceful and racist…BUT also happy it seems to keep the fact secret you voted to repeal it with Helen in 2006.
What say you Darien, can we expect a mea culpa then and tell us all you were hoodwinked and forced into voting for it??