GUEST BLOG: Te Reo Putake – Thanks, Andrew
Thank you for winning the leadership. You had strong support from the party and the affiliates and you were the best candidate. We needed you to win.
Thank you for uniting caucus. For the most part, they did not vote for you to lead, but you swiftly won them round. We now have the least bickering, most focussed caucus since the Clark years.
Thank you for engaging with the members. You’ll be remembered for attending more branch and LEC meetings than any leader since the eighties. You asked questions, listened carefully to the answers and did your best to include the members’ views in policy making.
Thanks for not lying. It was your openness and honesty that bought you down, but it was refreshing all the same.
Thanks for going when you did. Resigning was the right thing to do and once again, you have put the party ahead of personal ambition.
Thanks for all you are going to do in the future. The next generation of Labour leaders are going to need a good mentor. There is much they can learn from you.
Thanks, Andrew. This will be a bitter disappointment; however you did what needed to be done. You gave Labour a fighting chance of leading the country again. Now it’s up to others to deliver the knockout blow. Not just the new leadership team, but all party members, all activists, all Kiwis who want a better way.
Thanks, Andrew, you did a good job. That you couldn’t see it through to the election day says more about the nature of the job than the nature of the man.
Te Reo Putake – Socialist, vegetarian, contrarian and footballer, Te Reo Putake was until recently the wittiest, most engaging and most infuriating writer at The Standard Blog where he was banned during their latest identity politics purge. TRP intends to continue battling for the battlers and kicking against the pricks in real life and here at the Daily Blog.
Yes – we all say thank you for your lifting up of the grand workers party.
Please stay involved to transform Labour into the kind caring responsive inclusive Government it will need to be after September 23rd,
with it’s coalition partners.
Again, thank you for your care and civility in these turbulent times.
Well Said Te Reo Putake
Well endorsed CleanGreen
National has turned Aotearoa into a foreign land for Foreign People.
thank you Andrew and goodbye Labour
heh..!..chrs for the chuckle..!..and yep..!..there goes labour..!..all the way to the top and a routing of the tories…i’d get some boxes of tissues and some serious mind-altering drugs in if i were you frank..it’s gonna be a rough ride..
(and will english be first to lose twice (with a gap in the middle.?..whoar..!..’holy dipton – batman!’)
but seriously..!..although i have long railed against him for delivering just more of the same old same old neoliberal-fucken-incrementalism..and promising little else….and called on him to change or go..
i don’t doubt the words of many that he is a thoroughly decent man..
i supported him when he stood..but soon turned after he nailed his incrementalist credentials to the cross..
but he must deserve credit for reading the runes – and exiting in such a civilised manner..
he departed with style and grace –
– the ultimate confirmation of that being that he nominated jacinda to succeed him as leader..
now that was classy..!
and i have no doubt he will make an excellent minister in the next (game-changing) government..
I’m absolutely gutted Labour have allowed Little to resign.
Key has also talked about resigning and the media lapped it up and asked for more. It was not a blunder at all, Little was just being honest and true to himself. Key did it too!
Sad that Nationals election strategy in well under way, and Labour has not even registered what National’s main election strategy was and has been for 9 years. Knock out Labour’s leader and make them look divided.
I’m gutted and angry with all this dirty politics and relentless bullying, but still going to vote Labour or Greens, to make sure that the rot of National is stuck out.
Yep . I’m still intending to vote Labour retrospective of today’s developments. And Mr Little , you were a fine gent. I think what struck people most was the honesty. I think that’s a big part of why people are feeling as they do.
But that is matched only by their anger that they know, that the real instigators of this are the very same ones who caused the undermining of David Cunliffe.
But now it will backfire on them. You cant do this sort of thing two times in a row without it becoming blatantly obvious. Hopefully it will start a clamor for a purge of neo liberals in Labours ranks and more important;y , its caucus.
And in all fairness, I think Jacinda should be given the option of Deputy if she wants it – without any rancor. I dont particularly like Kelvin Davis because of his neo liberal attitudes,… but one thing I do like is he has got mongrel factor in spades.
And mongrel is now what is needed in the Labour party.
Someone who likes the taste of blood.
Someone less concerned with being polite than they are with delivering that knock out uppercut to finish the opponent off.
That’s what Labour needs.
A scrapper.
Yeah. Thanks Andrew. Good bloke through and through. Surprisingly gracious given he was probably encouraged to fling himself under the bus. She’s a hard road when your co-workers are self-absorbed turncoats with all the loyalty and moral fibre of Judas Iscariot. “Labour – Because we’re all about the little guy… when we’re not busy knifing each other in the kidneys in order to advance our own ambitions.” (Obviously I wasn’t in the room at the time, so this could all be bitter hyperbole.)
Looks like it’s the Greens this year. At least they’re vaguely cohesive.
Yep the Labour/Greens/NZ First alliance was on 50% beating National.
So apparently that was not acceptable to National and to MSM – so pressure was put on to give National the help they need to keep selling off our country and importing in cheap workers but derailing the steady hand aka Andrew Little keeping the alliance in place .
Andrew Little was a fucking hero, against all the odds ensuring that the alliance could work and beat the Natz.
Little got results that mattered – the guy was beating the Natz and NZ First voters overwhelming wanted an alliance with Labour – together they were on 50% and the Greens rocketing up too!
So Andrew Little got fucked over somehow and made to feel like a loser, before he could even play his final cards to take out the Natz. It was all fake, his collaborative strategy was winning!
Actually , just watched the live broadcast,…
Some smartarse asked Adern some smarmy question, then she replied ” would you like to tell me why I cant ? ”…
She just might have that bit of mongrel needed after all. If she does, she will do well !
TRP
I’m a bit hazy on Labour party process (more familiar with the Greens). But I seem to recall that in the months immediately preceding an election the caucus are allowed to appoint a leader without needing to consult party members or associates (ie Unions). Does Arden’s coronation have to be confirmed by a party vote after the election, or is she there until someone else gets the numbers to force a leadership contest?
The recent polls are getting all the blame for Little’s removal, but the desire of Arden’s backers not to have to bother with that pesky democracy getting in their way seems to be a factor too. Hopefully they’ll take the handbrake off now while she takes a crack at winning this election race.
Good question! It’s subject to confirmation within 3 months of the general election being called.
From the relevant section:
B12: Should a vacancy in the leadership occur in the 3 months prior to the announced date of a general election (where known) or in the absence of an announced date the statutory date (calculated according to the date on which the election is triggered or, in the case of a caucus vote, a meeting or special meeting is requested), a new Leader will be elected by Caucus majority vote. The new Leader will then be subject to confirmation within three months after the election, pursuant to the Party constitution (i.e. they would need to be endorsed by 60%+1 of the new Caucus, or a full leadership contest would be triggered).
Thanks for that clarification TRP. Though rules can always be changed:
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/selection-review-urged
Though; how much of that is an MP grabbing any chance at a headline during election season, and how much a determined course of action? Fortunately Curran’s views seem a bit on the irrelevant side to the current Labour party. And any change in the process would need those party activists who attend conferences to go along with it, which seems unlikely.
I think you’ve answered your own question, dspare. Some in the caucus might hanker for the good ol’ days where they ruled the roost, but there’s no going back on the changes now. Party members and affiliates like having their say on leadership and that’s as it should be.
Well done Andrew Little – showed you have mana in truckloads and wisdom unlimited!
+1
Hello Sam.
It’s a shame there’s not still a Level 7 smoko room where all the good policies got thrashed out.
I note we do have an uncle @Bert contributor/commenter on this site though.
Stay well
Thank you Andrew for displaying honesty and integrity during your all too brief leadership. Your hard work and sacrifices deserved a better ending than this.
And well done TRP for a nicely worded tribute. Thank you.