Why Labour need Efeso Collins running in the new electorate of Flat Bush and why Luke Wijohn & Steve Able’s candidacy is another win for the Greens
The announcement that Greenpeace strategist Steve Able and Climate strike activist Luke Wijohn join poverty campaigner Ricardo Menendez as Green Party candidates gives me hope the Greens can be a relevant political force again.
I’ve known Steve for decades, we co-hosted a protest radio show broadcast from the top of Marsden B in 2006 to close it down, and Luke participated in our Pub Politics debate on climate change vs climate hoax. Both are dedicated climate crisis activists, both will make an enormous difference just through their participation.
This desperate need to get activists with a proven track record on recruiting public opinion combined with the courage to be deeply critical of existing Government policy is needed if the Greens are to remain above the 5% threshold.
This replenishment is not being mirrored within Labour.
For decades Labour have taken the Pacific vote for granted, rather than parachuting in the Samoan Attorney-General for the new electorate of Flatbush, Labour should be turning to the immensely popular South Auckland councillor Efeso Collins who has the talent to win the new seat and bring with him a new generation of Pacific voters.
Labour aren’t certain if Flatbush can be won and are looking for a candidate to run in exchange for a list placement, that is a defeatist perspective especially with every single seat required to win a second term.
Efeso has the name recognition, the ground game, the popularity and an enormous broadchurch appeal. Efeso could win Flatbush, not just run for it.
This need for new blood is building in Manurewa with Lousia Wall remaining too invisible and facing a possible challenge from the extremely talented Arena Williams.
Labour are desperately in need of new fresh blood from within South Auckland and from within the Pacific community.
I agree it ain’t gonna happen do you remember that dork Ross Robertson can anyone tell me what he ever achieved in all the time he held the position, you know I wished at the time when he departed someone had seriously looked at his career, oh well he was the speaker but apart from that he is the patron of every dam sports club in his electorate out south. But did he ever ever stand up for his people. The fact is they want those MPs to sit on their hands vote the way Labour wants them to vote and then the PM and other MPs get out there to gather up the votes once again for Labour at election time. It is all a bloody disgrace, the three poorest electorates in the country Manurewa, Manukau and Mangere. There is nobody to challenge Labour out there.
Actually that would be a great but tough thing, to stand a party just for those three seats, to get a decent crowd out there running a campaign going door to door and trying to shift the balance. The South Auckland party for the people of South Auckland. I’d love to see Labour lose these seats they do not deserve them.
Efesso wouldn’t let that happen he would stir it up, he would really represent his constituency and frankly they don’t want that. And of course he has tried to get the nod before.
Tell me about Luisa Wall only get in to focus on gender issues. Surely the big issue is poverty in her electorate.
So the Greens tend to run on list candidates, it will show how highly or lowly the two will be ranked, I doubt they will get in on 5 percent or just above that.