The Press on Labour
Today’s editorial in The Press focuses on Labour. Some extracts:
It is now Labour which struggles to find fresh ideas and fresh faces. Prime Minister Helen Clark herself remains a formidable politician who, despite Key’s early promise, is unlikely to be bested by any Opposition figure in a head-to-head contest. But her deputy, Michael Cullen, appears tired and stale and needs to go, while other senior figures such as Steve Maharey, Trevor Mallard and David Benson-Pope are scarcely confidence-inspiring politicians. And because Labour squandered the opportunity in previous general elections to renew its caucus, the talent pool further down its ranks is minimal.
… no matter how strongly Clark herself can counterattack, it will not resolve her party’s longer-term problem. This is how Labour can come up with the sort of fresh and confidence-inspiring faces that National under Key finally appears to be developing.
February 10th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Here is a good example of socialism at work: a phot of North and South Korea at night.
http://www.brucebawer.com/north_korea_nighttime.jpg
February 10th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
“English could be a tougher opponent for Cullen than Key was.”
I’ve no idea how Audrey Young formulates that opinion. Head to head, I can’t help but think that Cullen will deal to English.
February 10th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
so..on the preserving the planet/not burning/wasting fossil fuels front..
the north is way aheasd..eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
February 10th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
so..on the preserving the planet/not burning/wasting fossil fuels front..
the north is way aheasd..eh..?
Probably.Almost certainly on the “not starving,imprisoning and murdering the people front” anyway….but who cares as long as they aren’t driving SUV’s eh phul?
February 10th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
They’re also ahead on the conserving animals by eating eachother phool.
As lucid as always.
February 10th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Some more extracts from the same article
“the party has actually done much to help lift members of Key’s underclass out of the mire of poverty. It has introduced the Working for Families package, done away with market rentals for state houses, boosted funding for low-decile schools and brought in subsidised doctors’ visits. In addition, unemployment remains at low levels and the number of children living in households dependent on welfare benefits has dropped.
Compared to these initiatives, Key has given little indication of the fresh policies with which he would tackle the underclass problem. Despite the publicity generated by his food-in-schools partnership proposal with business, this addresses only a small part of the broader underclass issue. “
February 10th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
In other words Robert the “underclass” is now getting a bigger share of the country’s resources than the hard workers in the “Just not quite in the underclass” who have to pay for it all. No wonder these workers bitterly resent this country and are looking at ways at getting back at this pack of wankers that run it.
February 10th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Labour can readily find fresh new faces who have a chance of impressing the electorate. So can any party – simply by selecting on merit. But few do.
I’ve met some intelligent, inspired and inspiring young Labour people (not the lowercase “y” – I don’t necessarily mean Young Labour people). Waiting in the wings for their turn. And waiting… Sorry kids, should have joined a union, or left uni and gone straight to work in a Minister’s office.
The only thing that obssesses most politicians more than winning the next election is preserving their own place in the pecking order.
Thus candidate selection (and, especially, party list ranking) are ruthlessly gerrymandered to choose those most likely to support the people whom the powerbrokers wish supported.
Of course there’s a whole range of deals done: support the present leader and we’ll get you selected; support the strongest challenger and we’ll fix things for you; just help us get rid of the local bloke we don’t like, and then remember who put you here… etc etc.
So there are still leadership spills and selection battles and all the other intrigue.
But the point is, the players aren’t chosen on their ability, but on how well they’ll stay bought once they’re selected or elected. A similar crieria applies to the selection of advisors, as I’ve commented here before.
I’m certain it happens in every party, but to differing extents. As an non-aligned observer I’d have to say National are doing much better than Labour at selecting on merit. But I’d also say that that’s expediency, not principle, at work – a realisation that stacking the line-up with dull hacks would see them forever in opposition. Give them a term or two and I imagine they’d return to type.
February 10th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Soryy, that should be “NOTE the lowercase ‘y’” or it somewhat alters the meaning of the sentence
February 10th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
so james..is nth korea currently killing more people on this planet than your ‘motherland’..america..?
i don’t think so ..eh..?
america has been the killing/invading/war- machine on this planet since the end of the second world war..
and sheesh..!..it was just one of those’ain’t life strange’ observations..
but sure enough ..up pops muzza…
it’s been nearly two years muzza…and nothing from you except bile/drivel..all with a smell of gun oil…
we have been waiting for a wise/witty/pithy/funny/anything..?
but alas..no..
you’re a real one-trick pony..eh..?
just the bile..blah..blah..bile..eh..?
(btw..how did things work out for you and whaleblubber on your ‘weekend away.’.
did you go anywhere near brokeback mountain..?..
y’know..with your gun oil..?..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
February 10th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
We have two lab rats now – sonic and phil.
Don’t forget to feed and water them….and clean up their shit.
Onanists!
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/onanist
February 10th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
In the Herald today, Audrey Young reports: “Meantime the public service has been asked to come up with big new ideas that will give Labour some work to do and a reason for being re-elected.” (ref: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10423229 )
Is this a corrupt use of the public service?
February 10th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it Phil….
Speaking of knocking something, you are definately up for a hiding the next time I bang into you or your flea bitten mongrels.
If the best you can do is hurl sexual innuendo my way you need better medication.
February 10th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Mr Whaleoil,
That is a most inappropriate comment.
I agree with your anger at socialist nitwits, but I doubt whether David Farrars wonderful website is an appropriate forum for this.
I think you own Phil, Mr Farrar and the visitors to this site an apology.
February 10th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Press looking at Clark’s ability through rose “RED” coloured glasses on the issue of Clark’s head to head with JK’s me thinks.
Sad, worn out, but still a control freak, it had to end at some stage after just scraping through at the last election.
Id like to know what benefit to NZ we’ll have at the end of this present Labour Govt-
-More benificieries,
-more govt employees “x3″,
-higher taxes,
-more taxes.
Sadly after all the BS is cut and dried there won’t be sweet FA this group will be remembered for.
February 10th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Labour’s electorate and list candidates are selected behind closed doors by the Party’s central committee – transparent it is not. This fact also goes a long way to explain why H1 & Cullen are – and always have been – the only heavy players in Labour’s front row. The rest of the Labour MP’s are little more than a mottly assemblage of liteweight posturing time-serving hacks and PC spear-carriers.
Labour has to worried about Cullen – he’s always been H1′s sh**kicker and trouble-shooter. And boyo – doesn’t he look physically ill these days. With him out of the picture, who is there to take up his massive workload? [Note to H1: leadership involves prudent risk management.]
Other parties have vastly more open and democratic processes to select MP’s – which include candidate nomination and selection at the grassroots level by electorate committees. Perhaps this is their long suit in a game that does require depth on the field, on the bench and in the development sides?
February 10th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
I note the media has been playing the same song for the past 7 years – how Clark is the only talent Labour has got (this keeps their relationship good between elections). And yet the Labour politician most subject to attack each election, is Clark herself.
Given their owners and their highly paid editorial writers both want tax cuts AND continued access to the government, this is no surprise.
February 10th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
so james..is nth korea currently killing more people on this planet than your ‘motherland’..america..?
i don’t think so ..eh..?
America under the Socialist Bush and his God bothering cronies ain’t my homeland Comrade…try again.But I will take it any day over the peoples republic of Mr Kim…America will once again bloom once it rediscovers its constitution and the values on which it was founded….and they aren’t Socialist or Christian.
February 10th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
so..whaleblubber…
you can hand it out..
but can’t/don’t ‘take it’..eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
February 10th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
“you are definately up for a hiding the next time I bang into you or your flea bitten mongrels”
Goodness I thought being a pretend internet hardman went out of style in the 1990′s
Big tough Whale Oil eh, I bet we are all shaking in our boots.
February 10th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
The poor Nats….brave faces all round but in their deepest bunkers their realists know there is no hope.
The mendicant demographic understands as much as it needs to.
It will vote Nat somewhere around the date of the second coming.
The numbers are massive and if Hulun has anything to do with it, growing.
It follows that the more middle class welfare there is the better.
You get more mendicants by taking their wealth from them, then giving it back to them under your rules and patronage.
Hulun gives and the Nats taketh away.
It’s a superb voting control.
The Nats look for crisis/tabloid politics because the big discontinuity is the only way Labour gets dumped.
February 10th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
For a start Slow man I have nothing to apologise for.
If Phool made those comments in any proper pub, not some metro-sexualised Ponsonby piss-hole, he would have been given a right good slapping and no-one would have blinked an eye. He then would have been dumped in the gutter for passers-by to have a good kicking as well.
Sonic, anytime, pal, anytime. We’ll see you is tough and who isn’t.
February 10th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
so..on the preserving the planet/not burning/wasting fossil fuels front..
the north is way aheasd..eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
You are actually fucking serious aren’t you?
Unbelievable
What a retard
February 11th, 2007 at 1:41 am
“Sonic, anytime, pal, anytime. We’ll see you is tough and who isn’t.”
Oh what a challenge,
hitchenswatch@gmail.com
Email me pretend tough guy
February 11th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
you lay one finger on me..(or my dogs..)
or you come anywhere fucken near me..
or you even feckin’ threaten me once more..
you bullying military freak fucken hard-on..
and i’ll fucken bust you..
i’ll go to the cops…
i won’t take that shit from anyone..!
hear me..!
phil(whoar.co.nz)
February 11th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Okay I think this thread has reached a natural conclusion. Please don’t post anything further. Otherwise I’ll close the post for comments.
February 12th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Whaaaa whaaaa whaaaa!
February 12th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Ya blouse wearing poodle walker Farrar.
February 12th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
What about the new face in Aoraki? I voted for the guy Blanchard in Ilam last time now I hear he is in Timaru. He was excellent in 2005 at the University, runs his own business, hard to beleive he is Labour.
February 12th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
What about the new face in Aoraki? I voted for the guy Blanchard in Ilam last time now I hear he is in Timaru. He was excellent in 2005 at the University, runs his own business, hard to beleive he is Labour.
February 12th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
What about the new face in Aoraki? I voted for the guy Blanchard in Ilam last time now I hear he is in Timaru. He was excellent in 2005 at the University, runs his own business, hard to beleive he is Labour.
February 12th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Sonic et al (yes that includes you Dim)
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/node/3667
Dare ya!
June 12th, 2007 at 8:32 am
fnhsyic spniz crnwqvia pjacuk syetxka auvcd qufzsj