Maybe if the Tsarina’s toy boys could muster up a bit of spine we wouldn’t have suffered under the current dictatorship. Caucus solidarity is an abnegation of democracy. Bring back Marilyn Waring.

It ain’t over yet. If John Key keeps fumbling passes and Winston First stays out of jail while bribing his ignorant 5% with poisonous vote-catching policies, I could be trembling in my boots at the Tsarina’s scrotum-shrinking glare for another 3 interminable years.
)

MMP is a crock. Either Winston, Jeanette or Tariana will decide who governs. 85 – 90% of our votes will be meaningless. What’s required is for National and Labour to put the country’s long term interests ahead of their individual ego-stroking and form a (gasp!) Grand Coalition.

Snow in Rarotonga is more likely.

Or somebody in Wellington addressing the real problem. The cause of most of our ills: our disgusting productivity.

Those close to leadership aspirants will start hinting at change within days of the election, this will start the war, expect to see “leaked stories” about how they were not happy with the way Klark ran things for the last two years, they were not happy with the personal attacks on John Key..etc..

One of the first victims will be Heather Simpson, while Klark might not be everybody’s favourite inside the Labour caucus there are literally dozens of them who despise Simpson with a passion, it would not surprise me at all to see Simpson hammered in the media simply because those who seek Klarks job know they cannot and will not get it without first removing Simpson.
The delicious thing about this is that Simpson and Klark will not go without a fight, expect Simpson to fight back and fight dirty.

I also find it interesting that the pundits assume it will be either Cunliffe or Goff without stopping to consider where the real power base lies within the Labour party, while both of these chaps are arguably the best options to replace Klark neither are strongly aligned with the Rainbow faction nor with the Feminazi or union element.

The Feminazi faction are not going to take the removal of Klark laying down and they sure as hell will not be keen on a male taking her place, expect to see a push for Ruth Dyson from the feminazi, Dyson can also rely on the backing of the union movements, and if push came to shove the rainbow/gay element.

IMHO the gay/rainbow element will push hard for Chris Carter who has the added bonus of the teachers and teachers union support, neither the feminazi or gay/rainbow Labour members will be that keen on a straight heterosexual male as party leader.

It may end up being a leadership battle that Goff or Cunliffe might not want to be involved in, if I were advising Goff or Cunliffe or even possibly Jones then I think I might be suggesting that they take the long term view, let the fallout happen and let the next leader suffer the inevitable hammering at the 2011 election, one thing is certain and that is when the shit fight does start it will not be a quick and decisive war, it will drag on for months and months.

Whatever does happen I honestly believe that we will see a seismic shift in how the Labour party is run, I believe that all of the leadership contestants (with the probable exception of Dyson) will agree on one thing and that is that they never want to see so much power vested in the hands of one person, I think they will also agree to make changes to their party rules so the Heather Simpson type position is never allowed to be repeated.

Helen has run her party like the mafia, no-one gets admitted to the circle of power without getting blood on their hands and selling their soul. Both Goff and Cunliffe have obliged.

Not publicly NX – from what I have heard from a couple of well-placed sources, privately things are very different; very different indeed. The men are hopeful that, post-election, they will get their party back.

Does that mean he is now Far Goff?

Hands up those who momentarily forgot about the EFA?

If labour loses, the overwhelming memory of this election will be the electoral challenges by Labour to win through the courts.

But if Labour loses, there could be a significant internal backlash against Clark and Cullen for their appalling judgement over Peters.

John Howard, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown et. al all had dissenting voices within their ranks over their leadership; especially when it appears they’re going to lose.

We are now less than seven weeks out from an election – Clark has forced her Labour caucus to vote to support the social conservative & xenophobe Winston Peters. They are 15 points behind in the polls while National is polling above 50%. Helen has pissed off the Maori party.

YET…. not a peep. Not a whimper of dissent within the Labour ranks.

Clark & Simpson’s grip on the Labour party must be so iron clad tight that even the thought of dissent causes Labour MP to chant 20 hailmary’sClark followed by a trip to the toilet.

Whether you call this discipline or control is up to you.

Clark will not remain as leader after losing the election (nor even if she won). But she won’t be rolled. She will go voluntarily at a moment of her choosing. Her power is still great within Labour and anyone who tried to knife her prematurely would be fatally wounded even if they won (aka Jim McLay in ’84).

I expect that Labour MPs desire to win would (if necessary) trump their gratitude for 9 years’ power, and fear of HC’s retribution if she did try to stay on for 2011. But ruthless as she is, she knows that and won’t try it.

It makes far more sense for her to “graciously” step aside and remain the power behind the throne to whom all Labour leaders must kowtow for for another 20 years.

Heather Simpson going toe to toe with Shane Jones would be a laugh

The shit fight between the gay, femanazi and union factions will be bloody, it could split the Labour party for some years to come.

Goff to me seems to be a bit like Rudd. You don’t agree with their policies, but you could live with them being in charge if you had to. Clark on the other hand.

However like Rob Muldoon post 1984 election she would have sufficient residual power and ‘network’ to make life miserable for waverers (Rob saw off ‘Diamond’ Jim his successor, effectively stopped Nats President from standing for in 1987 and forced the departure of the Nats general secretary (he blamed the organisation for failing to deliver a National victory). I would expect however helen would not wreak similar ‘destruction’ in the wake of a loss this year.

It’s a matter of trust.