The battle for Mt Albert
February 16th, 2009 at 9:00 am by David FarrarThe Dom Post on Saturday looked at the battle for Mt Albert within Labour:
Party sources say the leading contender to replace her is newly elected list MP Phil Twyford, who unsuccessfully contested the North Shore electorate last year.
Ha I have been saying that for months.
Two women are also bidding for the job: Auckland City Eden-Albert councillor Glenda Fryer and deposed cabinet minister Judith Tizard.
I’d be amazed if either of them were selected.
Under the Electoral Act the vacant list seat would be filled by the next unelected person on Labour’s list former Corrections minister Damien O’Connor, who lost his West Coast seat. He famously submitted his resignation to Miss Clark last year in a text message from Hong Kong Airport. She did not accept it.
Mr O’Connor could not be contacted, but if he turns down the invitation the next person on the list is Miss Tizard.
Yes Judith could be back either way, as Cullen retiring and Twyford winning Mt Albert would bring two people in on the list – O’Connor and Tizard.
I understand Labour sources are fairly relaxed about O’Connor coming back in. He didn’t do great as a Minister but has rural appeal, which they need.
Labour’s nighmare is the block of five after O’Connor. They are:
- Judith Tizard
- Mark Burton
- Mahara Okeroa
- Martin Gallagher
- Dave Hereora
So the rejuvenation caused by Cullen or Clark going would be to bring back in an MP who lose their seat, and who has no chance of ever making Cabinet agin – or to bring in (Hereora) an MP who was so invisible that he made Larry Sutherland look like a dynamic high profile MP.
The next on the list after Heroera is Louisa Wall. I rate Wall pretty highly – she’s smart, good on policy, and articulate. She did not make many friends in Labour though, hence her low list ranking. However after her is Lesley Soper, whom no one in Labour wants back, so I understand their aim is to get Wall in to replace Cullen or Clark (whomever goes second).
But to get Wall in, they have to convince not one, but five former MPs to stand aside. As the Greens found out with Mike Ward this can be easier said than done.
Related posts:
- The race for Mt Albert
- Labour’s problem with Mt Albert
- Four candidates so far for Mt Albert for Labour
- Labour’s decision to not risk Twyford in Mt Albert
February 16th, 2009 at 9:14 am
I can’t see Tizard being easily persuaded to stand aside. Sheesh – opposition backbench list MP – could there be a better job for her?
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 9:31 am
DIme isn’t allowed to mention Tizard or he gets demerits
Lesley Soper – is she related to the left wing idiot on ZB?
[DPF: No]
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Cheers!
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 10:06 am
What a sweet pickle Labour has got itself in.
Vote:Tizard would be a real turn off. O’Connor to replace Cullen would be ok. O’Connor is a good guy, from a nonpolitical point of view. He is from a regional area and is on the conservative non-trendy edge. Even South Islanders can read ,to you big city North Islanders, he would be an asset to saying Labor is for normal people..
Louisa Wall seems to be more of the female different type that Labor just don’t need.Labor needs people most other people can identify with – people like Grant Robertson etc just carry too much baggage and controversy.
Look at Labor ‘s hopeless members now – Choudary,Fenton,Moroney,Prasad,Carol Beaumont. What a drag !!
February 16th, 2009 at 10:31 am
What a nuisance for Labour that they had that terrible list imposed on them by outside forces. It is a wonder they didn’t complain and formulate their own list with reasonable people on it.
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Have any of those 5 losers yet found work? Or more likely are they all unemployed?
I guess that all of them – but especially Judith would be arrogant enough to feel that the people need her. No doubt Helen and those trying to convince them not to return no longer have the policitcal power to offer another bauble elsewhere that would be acceptable. Therefore being back is their best option.
Oh please Judith come back – you are the perfect example of everything that is wrong with labour and will ensure that National remain in Government for a very very long time.
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 10:51 am
When does staying on in parliament when your eyes and energy are on another job start looking like seat warming on the public purse?
A month or two to tie up loose ends is fine, but it’s three month since the election and as she’s definitely leaving shouldn’t she stand down soon and let a new MP put his/her energy into working for the people in the electorate?
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 11:08 am
DPF wrote:
Agreed – O’Connor wasn’t a bad bloke.
He seemed to have missed the Labour induction class “how to be high-strung & holier than thou”. I believe it is jointly taught by Chris Carter and Michael Cullen with input from Helen Clark.
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 11:26 am
I can picture Tizard sitting back having a coffee in some godawful cafe biding her time for her triumphant return to the house. She’s already got her hit list written up and yet I’d love to be the person to tell her to stand aside…. well as long as that was all I did for Labour.
Maybe we should set up a petition to tell her to go away?
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
I hope Tizard gets back in. Just think of the sport we will have…..
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
wonder if tizard will seek a job in the UN? maybe a move to NY coming up?
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
What poetic justice to see that list of such pathetic wastes of oxygen and know that the public rejected them at the ballot box yet they all have a chnace of returning to the place they were thrown from.
All would make for such good sport should they return. Sigh Its all so boring now with JK and BE and the team doing the business and getting on with governing and restoring our grand country to where it belongs after nine long years of Socialist stuff ups.
We need some sport thats why we need these Socilaist oafs back in the House
Vote:February 16th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
If I remember correctly didn’t the Nat’s win the party vote in this electorate?
Now that could be the makings of a change especially as Liarbour have such a fine lineup of candidates. Mindyou now that th EFA is going and the unions could well be banned from politics little may sense his chance before the funds run out.
[DPF: No Labour won it]
Vote:February 17th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Hang on, why would Judith want to be back on the list when she could be holding Helen’s handbag when H1 gets that UN job? Or would she be fighting off H2 for the privilage?
The other question is, if Helen gets that UN job, surely she would have to bring in some of her friends and collegues as advisors or form part of her team (c’mon history shows that she needs to have such people around her, she doesn’t do independent advice & thought very well). So who? Judith (personal assistant – scheduling engagements and travel)? H2 (policy brain)? Michael Cullen (number cruncher)? Darren Hughes (jovial PR manager – since he’s now on the list he may as well take a couple of years leave to broaden his horizons, He can always drop back on the Labour List if things go pear shaped)?
Crickey, how much will this cost us? What about NZ’s reputation for supposdly being corruption free?
Vote:February 17th, 2009 at 7:27 am
I imagine La Tiz is helping to select the soft furnishings for a penthouse suite convenient to the UN Building – with Auckland’s mayoralty an unregistered construct in that echo chamber that denotes her cerebral cortex.
A personal informant who knows him well says O’Connor has “moved on” from stirring the dead embers of his political career.
Vote: