Red Alert on Moore’s appointment
While Phil Goff put out a press release welcoming the appointment, I’ve been waiting for one of the 40 or so Labour MPs who blog at Red Alert, to blog about Moore’s appointment and how pleased they are.
They managed to find newsworthy a blog post by Jordan Carter (the one I highlighted), the Mackenzie farming proposals, The Republican win in Massachusetts, the tax working group and some tale about how an MPs niece thinks the penguin in Madagascar reminds her of John Key.
But not a word of congratulations to Mike Moore. Never mind he joined the Labour movement in 1968, was elected to Parliament as a Labour MP in 1972 and served for 24 years, led them twice in a general election, and helped them avoid a crushing defeat in 1996 (before the rapprochement with Clark, Labour were polling at 14%).
He’s just been appointed to New Zealand’s most important diplomatic post, and none of his former colleagues at Red Alert can bring themselves to blog on it.
UPDATE: Audrey Young covers an interesting point:
Half a lifetime ago, in 1972, Mike Moore was the new young thing in politics, having won the marginal seat of Eden for Labour at the age of 23 – despite a vigorous campaign against him by opponents including the bearded 18-year-old Young National activist Murray McCully.
There were no hard feelings then – McCully ended up at Moore’s all-night celebrations.
Appointing the guy who beat you in your first election!
UPDATE 2: Denis Welch reminds us:
Ironically, when I interviewed him for the Clark book in November 2008, he was somewhat in the wilderness, having been passed over for appointments by the Clark government (he wasn’t even invited to the party’s 90th anniversary bash, which, rightly, rankled).
I’d forgotten they didn’t even invite him to the 90th birthday party. How petty.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:11 am
I am sure as soon as he becomes a tree-hugging bi-sexual communist with a deep seated and irrational hatred of the US and Israel he will be welcomed back into the fold.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:13 am
Commenting on Mike Moore has probably been banned by the mad duck. He bans and censors a lot of things, even his ego massager the Potato
January 21st, 2010 at 9:17 am
The policies of envy that permeate the socialist Labour Party, the bile that comes out of its mediocre supporters and minions is revolting.
To think New Zealand was ruled by this despicable mob is even worse, and explains why our country has gone backwards.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:24 am
Mike Moore thinks that creating an economy where everyone has a real job is important; he is therefore completely alien to what the Labour Party has become.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:28 am
Maybe they are concerned that he might be able to get around our outdated cold war era Nuclear ban and move NZ forward into the 21st century finally.
The benefits to NZ are yet to be realised economically quite apart from the fact that the Chinese are becoming more powerful and more anti freedom.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:28 am
Moore is one of the few Labour policiticians of recent years who has had a job outside of student politics, teaching or union activism consequently his “face doesn’t fit”.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:30 am
I am surprised that you are surprised David. This appointment must have pleased Labour about as much as Jim Bolger’s appointment to Kiwibank did National.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:32 am
Someone in the Government must be giggling at the thought of Moore and Clark being in the same country……..
January 21st, 2010 at 9:36 am
Labour need Mike Moore – they just dont know it.
I still wish he had gone through with his plans in 1996 to set up a proper centrist liberal democratic party. Would be great to have a decent liberal party and an alternative to the nutty socialists and conservatives.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:37 am
@ Slightlyrighty
Yea. I am sure Mike can crash at Heluns pad whenever he is in NY.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:40 am
Great Appointment we could have a Sir Mike Moore visiting a
DamenoLadyno Helen Klark ONZ ( Outcast of New Zealand Award)January 21st, 2010 at 9:40 am
Bottom of the barrel !!!
You know as a blogger that you wont cover everything of interest to your readers. In fact blogs can be obsessive about some topics that interest the blogger only .So other than your must read of the REd Alert what does it prove that they dont have a say.
You seem to ignore Jim Bolger yet he is a a later politician to Moore. ??
Let Moore bore the Americans about the benefits of globalisation until they tire of him as well.
[DPF: This is the Labour parliamentary blog, with 40 MPs blogging there, and the story is about their former Leader. I'm staggered they did not cover it.]
January 21st, 2010 at 9:54 am
on red alert this post (no doubt soon to be removed by Trevor
“erikter says:
January 21, 2010 at 9:37 am
I cannot find a posting on Mike Moore’s ambassadorship to the US.
Why does Red Alert forget to congratulate a former Prime Minister and fellow Labour Party member?”
Labour will see Moore as a turncoat and try and rewrite history. I think he will do a great job for NZ and I am very pleased of his appointment.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:55 am
And over on The Standard (sic) they are praising the appointment to reunite Hels and Mikey.
Yeah right…aye Countess
January 21st, 2010 at 10:02 am
That’s a cool story by Audrey Young about McCully & Moore – obviously both good buggers.
But it’s Kiwiblog, so no matter what the story is:
BOO EVIL LIABORE
BOO EVIL HELEN CLARK
It’s more than a year since the election but she is still in the forefront of your minds. Sad…
January 21st, 2010 at 10:12 am
I believe Slightly Rightly made a tongue in cheek comment about Mike and Helens hating each other, which was picked and bandied around a bit. Hardly an order of magnitude worth sniffing about.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:13 am
Moore tried to influence the last election with a suitcase full of manufactured charges against John Key. WTF are National and so many of the commenters to Kiwiblog thinking? He’s just another leftist who wants to take your earnings and steal your property and end your freedom. A hyena of a slightly different colour is still a hyena.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:29 am
The comrades quickly covering their tracks:
“Fair cop Farrar: Mike’s done us proud
Posted by Clare Curran on January 21st, 2010
This year has had some odd beginnings for me. Here I am agreeing with David Farrar. Well actually, we agree on a number of issues I suspect. Just not some of the really fundamental ones.
Anyway, David drew attention on Kiwiblog to the fact that none of us (on Red Alert) have congratulated Mike Moore on his appointment as NZ Amabassador to the US.
Of course Labour has made a statement in MSM congratulating Mike. But fair cop, we haven’t said anything here.”
January 21st, 2010 at 10:29 am
RB whilst I do not know if your charges are true, he also wrote an article writefully totally condeming Labour in the NZ Herald for their actions over the previous year. He is one of the strongest advocates of worldwide free trade and bla.
Anyway
January 21st, 2010 at 10:36 am
A very shrewd move by the Government. I am sure he will do a first class job.
Well done Mike to have shown from his experience in the real world his ability to do the job.
He has also shown that he is able not to lower himself to Labour’s present low and bigoted standards.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:37 am
@Expat
Helun famously confided on a flight that see ‘hated’ Mike Moore. She was outraged it was reported… but she never denied it.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:06 am
Manolo – Clare Curran can get away with that, given that she never worked under or alongside Mike Moore. It would be interesting to know Mallard’s thoughts, or those of Annette King.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:16 am
Moore tried to influence the last election with a suitcase full of manufactured charges against John Key.
I think you are confusing Mike Moore with Mike Williams.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:19 am
Redbaiter got confused Bevan? Surely not!
January 21st, 2010 at 11:36 am
I sure as hell cannot remember Moore being anything other than positive about the possibility of Key becoming PM prior to the last election.
Perhaps Moore knew that Neville Key was nothing more than a socialist in the wrong party.
January 21st, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Perhaps Moore knew that Neville Key was nothing more than a socialist in the wrong party.
That must be it! He wasn’t working for Labour, he was working for Act!
January 21st, 2010 at 12:45 pm
“It’s more than a year since the election but she is still in the forefront of your minds. Sad…”
maybe its cause we are still paying for what she did.
maybe if i cut off your leg, ill still be at the forefront of your mind in a year.. or ten.
January 21st, 2010 at 1:45 pm
It’s good that Red Alert fixed the omission – as DPF noted it was a bit graceless.
This is a smart appointment – good for the Country.
It will be good for Mike Moore too – it means no more articles in the Herald taking cheap shots at existing pols – he’s bigger and better than that.
Great Mike Moore line (reputed) on leaving Parliament in his farewell speech to the Labour Caucus:
“I would like to thank my friends in the Labour Caucus…… all 11 of you.”
However the BIG omission from Labour is not on the appointment of the Ambassador to the US but rather Labour’s position (in principle) to the Government’s three strikes proposal. As far as I can see nothing on Red Alert and no presser from a Labour spokesperson.
Goff will be inclined to back it to close the gap but can he get that through the Labour Caucus – in the meantime silence. Or will Labour oppose it thereby eroding Goff’s carefully constructed record of Labour being tough of crime. The answer will determine whether Phil is incharge.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Bevan is correct. I did confuse the two Mikes. I don’t really know a lot about Mile Moore’s past in NZ government, (was he PM for two days or something?) but as others have mentioned, I do faintly recall a couple of articles he wrote that didn’t seem as bad as the usual leftist waffle. (Thanks Bevan)
January 21st, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Mike Moore wrote some trenchant criticism of the Clark regime in its declining years, for example this or this, when he refused to toe the party line.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Mike is a good guy. I worked on three of his campaigns, including the 1993 one where the Clarxists were foot-tripping him at every opportunity.
I remember presenting my idea of a slogan to the committee and being interrupted by a voice much deeper than Mike’s.
“Jobs. Growth. Health.” growled the voice.
It was Clark’s.
These days I’d put up a strenuous argument that perhaps “Jobs. Growth. Health.” was not the most inspired catch-cry we could come up with. But nobody seemed keen to countermand the Deep Voice, including Mike.
And so “Jobs. Growth. Health” became the slogan without any further discussion.
God knows why Moore still considers himself “tribal Labour” when they haven’t even got the grace to invite him to their 90th birthday party.
The Nats had their 70th and all the leaders were there in a line, each cheerily standing next to the one that knifed them.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:24 pm
YOu might like to read my column in tomorrow’s NBR about Mike and his ideas and enthusiasms. I wrote it on Monday before the announcement but it proves quite prescient.
I hope this appointment proves a watershed in our attitude to technology and reason.
But then again read Brian Fallow and look at the list of his leaders of Clean Green Development. Not an engineer or technocrat among them.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Is there a word that is the antonym of “schadenfreude”? If so, it describes perfectly what most (but by no means all) at Red Alert are feeling about the appointment.
January 21st, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Red Alert ist Glückschmerz.