Grant Robertson
April 2nd, 2011 at 12:00 pm by David FarrarDerek Cheng in the NZ Herald has a profile of Grant Robertson. It includes some quotes from me. Worth noting those quotes were given a few weeks ago, before Goff’s stuffing up the Darren Hughes affair. So the context wasn’t around Grant challenging Goff (which he won’t), but over his promotion to the front bench.
Kiwiblogger and right-wing commentator David Farrar believes Robertson will be at the forefront of a leadership challenge within the next two terms, but there will be a transitional leader – maybe David Cunliffe, he speculates – before then.
“Robertson has very good political judgement, can work with opponents, is smart, and makes very few mistakes and certainly doesn’t make the same ones twice.
He is very careful with what he says about things that may come back to bite him one day. He’s already developed that instinct that you need to become a leader one day, thinking four or five steps ahead. “I do certainly see him as a potential Prime Minister.”
It’s those strategic smarts which I rate Grant for. It’s not that he is making headway against National Ministers in the House. Tony Ryall looks as unbothered by Grant, as he was by Ruth Dyson at this stage. But Grant generally is careful not to position himself somewhere that will bite him in the future.
He feels equally strongly about adequate state assistance for the vulnerable and the excluded, which aligns with his view that the Government should actively provide a level playing field, especially through health and education, so that every person has the chance to reach their full potential.
“That will mean redistributing wealth in some instances …It’s a complete no-brainer. If you have people in poverty and on the fringes of society, if you bring them in, give them education, keep them healthy and get them a quality house, they will be a good functioning member of society and the economy. Why would you want to exclude them from society?
I don’t have a problem with redistributing wealth to help people in poverty. But Grant’s party has gone well beyond that. They all too often appear to want to redistribute wealth to punish people for being wealthy, and to buy middle class votes. Labour didn’t spend one extra cent increasing benefits for those in poverty beyond the inflation rate, but spent billions on middle class welfare so more families have ipods etc.
And unlike many lefties, he supports free trade with China in spite of the human rights issues and lower wages that price New Zealand workers out of the global market. …
When pressed, he says he would draw the line at a bi-lateral FTA with Burma. (He is relaxed about the ASEAN-Australia-NZ FTA, which includes Burma, and does not prevent New Zealand from imposing sanctions on Burma).
Good to see a Robertson led Labour will be sane on trade policy.
Farrar notes Georgina Beyer’s success in Wairarapa as the world’s first transsexual MP, and believes most New Zealanders wouldn’t care. “I don’t think his sexuality would be at all a factor in stopping him from becoming Prime Minister.
“He’s gay. Some MPs make a massive issue of it, like Chris Carter. Grant doesn’t try to have it define him, but will talk when appropriate on gay and lesbian issues and show his support.”
Farrar also says writing a lot about sports – whether a deliberate tactic or not – has shown Robertson to be well-rounded, breaking the gay mould.
This is the only part where the comments as reported don’t quite reflect my intent. My reference to Grant writing about sports breaking the mould, wasn’t referring to a “gay” mould. Gay and sporty are not opposites in my mind. The mould I was meaning was the perception (arguably unfairly) that many Labour MPs live and breathe politics and it is their entire life. Mike Moore wrote about this once. By bloggins about sports, Grant shows that he is someone who cares about more than just politics and power. I’m not suggesting that Grant doesn’t genuinely love sports (he is well known to be a sports fan), just that his decision to blog about them on Red Alert was a considered one.
Related posts:
- Listener on Grant Robertson
- Grant Robertson
- Why Grant Robertson will be PM one day
- The rise of Robertson
April 2nd, 2011 at 12:34 pm
He wouldn’t rate as the countrys first gay prime minister should Liarboar ever close the gap, that honour goes to Helen Klark.
Vote:He would however be the first to be outside the closet, still a somewhat dubious claim to fame.
April 2nd, 2011 at 12:37 pm
With all the unwanted publicity about “Paree Hughes”, the eyes will now shift to Robertson, another Labour aspiring politician.
You can only wonder at the enormous power of the Rainbow branch of the party, which has managed to promote to key positions so many of its members.
Vote:April 2nd, 2011 at 12:42 pm
how many of today’s’ Labour politicians have ever owned/run a business or at least worked in the private sector earning their crust from a source other than the taxpayer or union fees?
Vote:April 2nd, 2011 at 1:31 pm
Still pushing this big girls blouse’s barrow? He blogged about sport, big deal, bet you he’s never actually played any….possibly footsie at his local gay bar.
He’ll NEVER appeal to real blokes that’s for sure, the pushing out of the Clark faction and all their associated hard left policy just goes to show how far adrift her ilk….that’s Robertson & other far left perverts….are from the general populace.
Vote:April 2nd, 2011 at 2:58 pm
jaba, I have hazy memories of someone in comments here a few months ago (possibly last year?) listing all of the Labour MPs who have not worked as academics, unionists, or teachers. It was a pretty large proportion, I believe. I want to say it was Graeme Edgeler, but I’m not certain of that.
Vote:April 2nd, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Wrong, he played rugby, number 8… not prop as he said. I think Alf too played a fair bit of rugby. He’s also a fan of the Phoenix – came to Sydney last year to see them get robbed in the semi final. I’ve also played a bit of tennis and cricket with him, social only.
I’m a real bloke, straight even, with kids, and consider him a bloody good mate and entirely deserving of recognition.
Vote:April 2nd, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Only because he heard John Hopoate was in the opposing team !
Vote:April 2nd, 2011 at 5:38 pm
This is probably the most fundamental wrongness in Labour thinking. They thing that if you give socially dysfunctional people lots of money they will become good members of society. They think all social poroblems stem from poverty.
Vote:Sadly, they are wrong – peopel are poor because they are dysfunctional, not the other way round.
April 2nd, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Grant is pleasant enough but suffers from the fatal curse of living his life inside the beltway. Never having had a real job etc. Frankly that’s unacceptable.
Vote:As for sport it does not make MPs (or Grant) an ordinary person. There is an entire beltway inside group who utilise sport troughing to a disgusting extent. A good example is Mallard. They utilise their position to gain more trips and 5 star hotels. How many of our politicians went to the Olympics? With the best seats. How many paid for it? How about a free ticket to the Corporate box?
April 2nd, 2011 at 10:43 pm
The Phoenix! Another bunch of girls in a girls game.
Paul
Really….another deluded soft cock.
Vote:April 4th, 2011 at 1:46 am
“I don’t think his sexuality would be at all a factor in stopping him from becoming Prime Minister.
Oh really?
Vote:I think NZers have had quite enough of gay labour mp’s and their lack of self control, they certainly don’t do much for removing negative stereotypes for the gay community, that’s for damned sure.
April 4th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
@KH
Grant is pleasant enough but suffers from the fatal curse of living his life inside the beltway
The constituency he represents is Wellington Central, not King Country.
Vote: