Little says heart not in Wgtn but still lives here and will return here if he loses
November 10th, 2011 at 2:00 pm by David FarrarJo Moir at the NP Daily News reports:
Andrew Little says rumours in the blogosphere that his heart lies in Wellington are nothing more than “conspiracy theories”.
The New Plymouth Labour candidate said he has no plans for the Wellington-based Rongotai seat, currently held by Labour MP Annette King, and is putting his heart and soul into winning the New Plymouth seat.
Over the past few months right- wing blogger and political activist David Farrar hinted Labour’s 15th ranked candidate has been non- committal in his approach to living in New Plymouth because he plans to stand in the Rongotai electorate in 2014.
Actually I think I said he plans to stand in the 2012 Rongotai by-election.
Look Andrew would like to win New Plymouth, but he hasn’t gone about convincing people he is commited to the seat. Take this quote later on:
At a New Plymouth candidate debate on Monday night Mr Little said he would not live in New Plymouth if he lost the election then got into Parliament as a List MP.
He said the cost to the taxpayer in travel expenses ruled out that possibility.
Oh what nonsense. The expense of not being based in Wellington is a trivial amount of overall parliamentary expenditure.
If Andrew wanted to convince people he is commited to New Plymouth, he should have done the following:
- Given up his two full-time jobs in the first half of the year. He stayed on far too long as Labour President and EPMU National Secretary
- Not stayed on the staff of the EPMU, and campaigned fulltime instead of part-time
- Not be seen protesting with Young Labour on a weekday on Lampton Quay
- Moved the family up to New Plymouth, and rented out the Wellington house. Instead he commuted to the electorate to campaign up until recently. That does not indicate commitment.
- Pledged to live in New Plymouth, if he is a List MP
Note that Andrew has not in any way ruled out standing for Rongotai if he does not win New Plymouth. All he has said is he is elected the Electorate MP for New Plymouth, he will stand again for New Plymouth – well doh that is hardly a surprise. In the last 30 years only one electorate MP has ever ditched their seat, to stand for another seat while an MP for their original seat.
If you want to win a seat off an opponent, you have to throw everything at it. Some candidates give up theri jobs nine months before the election, and then campaign seven days a week for nine months. They don’t keep their Wellington based jobs and commute into the electorate to campaign, and announce that if they lose they’re out of there never to return.
Related posts:
- Campaigning in Wellington for New Plymouth
- Will Little stay in New Plymouth?
- Little to wait until 2011
- Little for New Plymouth?
November 10th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
The people of New Plymouth salute you dpf
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Who was the MP who moved to another seat whilst MP for their original seat?
Today I cast my special advance vote (for Chris Finlayson and National, naturally) so a bit annoyed King is standing if she intends to quit next year; typical waste of taxpayer money by Labour!
[DPF: The MP off memory was Gail Macintosh who was MP for a Christchurch seat and stood against Winston Peters in Tauranga in 1993]
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
Who?
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
If Little is wondering where his heart is, and Goff is lacking courage, Mallard is lacking a brain……..
It might explain why their policies are a bit like fairy tales…….
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
I’d be slightly upset with the activist.
Vote:To me an activist is someone like…. Minto…. Bradford…. Titewhai etc.
November 10th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpetbagger
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 2:50 pm
saw Little turn up to a meeting in NP, was on telly, driving an EMPU car .. says it all really
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
Little is a total Jonah for Labour. Everthing he touches turns to shit.
Becomes President – Labour fucks itself. almost broke
Becomes parliamentary candidate – Labour heading for lowest poll results in history.
If I was Labour I would chuck him overboard now so he could follow his true passion of directing youth street theatre.
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
tas,
Presumably DPF is talking about Les Gandar…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangitikei_by-election_1978
Although his Ruahine seat was technically abolished, a new seat with similar boundaries was created. Problem was that (I think) this seat was more marginal, and Gandar knew Sir Roy Jack was stepping down, and so had been selected to stand in Rangitikei for the general election when Sir Roy died.
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
EWS exactly!
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Our current blue MP hasnt covered himself in glory – but I hear he has figured out he needs to work hard. Good, about time. He was at Mitre 10 last weekend when I was upgrading the family BBQ to the new all singing all dancing Masport (brilliant purchase BTW, highly recommended, rotisserie chook for tomorrow nights dinner) looking resplendent with his ribbon on – kids thought it was a tad comical
Hopefully our NP MP will rise up the ranks, as I suspect he is about to increase his majority, I hope so anyway. Little; meh, a lawyer / unionist, sweet hay-sus, what a great combo. He has as much intention of living here as I do of laying a big steaming brown one in the middle of Pukekura cricket oval. Waste of time and space.
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Can you blame anybody for not wanting to live in New Plymouth?
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
To put it in some perspective compare the record of Andrew Little to National’s Rimutaka candidate Johnathan Fletcher. He lived in Johnsonville before he was selected as Rimutaka candidate, and
Vote:1) moved house to Upper Hutt
2) sold his previous property
3) enrolled his kids in a local school
4) took several months out of work to campaign for the seat
And 1-3 happened about a year before the election and BEFORE he was even selected as a candidate for Rimutaka (in a hotly contested selection he might not have won). Yes, to the best of my knowledge Mr Fletcher hasn’t comitted to staying in Rimutaka if a list MP (unlikely given his list ranking) but the steps 1-3 are difficult to reverse.
November 10th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
Having read the story, I think Little’s attitude will be crystal clear to most readers. It put me in mind of the Shakespeare phrase “The lady doth protest too much I think”.
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Nic Ok
Suggest you get some better advice before going to print about a candidate. Is the duck giving you this crap?
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
@big bruv
Aw bless, big smoke boy huh? We left Dorkland 7 years ago. Our kids ride their bikes to school. I ride trails in to town. I mountain climb, I run trails, I surf. I drink great coffee, enjoy great food, and we engage with our community and our neighbours. Its not the big city – thank fuck for that. And I get to park my car outside where we shop
Enjoyed a run at lunchtime, up in to Pukekura Park, then cross train exercises on the outside of the cricket oval, in glorious sunshine. I shall leave the office at 5, be home by 510. Our 350sqm house cost $700k, and sits on 4000 sqm of land, with views to the mountain and the ocean.
Its shit, really
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
hmmmokeydokey
Hope you maintained the discipline over laying one at Pukekura Park.
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
@dav
Big time – groundsman was mowing the lawn, had no choice. Besides, was sober, only ever appropriate if youve got a skinful
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Yes, and if its dark, which is also the best time for someone else to discover it.
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Better idea, he should stand in Kings seat this year and save the taxpayer another three years of paying to put the lard on her fat arse for another term, now that would the right thing for Comrade Andrew do, and we would be rid of the useless paper weight that “Full Moon” is.
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
scanner, you forget the sleazy little relationship she and her hubby had with district health board IT spending while she was minister of health – dodgy as f*ck.
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 6:56 pm
If Little is as weak an advocate for Labour as he was for workers rights there is not much hope for that political party. He could not give a darn about workers rights so one does have to wonder about his motives.
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
He is a smarmy ,humourless ,union arsehole – , no one should be paying any attention to this git period.
We just got rid of another arsehole in Anderton, this is just history repeating.
Vote:November 10th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
When farming in the Naki back in the 80′s me and some mates had a pissing contest from the top tier of the embankment at Pukekura park one night….ahh memories.
Vote: