Pressure on Shearer
April 23rd, 2012 at 8:13 am by David FarrarThe two latest polls will increase the pressure on David Shearer. I actually think it would be silly for Labour to panic over polls just six months after an election. Rebuilding and changing a brand takes time. Their biggest challenge is not their leadership but defining what they stand for.
However it is clear there are rumblings in Labour. The Standard and Tumeke have both run posts openly disscussing whether there will be a leadership challenge. It is also clear from reading comments that many Auckland activists still think that the caucus erred in not choosing David Cunliffe, who arguably was the party’s preferred candidate.
Also Steve Gray has blogged (in less diplomatic terms than expressed here) that the Wellington gay community has been discussing that Grant Robertson will challenge Shearer in the near future.
I may be wrong, but I don’t think that anything will happen this year. But neither is Shearer guaranteed to the election, as Goff pretty much was. I think the danger zone would be early next year, if Labour stay flatlined all year.
The problem for Shearer is that he may now be in a vicious cycle. The more speculation over the leadership, the harder it is to get resonance with the public. However it is worth noting he is still being given a fair chance by the public. Only 26% say they think he is performing poorly, while Goff’s comparative figure peaked at 54% performing poorly.
April 23rd, 2012 at 8:46 am
Interesting post headlines on KB:
Gay sex scandal in Aust may bring down Govt.
TV3 Poll results
Pressure on Shearer.
Now, DPF reports, “the Wellington gay community has been discussing that Grant Robertson will challenge Shearer in the near future.”
Correct me if I am wrong, but the gay community is influential in some areas, but constitutes but a small % of the total electorate.
If this report is true, Labour has a death wish.
Better they follow DPF’s advice and decide what “labour” stands for in 2012. It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that they have passed their USE-BY date, and are urgently in need of a 100% transfusion of new ideas, new structure and a 2012- relevant philosophy.
Fat chance!
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 9:09 am
As leader, yes, the pressure is on Shearer. He’s shown no sign of stepping up yet.
But the pressure should be on the Labour machine that is graunching along doing the same old, making the same old mistakes, and getting the same results.
Labour wasted the last three years, they appear to have done little to reform and rebuild. And sadly that looks like continuing without any change in sight. Changing leader won’t fix that – they have two serious problems:
Vote:1. A nice leader with little political nous and little sign of leading a new Labour.
2. A not nice political engineroom with no sign of changing from a failed attack politics strategy.
April 23rd, 2012 at 9:18 am
Shearer is Mr Invisible and rightly so – he’s a nice but colourless and rather limp bloke with few political skills. Lacking charisma isn’t fatal but lacking personality is. So is not having any good ideas except spending more of our hard-earned money for us.
Labour made a huge mistake. Instead of choosing a pale shadow of Key, they should have gone for an attack dog like Cunliffe or even Mallard, especially with Winston and Norman hungry for headlines.
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 9:20 am
David Shearer should have taken a deep breath before he gave his quote to Andrea Vance; he’s now in grave danger of being forever known as the “sort of” Leader of the Opposition.
http://keepingstock.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/stuff-on-state-of-parties.html
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 9:26 am
When was the last time Grant Robertson publicly remarked that Shearer is the right person to lead Labour and has his full support?
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 9:31 am
Instead of choosing a pale shadow of Key, they should have gone for an attack dog like Cunliffe or even Mallard
I don’t agree, the negative attack approach failed over the last three years, it failed over the last three months, so ramping it up is hardly likely to turn things around for Labour.
Shearer could possible rise to the occasuion if he had the right team support and advice but that doesn’t look likely.
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 9:33 am
@ bhudson – smart leaders select as a deputy someone who doesn’t have designs on the top job. That’s why Bolger/McKinnon, Clark/Cullen and Key/English work(ed) well as teams. In each case, the deputy has either no appetite for the leader’s role, or realises as English does that his time to be leader has passed.
IMHO Shearer took a huge risk standing on a ticket with Robertson, given that the latter has never tried to hide his ambitions for his boss’ job.
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 9:45 am
KS,
No, he certainly hasn’t. And it appears that he is successfully stacking Shearer’s office with his supporters.
I wonder what his plan is to neutralize Cunliffe? It would be somewhat dangerous to rely on an “anyone but Cunliffe” sentiment, given how Shearer has failed to gain any traction at all.
I had thought Grant’s plan would have been to act like the loyal deputy, working hard for the party and his boss, then reluctantly taking up the reins in 18 months or so when it is apparent that Shearer just can’t galvanize the electorate enough to dislodge National. The lack of results for Shearer might well force a change in tactics.
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 9:45 am
Too early to talk about rolling him, they’ll let him lose the election first.
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 9:48 am
last nights’ episode of ‘would i lie to you’..(?)..is worth watching (tv3 ondemand)..
..shearer was on it as a competitor..and he was impressive…
..(and where we found out he is a brown belt in karate..)
..he was human..and funny..
..qualities which his previous media outings have not displayed..
those with a one-dimensional view of shearer watching this will also have that view widened..
phillip ure@whoar.co.nz
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 9:57 am
@phil
Yes, and, it would seem, a highly accomplished liar.
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 10:02 am
heh..!..yeah..!..i noticed that too..
..that wasn’t that good a look…
..but they are all lying bastards anyway…
phillip ure@whoar.co.nz
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 10:05 am
Too early to talk about rolling him, they’ll let him lose the election first.
Labour will be very anxious to avoid another election defeat. They were fairly resigned to the last one, but I doubt they will roll over a second time without desperate tactics.
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 10:13 am
“..but they are all lying bastards anyway…”
You would know all about that Phool.
[DPF: Don't attack people without provocation]
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 11:47 am
That’s exactly why he doesn’t really come across as a genuine leader of the Labour Party.
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 12:19 pm
No denying he’s a nice guy but he isn’t a political leader or statesman.
You can see him as a very good primary school principal.
And a primary school principal can’t take on Peters, Norman or the guys in his own party standing behind him with their knives sharpened.
I think he’s the rebound boyfriend – so on borrowed time until Mr (Ms) Right comes along..
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 1:17 pm
“..He was human..and funny..
That’s exactly why he doesn’t really come across as a genuine leader of the Labour Party…”
come now..!..lange..?..and..um..!
philllip ure@whoar.co.nz
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Does it really matter who leads Liarbore, it’s not like they have anything new to offer. Same old tax and spend with a death wish of getting this country into bankruptcy as quickly as possible. Jesus Christ himself couldn’t lead these clowns to victory. I guess they believe they lost the last election because no one liked Goofy but it’s their whole package that sucks and they just can’t except this.
Vote:April 23rd, 2012 at 6:29 pm
I agree with cows4me. It’s just the “same old same old” with Labour. Tax and spend, throw more money at the no-hopers, don’t touch welfare with a barge-pole.
Vote: