Shearer on the union exemption

August 7th, 2012 at 9:00 am by David Farrar

You have to listen to this interview on bFM to believe it. David Shearer tries and justifies Labour’s proposal to exempt unions from the lobbying transparency bill. An extract:

“It is more of what I was just saying before umm ethan is that, you know I get you know trade unions or say salvation army or whatever they are standing up for rights of you know workers or rights of the poor or whatever, or whatever it is likely to be. Umm I don’t look to gain have had any sort of, I don’t look to have any material gain from that as a, as a as an MP–but there is what the the idea was is to try and capture the you know the various sort of business and corporate interests that might you know in a sense be trying to do sort of what you know they do offshore (not sure happens here?) is to buy buy politicans off”

Is the leader of the Labour Party really saying he has nothing to gain from unions, when they are both major funders of Labour, but also now get 20% of the vote on who is the Labour Leader? Unions get a major say in Labour candidate selections also. Yet Shearer says they should be specifically exempt from lobbying transparency requirements!

Again, I recommend people listen to the whole interview – it is far from clear and concise!

Tags: David Shearer, lobbying, unions

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33 Responses to “Shearer on the union exemption”

smttc (408) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 9:06 am
Listen to the whole thing? Forget. The guy can’t even put a bloody sentence together. Let alone make a rational argument.
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Monty (868) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 9:06 am
I have had to read this a few times to try and understand exactly what the idiot is trying to say. Is this the guy who wants to be Prime Minister? Seriously???

This is just babble and excuses and damn near incomprehensible.
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Paulus (1,683) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 9:15 am
Sad – seemed a nice guy but inappropriate now.

What will Labour and the Unions do now ? Elect Wussel Norman ?
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ross69 (2,391) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 9:19 am
Monty,

I suggest you listen to the PM now and again.

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Brian Smaller (3,835) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 9:29 am
That was almost as eloquent as Obama without TOTUS helping him out.
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davidp (2,731) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 9:37 am
Labour are desperately trying to hide something here. Something shameful and corrupt, probably.
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scrubone (2,317) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 9:39 am
ross69 – perhaps you should link to a video of the PM then?
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Pete George (17,596) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 9:46 am
I wonder how Shearer will sound when he’s talking about something he really believes in.
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Brian Smaller (3,835) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 9:49 am
I wonder how Shearer will sound when he’s talking about something he really believes in.

You are making a big assumption there.
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Cunningham (461) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 9:50 am
Haha no wonder he was stuttering. How could you possibly be confident trying to defend that??? So he is saying business is out to influence policy so they should be declared yet the Unions who are so heavily involved in the Labour party should be exempt. WTF?? How could they not be involved in influencing policy?? Labour are absolutely clueless.
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UpandComer (416) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:01 am
As I’ll keep saying, I hope that they keep trying to defend the indefensible. That was garbage.
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dime (6,229) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:01 am
Jesus that was a tough read.
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krazykiwi (9,188) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:05 am
He lost me at “umm ethan is that, you know I get you know” and I stopped reading.
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krazykiwi (9,188) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:08 am
Cunningham – I don’t think Labour are clueless. They’re riddled with factions, desperate and broke. The stupidity of Shearers prose is par for the course under those circumstances
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Bevan (3,951) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:12 am
There’s a simple reason Labour want to exempt the unions, there will just be too much to declare if they are not exempt – Labour will spend all their time declaring the lobbying from the unions that they wont have time to be an effective opposition. Sucks to be them.
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scrubone (2,317) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:20 am
I’d like to say that the audio is better – but not by much.
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ross69 (2,391) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:26 am
> ross69 – perhaps you should link to a video of the PM then?

Sorry, I’m not a masochist.
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Wayne91 (94) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:32 am
Its not the fact that he is not that articulate that is the issue here – what does leave me breathless is how Labour are trying to say that the Unions should be exempt. This just defies common sense and logic and may appease the unions but will lose Labour a lot of the middle ground. Surely Labour aren’t that stupid are they?
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Cunningham (461) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:37 am
FFS ross69 (659) is it actually possible for you to comment on subject of the article? Or do you have to constantly put out BS posts that have nothing to do with the actual post. We know you hate National but this article is about Labour you dickhead not John Key.
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joe bloggs (124) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:40 am
I have two words to describe this shambolic train wreck of an interview:

BROCA’S APHASIA
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jaba (1,921) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:43 am
the last 20-30 seconds was just plain awful
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Bob R (1,035) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:45 am
Another own goal for Labour. How are you going to offer a reasonable alternative to National when you come out with this nonsense?
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greenjacket (172) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:47 am
“ross69 (659) Says: at 9:19 am”

I didn’t realise that staff in the Labour Party research unit started work that early.
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scrubone (2,317) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:50 am
Cunningham: left wing troll is troll.
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scrubone (2,317) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 10:51 am
So it was a choice between this guy and the guy who stood on the roof of a Mana party bus in Addington ranting about how evil the PM was?
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hmmokrightitis (1,246) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 11:08 am
Far out ross, even by your standards, let alone the standards we expect from you, that was pathetic. Do you actually shake your head in disbelief that you post shit like that? Or does it sit well with your ethical standards?
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ross69 (2,391) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 11:45 am
Meanwhile the government has imposed an “unusual and inappropriate” deadline on the Waitangi Tribunal. At least John Key is ackshully being consistent and treating the tribunal with the disrespect with which he holds it.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7426398/Asset-sales-delay-quite-likely-says-Sharples
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Wayne91 (94) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 11:53 am
ross69 – in your opinion should Unions be exempt from the lobbying transperency bill, if so why? I cant think of a single reason why myself?
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ross69 (2,391) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 11:57 am
Wayne91

No, I don’t think Unions should be exempt. That should make your miserable life happy.
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Wayne91 (94) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Ross69 – “No, I don’t think Unions should be exempt. That should make your miserable life happy.”

Nice one Ross – actually my miserable life became happy many years ago when I broke away from the malaise of socialism, took cotrol of my own life and didn’t rely on other people such as self serving unions and government handouts.
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gravedodger (1,175) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
He did claim he was in the fog in Point Chev, what he didn’t say was it was the fog was in his intra cranial cavity as well!!!
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Cunningham (461) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Ross69 “Meanwhile the government has imposed an “unusual and inappropriate” deadline on the Waitangi Tribunal. At least John Key is ackshully being consistent and treating the tribunal with the disrespect with which he holds it.” Maori had plenty of time to start this straight after the election yet they wait until now. Why should JK or anyone have respect for the Maori Council? I am surprised National has not emphasised the timing of this more. It is a disgrace.

BTW Ross your posts are so negative I think you sir are the one with the miserable life. I can only hope that you keep your terrible attitude confined to online posts and not towards people who are unfortunate enough to be around you in your daily life.
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Pete George (17,596) Says:
August 7th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Not quite on topic, but relevant to Shearer holding on to his leadership, is this from Duncan Garner:

Why does Labour hate David Cunliffe so much?

Helen Clark also took a long time to master TV interviews. And I heard she was better in person too, like most people are. You get to judge them as they present themselves, not as someone else edits.

But a problem with TV interviews is that you can’t control the subject, and Shearer is very unconvincing on some things. It’s a matter of whether he can keep his leadership long enough to become media credible.

And according to Duncan Garner there is one thing on his side (or not likely to succeed on the other side):

The majority of Labour politicians clearly dislike David Cunliffe. With a passion. And with a serious degree of what now looks like hatred and mistrust.

That’s become so very clear to me this year – but even clearer since I released our 3 News poll on Sunday night.

I suggested David Shearer might be rolled before the next election if he couldn’t get his numbers up. And while not many in Labour denied that – they all said Cunliffe won’t replace him. Over their dead bodies.

In fact, Labour MPs have openly joked with me that Cunliffe, who is away on a lengthy family holiday overseas, should stay there.

Two very senior MPs have told me they would like an internal travel fund set up to keep Cunliffe out of the country for as long as possible. How nasty is this caucus? He is clearly not missed.

But Cunliffe is not only disliked by his caucus – he is not trusted. So many have told me he never delivers on his promises and is sneaky and lazy.

Sources have told me Shearer was advised to demote him when he became Labour’s leader, but Shearer resisted and said he wanted to work with Cunliffe.

That hasn’t worked apparently – my sources tell me Shearer is deeply disappointed with Cunliffe and he feels let down. This relationship cannot last.

According to Shearer’s sources, the Labour leader no longer trusts Cunliffe. That view is shared by the majority of the caucus.

In my view Cunliffe, despite his big brain and obvious talents, is being white-anted by this caucus. He will never be leader with this caucus.

I have no problem personally with Cunliffe. We have always got on. I couldn’t really understand why they didn’t opt for him. I do now.

He is not just disliked – he is actively campaigned against. He’s probably hanging around to see if Shearer fails – and he’ll have another go.

But perhaps he doesn’t realise just how many of his colleagues are blocking his progress.

I can’t see him being the leader of this party. Ever. You need friends in the Labour Party caucus to survive. Cunliffe can count his on one hand with ease – he may even have fingers left dangling.

If I was him I’d look for a new career. It’s clear there is an impenetrable roadblock between him and his aim of being party leader.

And they all sit in the same room as he does. This hatred has largely stayed out of the mass media to date. But this is a story worth telling. This is not a collision course for Cunliffe. He and the caucus have already collided – and it’s a big pile up.

The real question is – does he know how bad it is? And what will he do next?

http://www.3news.co.nz/Opinion-Why-does-Labour-hate-David-Cunliffe-so-much/tabid/1135/articleID/264472/Default.aspx

That’s serious stuff.
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