The enemies of Labour
September 7th, 2012 at 4:43 pm by David FarrarJane Clifton writes in The Listener:
It’s getting to the stage where someone – not sure who would get to decide whom – is going to have to issue an official list of Enemies of the New Zealand Labour Party. Just so we’re all clear.
As far as I can gather, reading the online effusions of those who profess to care deeply about the future of the left in our politics, including politically declared journalists, party activists and anonymous Green supporters, the official list of enemies so far includes:
the leader of the Labour party David Shearer for, among other things, opposing benefit fraud, but mostly for not being David Cunliffe;
at least half of the Labour caucus, including most senior spokespeople, for the crime of voting Shearer into the job;
deputy leader Grant Robertson, for his perfidy in supporting the leader and for the fact that he is often touted as a future leader, when Everyone Knows the only acceptable future leader is David Cunliffe;
former party advisor John Pagani and unsuccessful Porirua selection contestant Josie Pagani, for the atrocity of endorsing and defending the party leader in their roles as pro-Labour media commentators;
former MP Stuart Nash for his temerity in questioning whether too much Labour focus was going on issues like gay marriage and adoption, and not enough on core policy;
Jane lists a couple more also.
Time was, you had to be a non-Labour member, and preferably a non-Labour supporter to be a bona fide threat. Ideally you would be a member of the National or Act party, or at least a vote-stealing Green or Alliance person to be considered a viable enemy of Labour. But now the real enemy is apparently the Labour establishment itself.
We have met the enemy, and it is us!
This is understandably confusing to many non-political junkies, and even those of us who follow the dark arts closely could wish that Labour would make these distinctions the way they are made in many other countries, like Australia, where various quarrelling groups are formally recognised as factions. Factions can seesaw in terms of the power they wield, but the general idea is that they are all on the same side – ie, not bloody Tories.
Here, however, this civilised approach of agreeing to disagree, and tolerating shades of opinion, is coming to be regarded as a cop-out.
I’ve often commented that Labour claims to be a party of tolerance and diversity, yet they seem to really hate a diversity of opinion!
Related posts:
- Labour leadership voting
- Parsons on Labour leadership
- The blogosphere on Labour leadership
- Garner on Cunliffe and Labour
September 7th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
I’m sure they could start up a “citizens for rolling” Labour blog.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Liberty and freedom above all!
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Come down somtime and assess the seat warmer, troughing egos who think they made good decisions and this- morning were positively slavering at the thought Carter was going to deliver another bucket of swill.
Sanity has prevailed
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
If they can’t tolerate shades of opinion, perhaps they can tolerate shades of grey.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
On cue one of the biggest enemies of a credible Labour has posted something that will further tarnish Labour’s reputation.
I’ve been critical of The Standard often enough, but this is lowering even further. The Standard Disgrace.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 5:05 pm
But , But … we have been assured ad infinitum by Helen Clark, Phil Goff, Moses and probably even Jesus that there are no factions in the Labour party
………
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 5:08 pm
“….ie not bloody Tories.”
Problem is they’re not Tories.A far proportion anyway.
So Labour can eat itself up, but the ‘progressive’ agenda marches relentlessly on.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
They have been driving out heretics since the late 80′s.
Vote:I expect the process to be completed soon and a small hard core of the clerisy residing in Ponsonby, Herne Bay, Wellington Central and the more fashionable suburbs of Christchurch and Dunedin will remain
September 7th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
I must confess I often suspected that the standard was a symptom of something like this – you know – paranoid, overly defensive and essentially frightened to death of any views that are contrary to the ‘party line’. My observations there and elsewhere were that if this continues, it will consume the Labour Party. I fear I was right. They really do represent the cancer eating Labour from within., and it appears that this mentality is not limited to the lunatic fringe, it’s starting to eat its way through the mainstream party.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
They are unionists DPF. One size fits all. If you are not completely with them you are against them. Immature, idealistic, easily led and naive creatures of dim wit and suffering from a bad dose of flock mentality. They are no more no less than a bad idea that has never worked, never will, but sells easily to the sheeple so they can be the government and create a recession for nasty National to fix again.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
With parliamentary Labour so full of persons possessed of self-focused, individual agendas irrelevant to the big picture, it’s almost impossible to see how Labour could EVER promote itself as seeking to act in the interests of “the people.”
The only issue of importance to each and every Labour MP is the holding-on-to of their parliamentary seat and all its trappings – because none of them could ever score anything remotely close in employment conditions and perks – let alone the self-held perceptions of significance and importance to the scheme of things they feel the job implies.
In actuality, Labour has never stood for anything. The record of the union movement and its offspring, the FOL and now the CTU, has always been “muscle” and thuggery, peopled by sorts too dim to ever understand basic economics except where it was of benefit to them – and such people were the ones who dictated to Labour who their parliamentary selectees would be.
Parliamentary Labour has the least coherent policy I’ve ever witnessed. Virtually everything it endorses is by kneejerk response to immediately prevailing conditions without the least trace of concern as to how or what its “decisions” will impact downstream. Just look at the utter debacle of Treaty matters that has ensued from its Labour’s 1984 legislation.
Despite its many, many years in the political wilderness, Labour has always demonstrated absolutely no understanding of the role of Opposition. Labour is a time-wasting, costly hindrance to parliamentary procedures and the functions of proper government in every way, shape and form. It neither weighs or quantifies its positions or outbursts. Simply, if the government is for it, Labour and their even more idealistically silly cohorts, the Greens, will be automatically opposed.
The belief that they could function as government is laughable – with the partial exception of the Douglas years, their track record in financial expertise and debt control has been deplorable.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 6:34 pm
In actuality, Labour has never stood for anything.
That’s true since Hulun took it over, but before then it did. Really. But remember, it was Hulun who designed, nurtured and deployed the current execrable philosophy that’s at the heart of this dynamic. Hulun was an expert at deploying things that lasted. She made the rainbow lobby led by the sisterhood a major faction, she promoted the nasty and all the good ones just got sidelined. At the end of the Hulun Elizabeth Clark was a wrecker and a hater and her legacy is what we’re seeing here.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 6:55 pm
May I note that in Australia they do not have proportional representation. Thus the they are not Torrys crowd must work together to fight the Torries (untied by a common enemy). In NZ they can always quit and go to the Greens or Winston First because they have a chance of being elected and thus the effects of factionalism are reduced. (I recall a quote from Boldger that after MMP was going to be introduced it was nice to see some of those from National go).
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
May I note that in Australia they do not have proportional representation.
The US gave it to us as punishment for the anti-nuke legislation BAW. They didn’t seem to like that so they foisted Germany’s anti-Nazi solution onto us because they knew it would turn our politics from the directed force it sometimes used to be, when we occasionally got wise people into power, to a system whereby everyone runs around bumping into each other and falling down and laughing gaily. And so it has proved to be.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
>May I note that in Australia they do not have proportional representation. Thus the they are not Torrys crowd must work together to fight the Torries (untied by a common enemy).
Difference between Labour parties in countries without PR? They present a united front but fight each other like cats in a sack in private.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 7:50 pm
PG,
I read that comment. Heroic stuff. Reads like the screenplay for ‘lprent – The White Knight’s Risible’
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 8:43 pm
You can hear a pin drop over in the Labour camp.
The sound of “shit, shit, shit, shit what can we do now….. can be heard.
Where the fuck are they ? Would be nice to have a opposition to cross swords with. Just a bunch of old Tuskers and has beens who have lost their bottle / mojo.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 9:15 pm
The Labour Party is a broad church – it consists of dimwits, bleeding hearts and stalinists. The stalinists are in control, though, because they are smarter and tougher than the other groups.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 9:43 pm
mandk
I think that pretty well sums it up actually.
Vote:September 7th, 2012 at 11:38 pm
“The stalinists are in control”
Oh please. If there were Stalinists in the Labour Party, and they had control, there would be none of this squabbling. Stalinists are not indecisive people.
Labour has become a useless party. They aren’t really on the left or on the right or in the centre, and so have become a party of shallow issues. I give them another two elections before the Greens become the opposition.
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 3:29 am
You have only to remember the anger which greeted Sir Roger Douglas and the ACT party back in the nineties, where most of the party leaders were from the Labour Party of the past, to appreciate the intolerance of alternative views which infects the left. I believed ACT then was a logical alternative way to social justice, not sure what or if it is today. Sadly it seems to have become what its opponents cast it as.
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 6:30 am
I agree: they are not Stalinists.
Can you ever imagine the delicate Charles Chauvel or flowery Grant Robertson ordering deportations to a NZ gulag? No, they are a bunch of soft cocks, theoretical socialists accustomed to the good life, who prefer sipping Chardonnay and lecturing on women and gay rights to hard work and earning a salary.
Indeed, the future of the Labour Part is bleak. It can only be good for our country.
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 7:43 am
“The stalinists are in control”
There is one Labour Stalinist who thinks he’s in control. Of everything. He can ban but he can’t control me.
I’ve had another lecture from lprent, this time on my criticism of his pissy post. Amongst other things he accuses me of both hypocrisy and a lack of balance. And he will be oblivious to the irony.
A Standard response from lprent.
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 7:46 am
I agree with the bleak part, but I don’t think it’s good for the country. We would have a much better parliament if all parties were strong, and we need voices from across the spectrum.
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 8:35 am
“I’ve had another lecture from lprent, this time on my criticism of his pissy post.”
Prentice is a tiresome dullard with a comical superiority complex. Has he told you about his MBA? I would be surprised if he hasn’t. He probably introduces himself as “Lynn Prentice MBA”. At least he’s just dumb. His blog suffers from a loon infestation.
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 9:18 am
Dunno what Clifton is prattling on about. The article reads like an over-chewed piece of gum. Of course Labour has its factions as do all political parties, but I would suggest that spinners like Farrar and Clifton loom as far more tangible enemies of Labour.
On the other hand, I do concede that Labour lacks a strong, unifying leader and has done for some time though I doubt this will be a permanent state of affairs.
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 9:54 am
Well put.
Since list MPs arrived on the political scene, Labour seems to have lost its integrity completely. Further, once Helen Clark ascended to the UN it became very clear that any discipline that Labour MPs appeared to have was imposed on them by the H’s, not the result of any self-discipline or commitment to the integrity of the parliamentary process.
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 11:32 am
Throughout time Labour’s Socialism (includes Greens) is seen to be like a cancer.
It creeps, sometimes slowly, and sometimes gets faster, like now when the Greens are taking over that role.
Look at the immesurable damage Helen Clark and her cohorts did to New Zealand – leaves and buggers elswehere, not that she could damage the corrupt UN any more than it was before she joined.
She is capable of perpetuating Socialism on an International basis now.
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 11:50 am
Workers of New Zealand unite behind Labour and Cunliffe.
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Labour doesn’t need enemies. It’s shot itself in the feet so much for so long their feet look like a French Foreign Legionaires feet after his final test of the Kepi march. When the legionnaire takes his boots off, blood flows out.
Labour can march no longer. It’s integrity is in tatters.
Third party representation!!!!
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 3:39 pm
@Hamnida – why would Workers unite behind Labour? They are anti-worker – if you want to better yourself, they reward you by taxing you more and then giving it to people who don’t work as hard as you?
Vote:September 8th, 2012 at 5:51 pm
It’s just politics of envy. You have it through hard work, they want it for doing fuck all. I am surprised that Maori do not support Labour more as they have the same ideals that can be summed up as GREED.
Vote:September 9th, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Labour “seem to really hate a diversity of opinion”. Actually, the Left just really hate. Absolutely anything that challenges their delusions will do as a target.
Vote: