The Australian compares NZ Labour to The Titan
Craig Greaves writes in The Australian:
New Zealand’s governing Labour Party is shooting itself in the foot with its biggest re-election glitch possibly coming from within its own ranks.
Months out from the October 14 general election a steady flow of allegations of ill-behaviour and proven transgressions by Labour MPs and cabinet ministers is helping to seed the idea that the party is stale, arrogant and lacking in good character and competency. …
A darker metaphor to describe the government’s cracking, creaking working condition is perhaps the tragic final journey of the ‘Titan’ submersible in the North Atlantic, near the wreckage of the Titanic. The sub seems to have imploded, in large part, due to vastly imperfect working parts operating under great pressure.
To a certain degree and within less violence, this is what seems to be happening to the Labour government.
Vastly imperfect parts operating under great pressure – very apt.
But now Hipkins is being prevailed upon to clean house as best he can in the hope of restoring this party’s image. Part of the problem is that image also includes growing evidence that talent is not widely dispensed across Labour’s parliamentary team.
Looking back to Ardern’s 1st cabinet, they have lost so many of their original Ministers. Gone are
- Iain Lees-Galloway
- Jenny Salesa
- Clare Curran
- Poto Williams
- Kris Faafoi
- David Clark
- Meka Whaitiri
- Phil Twyford
- Stuart Nash
- William Sio
Time before the election is running short for Labour to rehabilitate its image and install public confidence in its component parts. It is starting to look ragged, and even cynical and entitled, beyond its two terms in power. That’s electoral poison for any party.
They call it third termitis, arrived early.