Where to now for Labour?

[CCS]

Hilarious given Labour's rogues gallery.

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by Ab

The NZ anthem is fucking hideous, can't stand that shit. I prefer singing it in Maori and ignoring the English half because then I can pretend I'm not singing about God.

agreed. it sounds like a 3 year old smacking a keyboard.

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by Ab

The NZ anthem is fucking hideous, can't stand that shit. I prefer singing it in Maori and ignoring the English half because then I can pretend I'm not singing about God.

Or you can always use the primary school edition:

god of nations smell my feet, in the bonds of coronation street, hear our voices tweet tweet tweet, god defend our toilet seat.

[Ab]

https://twitter.com/nzlabour/status/644328102504435712

[xor]

To be fair, When a baby costs parents over $320 a week in daycare costs I don't think many people can afford to raise kids eh.

[Ab]

Cunliffe's had enough

New Lynn Member of Parliament David Cunliffe will resign from Parliament next year and will leave politics entirely at the 2017 election. It will be timed to ensure there is no by-election.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...-2017-election

[ZoSo]

Outside of Labour, management consultancy would seem more feasible.

[Ab]

He was a bad leader and the worst election campaigner in the world, but credit where it's due, he was a good man to have in office for the Telecom separation.

[Lightspeed]

More CGP Grey goodness:
Rules for Rulers

[crocos]

Originally Posted by Ab

Cunliffe's had enough

"Politics is not a job for life: You come here, you do your very best to serve your country and then when you think the time has come, you move on ... that's how we refresh and that's how we serve."

Fuck, I wish some of Labour's deadwood like Mallard would take that philosophy.

[Ab]

Cunliffe's a bright talented guy who's not cut out for a high-vis leadership role. Doesn't mean he's not bright and talented, but Labour internal politics means he's now an unperson.

Cunliffe:

Fulbright Scholar and Kennedy Memorial Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government;

Former Minister of Health, Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Associate Minister of Finance and Revenue

Former Labour Party Leader and Leader of the NZ Opposition

Pretty fucking powerful CV, eh? Seems to me that someone with that sort of experience would have a lot to offer a modern political party, but what the fuck do I know, because here are the roles that he's been given under Andrew Little's leadership:

Spokesperson for Disarmament, Research and Development, Science and Innovation, and Land Information; Undersecretary to the Leader on Superannuation Issues; Associate Education (Tertiary) Spokesperson

Wouldn't be surprised if his office was a broom cupboard with a busted light bulb.

Perfect example of his unperson status: in the official history of the NZ Labour Party released this year to commemorate the party's centenary, Cunliffe was barely mentioned. A former leader and cabinet minister...erased.

[fixed_truth]

Labour's change of heart on the retirement age

We started the conversation in the wrong place. It isn't just about lifting the age. It's about saying how do we make sustainable in the long run for there to be a decent income for people in retirement.

Yep, lifting the retirement age isn't the right solution.

[Ab]

How do we make sustainable in the long run? How is babby formed?

[fixed_truth]

Well, that's the billion dollar question. I'm not sure that in the context of growth=good that population growth will be seriously targeted. So that leaves finding the $$$ from somewhere. Probably taxing the 1% more and/or more Govt. owned enterprise. Or compulsory superannuation.

[fixed_truth]

Labour finally starting to play politics. It's not without potential pitfalls but probably the best decision election year.

Jacinda Ardern's anointment as deputy leader is the best leadership move I've seen Labour make.

It is so good I actually thought it would never happen.

It is logical. It was pretty much bloodless. I didn't think Labour was capable of that.

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politi...-in-years.html

[ZoSo]

You have to laugh. They wank on about smile and wave for years, then force out the old (successful) duck and insert the ultimate smile and wave perennial loser, shoehorned into a safe seat and media talked into deputy.

[Ab]

Jesus if this is bloodless I'd hate to see a multi-day clusterfuck. I wonder who took Annette out the back for a come-to-jesus since Monday when she announced she wasn't going anywhere and that Ardern wasn't ready for deputy leadership?

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by ZoSo

(previously successful)

FTFY

[Ab]

You're only saying that because it's a full moon, calm down

[ZoSo]

What's up with Dim? do we really have to sign up to read that shit now?
Bit over the top.

[Ab]

Dim-post? I think Danyl has just killed it. He's purged his twitter account of everything posted in the past 6 months and he's purged his blog from the Wayback Machine, so I presume he's doing something professionally political and was scared of getting bitten on the arse.

[ZoSo]

Makes sense.

[CCS]

I don't know why people keep creaming their jeans over Jacinda Ardern. She's achieved nothing. I guess she's the next "game changer" for Labour? In other words, deflating balloon.

[Lightspeed]

If achievement had anything to do with politics National would not have gotten a second or third term.

[CCS]

At least in National they've had real jobs.

[Lightspeed]

Really? All of them have strong professional backgrounds? I don't think you've looked lately.

[CCS]

That's not what I said. Stop making things up.

[Lightspeed]

If you are going to offer a vague judgement, I am compelled to guess at what you mean. If you don't want me to guess, be more specific.

[CCS]

Oh lolspeed, getting in a fuss about semantics again.

[Lightspeed]

Shall I rephrase?

Originally Posted by CCS

That's not what I said. Stop making things up.

I'll stop making things up when you stop talking bullshit.

[CCS]

What is the bullshit I have been talking?

[fixed_truth]

What's a real job? Who decides what jobs are real and what jobs are imaginary? Is a tobacco lobbyist a real job? Stay at home Dad? All Black? Teacher? So many questions . . .

[CCS]

A job outside politics would be a good start.

I'll point out also that Jacinda couldn't win an electorate until she got parachuted into an easy-to-win Mt Albert! Now she's somehow the saviour of the Labour Party!

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by CCS

That's not what I said. Stop making things up.

Complains about semantics.

Originally Posted by CCS

Oh lolspeed, getting in a fuss about semantics again.

Complains about complaining about semantics.

Good work Trump.

[pxpx]

What happens to Ardern when Little is replaced as leader after the election?

[ZoSo]

I dunno, but 314 votes behind melissa lee's vote in 2014, is a pretty strong platform man.

[CCS]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

Complains about semantics.

Complains about complaining about semantics.

Good work Trump.

I didn't complain about semantics. You're living on another planet

[CCS]

Originally Posted by pxpx

What happens to Ardern when Little is replaced as leader after the election?

The Left is so enamoured with Jacinda Ardern that if she isn't tarred too horribly by the election loss, she may well end up as party leader. I know that sounds crazy, but that is Labour for you.

As much as the Left criticised John Key as Mr Smile and Wave, at least he had a career before politics. Ardern has no other skills than Smile Her Ever So Big Smile and Wave.

Originally Posted by ZoSo

I dunno, but 314 votes behind melissa lee's vote in 2014, is a pretty strong platform man.

I'll tell you something else funny. Auckland Central "has been held by the Labour Party for most of its existence — between 1919 and 2008, the seat had spent only three years in the hands of another party (the left-wing Alliance, from 1993 to 1996)" until Nikki Kaye took it off Judith Tizard. Ardern, who had previously failed to win the safe National Waikato electorate, was apparently considered to nonetheless be a star in the making and she was nominated in the Auckland Central electorate to try and reclaim it for Labour. She failed to do that in the next two elections before she was given more appropriate for her winning ways - a safe Labour seat.

[CCS]

Originally Posted by CCS

I didn't complain about semantics. You're living on another planet

Because I know Lolspeeds style, that was in reference to when I said "That's not what I said. Stop making things up" which was itself a response to lolspeeds unfounded complaint of me talking bullshit.

So rather than being a complaint about semantics, it's a complaint about Lolspeeds inherent intellectual dishonesty and continual attempts to make up things and try to attribute them to other people.

But I don't expect the Dumb Loser crowd to understand what I've just explained.

[ZoSo]

Originally Posted by CCS

I'll tell you something else funny. Auckland Central "has been held by the Labour Party for most of its existence — between 1919 and 2008, the seat had spent only three years in the hands of another party (the left-wing Alliance, from 1993 to 1996)" until Nikki Kaye took it off Judith Tizard. Ardern, who had previously failed to win the safe National Waikato electorate, was apparently considered to nonetheless be a star in the making and she was nominated in the Auckland Central electorate to try and reclaim it for Labour. She failed to do that in the next two elections before she was given more appropriate for her winning ways - a safe Labour seat.

Oh yeah, that's been OHP funny since day one. That's why I called her a perennial loser above. The constant puff pieces over the years couldn't even boost that kind of fail (till now, when labour's around 26% and the pundits in the tank don't have key to blame for modern life in the western world, so out come the keyboard opinions and now it's really her time).
The beauty is we still have the chance to see a Labour leader of Little's calibre, campaign, articulate and account, for more new policy but now with her at his side.. and they get on so well! Fun times still ahead.