Gagging Cunliffe is the most inane political self mutilation of the year
Brian Edwards makers the point about Shearer's team gaging Cunliffe from appearing on The Nation...
The conventional political wisdom these days seems to be that, if it is to win the next election, Labour has to ‘move to the centre’. But if you’re on the left, the only direction in which you can move closer to the centre is to the right. Logic tells you that that can only result in loss of differentiation between you and your political opponents and an at least partial loss of your identity – in this case, what Labour stands for.
There is an inherent dishonesty in this approach which involves pretending to be something you aren’t in order to gain the power to reveal who you really are. But that of course is commonplace in politics.
Anyway, ‘the top team’ didn’t like Cunliffe’s brilliant speech and he was apparently bawled out by Shearer and others and told the speech was’ naive and stupid.’ That tends to be the price you pay for idealism. And, according to the extremely well informed Duncan Garner, the price may be high for Cunliffe who has been ‘put in his place, somewhere down the bottom of the pecking order’.
This is so utterly stupid that it beggars belief. Cunliffe is not only intellectually brilliant, he is by far Labour’s most accomplished debater in the House and on television and radio. No-one in the Labour Party can hold a candle to him as a media spokesperson. Stammering and stuttering seem to be the main criteria for that at present.
...by launching 'true labour', Cunliffe has attracted the wrath of a Party leadership trying to drift to the right. Shutting him down while other opposition leaders take the limelight simply because the current leadership is frightened by Cunliffe's abilities is the most inane political self mutilation of the year.
Do I really need to set up a 'Let David Cunliffe appear on TV3's The Nation' Facebook group?
I've covered the strategies the new Labour changes in how they select their leaders will play out with the various factions over the weekend, but with this new censorship of Cunliffe, the ABC clique will certainly do all they can to put the November changes in leadership rules that will allow the party members to have a say off until next year because the ABC know the Party will overwhelmingly support Cunliffe for the leadership.
If the changes go ahead this year, a challenge could be mounted over the Summer, but if the changes are put off until November 2013 then there could be no real challenge.
The right wing pundits like David Farrar, Fran O'Sullivan and the NZ Herald editorial team of course will be cheering Shearer on, reassuring punters that he's the best leader for the job right up until Key wins his 3rd term.
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posted by Bomber @ 1:07 pm
6 comments
6 Comments:
I think it's been spun by the right .... by trying to create the perception of a divide. But the Labour party have to sort there shit out! They don't have anybody in the caucus with f&$k'n common-sense! Cuntliffe should of presented with Shearer present to show unity, der. A more cohesive message and releases all the way up to Budget day! Instead of looking like a bunch of amateurs experimenting with ideas' of what we can do to look like a bunch of clowns that'll give the tories more ammo to throw at Shearer. Goff was the only one who had Pinokeyo wobbling & drew some blood at the 2011 election one on one in the first public debate .... then he must of sat with the same bunch of idiots advising Shearer & Cuntliffe now, then?? Goff then came out in the second one on one and got beat up. Anyway with the support the Greens are getting now, the Labour party are looking likely to be the 3rd biggest political party in 2014!
Dear reader . Please bear with me . Labour and National are one and the same . Labour , like National are no fools . Labour and National are desperately trying to keep a lid on a ancient , terrible and institutionalized lie . A lie they all hoped would be lost to history . If David Cunliffe truly does have a pry bar under the lid of the ugliest can of worms this country has ever seen ... well , you wait ladies and gentlemen . You're about to see the greatest political side show on earth explode in all it's gory glory . You go David Cunliffe ! This is your chance to carve your name into NZ political history . But be warned ! It's going to get fucking ugly when the Greed Creatures of the 1980's come out of their caverns . Trust no one expect yourself . ( Yeah , I know , a little theatrical but that's the world isn't it ? A stage and we're merely players . )
I agree in part with Jasper that this is being spun by the right, but I see the hand of the greens in this too as they work on their leaders profile which I have to say is a little boring anyway.
I also have no problem with Cunliffe being hauled over the coals in front of caucus colleagues if he broke the rules and went off giving a speech which was not sanctioned. There needs to be discipline and he doesn't appear to have shown any.
And Garner is coming on strong because Shearer isn't playing the game Garner and TV3 want. First rule in media training - answer the question you want to give and not what these hacks from the media throw at you.
Cunliffe is clearly the best debater and speaker in Labour, and if the ‘top team’ actually wants to win the next election they ought to be using Cunliffe either as leader or as number one attack dog and finance spokesperson. I’m not sure if it’s for personal or philosophical reasons that they’re holding back Cunliffe, but it looks suspiciously like they’re more committed to preventing traditional Labour policy from returning than they are to winning the next election. The Labour leadership has barely moved on from Douglas if they’d rather have Key than Cunliffe.
Oh, and the picture here says a lot more words: http://newlynnlabour.nationbuilder.com/
Is Labour going to have/release a Labour party alternative Budget Policy statement? It would be good to hear the idea's of what an opposition party would have done and would do, differently to PinoKeyo's bunch of expert incompetents. But this time have Shearer & Cunliffe & Parker present their statement together! Each have a specific subject to speak about and talk to each other before too so that everyone's on the same page .... last chance to get your shit together boys! The party does need a clean-out of the back room though there is obviously still snipers within the ranks f#@king things up! Making speeches won't bring back the working class vote ... too many white middle-class men & women in the front rows.
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