leadership challenge Archive

Come on David. Everyone knows that the unassuming, anti-theatrical, measured approach does not meet the public’s insatiable thirst for drama and charisma. 

Mind you, if you just want to retain your job until the next election, David, it might very well be the way to go. It worked for Phil. 

I “felt” for David over the last week. There was a lot of nasty speculation around the traps about his chances of retaining the Labour leadership. What a shame. He seems like such a “nice” man. If given half a chance he may turn the fortunes of New Zealand around. Those nasty right wing bloggers Whaleoil and Farrar fueling the speculation that he is about to suffer an Ed Stark style decapitation. 

And he will. 

Politics is as much about massaging public perception as it is about having the “right” policies. One of the important perceptions that the public needs to have about a politician is that they are a “battler”. We want to know that they will go into bat for us if the chips are down and in return we will swear them our fealty. 

We know that David Shearer is a battler, we need only to examine his track record as a United Nations co-ordinator and his stint in the conflict stricken areas of the world. However, we need to see the blood and guts being spilt on the debating chamber floor to have confidence. Clark and Cullen retained their grip on power through the inerring ability to bloody their opponents noses first. Key is a master of witty reprisals that dull the edge delivered by the opposition.

Even the nastiest most vitriolic utterance by Labour’s Fenton and Curran can’t match these sophisticated deliveries. 

We need to know that our political leaders “care” but the last quality that we appreciate in them is that they are “nice”.

Time is up for Shearer and I can’t say I am sorry. His veneer of reasonableness hides an insidious socialist agenda that scores votes by jeering at the rich and tapping the moderately wealthy to shore up the country’s finances. This is evident in this speech.  

As for the Labour party Leadership. The question is now, who and when. The options are blindingly obvious. They both have a top chance. My pick would be the preppy Cunliffe who has the oratory skills to drag John Key around the debating chamber in a very entertaining fashion. He’d be good at spilling blood and it would make for great theatresport. 

The Robertson-Ardern ticket would be a winner. Robertson is very gentlemanly in a manner that invokes memories of Jim Bolger. Leaving behind the obvious lack of depth in Adern, installing her as a deputy would give her a top chancing of dragging home the seat of Auckland central. Once Auckland Central returned to Labour it would not be easily wrested from it’s grip.
Ardern would be a safe deputy, not being leadership material due to the short length of her tenure. On the hustings, they would resonate with the younger generation and be Babyboomer “pets”. As a small nation we like to show the world how progressive we are. Robertson being gay is almost an advantage. 

That he has never hidden this facet of his life is one demonstration of leadership ability. “Like me, don’t like me, it matters not”, is the confident projection of Robertson.
Either way, the public has rejected the “nice and reasonable” politician and we want some spice in our sausage. Metaphorically speaking.