A Bridge Too Far for Labour

If Labour really think they are a real political threat, then they need to think again. Nine months after the election they still appear to have no comprehension as to why or how they lost. The party is either in denial or lacks the mental capacity to understand what policies the voters didn’t like (most of them). Labour has shown little or no willingness to change anything from its pre-election positions.

Their situation is further complicated by their coalition partners. Both the Greens and the Māori Party have policies that are either unworkable or race-based. In terms of appealing to the electorate at large, this puts Labour between a rock and a hard place. While wanting to look more middle of the road, they have the other two more radical parties hanging onto their coat-tails. They cannot regain the treasury benches without them.

While Labour might like to adopt policies that would make them look more moderate, they have shown little interest in doing so. They seem to have adopted the clarion call of the Māori Party that the Government is racist towards Māori by agreeing with the Māori Party’s position on Māori wards and Treaty issues. I’m unsure how they think that will assist them getting back into power, but it does give the voters an idea of what a coalition with the Māori Party would look like.

Then there are the Greens: another party out of step with mainstream New Zealand. Their wacky ideas include standing up for people who support terrorists and believing you can transfer to renewable energy without the need for fossil fuels. This is Alice in Wonderland nonsense but Labour are saddled with it (mind you, they themselves refuse to admit there is an energy shortage in the country, according to their energy spokesperson Megan Woods).

This taniwha-like triumvirate, if elected, would be a veritable death knell for New Zealand. Our descent into the third world would be faster than Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile. Labour not being able to govern without the other two is what makes their position so perilous. They would be forming a government with parties that are at odds with the majority thinking in the electorate. It is unlikely either of the other two would be of a mind to accommodate a more moderate approach.

That leaves Labour not only with its own problems but having to work out how to deal effectively with its coalition partners. I can’t see how it can be done. Labour’s predicament might be described as uncomfortable and perhaps a case of political haemorrhoids: a bleeding of votes. If Labour aren’t careful that’s a possibility for them heading into the next election.