The NZ Herald had an editorial over the weekend that read like a desperate plea for Labour to come and assist them in opposing the Government. It really is quite strange but then again, after the Trust Survey revealed that no one trusts them anymore mainly because they’ve become left-wing shills, it really isn’t surprising that they are now calling for Labour to take up arms against the Government so they can pivot to giving us news again.
Everyone has moved on from the 2023 election result, apart from the Labour Party it seems.
The coalition Government has not only laid out its programme for its first 100 days in office, knocking off each point, but it has also put up a 36-point long-term plan on how it aims to make life better for New Zealanders.
It’s pie-in-the-eye politics but it’s bold, and it’s ambitious, and it’s a plan and it has targets. If come 2030, not all those lofty targets have been hit, so what?
Winston Peters, the elder statesman of New Zealand politics, the master of the national and international microphones, has said more about New Zealand’s foreign policy and position globally in six months than the previous foreign minister said in six years.
This is not being scathing of former Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta but to remind Peters’ doubters that he is still at the top of his game whether he’s here or over there.
All this has been happening while Labour has poked up every now and then to say “we didn’t kill the economy”. True, while Covid can be blamed for putting the New Zealand economy on life support, it was Labour that kept stoking that insatiable beast.
Since the election, Labour’s loyal supporters have been waiting for the real opposition to the coalition wrecking-machine to please stand up.
NZ Herald
A good example of the sort of nonsensical utterances from Labour and union politicians was this post on X (formerly Twitter) from Michael Wood:
It, of course, led to people pointing to some of Labour’s own financial wizardry, like spending $51m on consultants for the billion dollar bike bridge…which we don’t have. Then there was the more than $228m spent on light rail where not a single millimetre of track was laid. There are of course many, many, more examples of the financial wizardry of Ardern, Robertson, Hipkins and Wood.
Now comes the begging and braying at Labour:
Now is the time for Labour to take a deep dive into itself and consider who and what it represents. Changes must happen.
If Labour is staying with Chris Hipkins, which appears likely, then the party needs to start building a credible team around him. Labour’s top 10 need to be better than its corresponding coalition Government MPs. Many are first-time Cabinet ministers and any good opposition MP will be targeting that inexperience.
Labour desperately needs an injection of sunshine and a big dose of reality to start to offer reasonable opposition to the National-NZ First-Act frontliners.
There’s talent in the Labour team, but those talented people must be given opportunities to shine and the old guard must let natural progression occur.
It’s the law of physics: “An object will remain at rest or in a uniform state of motion unless that state is changed by an external force”.
In other words, stand down and step aside.
NZ Herald
The problem Labour has, which sources inside Labour are telling me, is that many MPs want to be rid of Chris Hipkins but no one wants to take the flogging that they all believe they will get at the next election. The same sources also tell me that while Hipkins is there, he is privately saying he wants to go and is only staying because he has no alternate trough to go to.
Those sentiments won’t last as Labour sinks in the polls. Labour is now polling at a point lower than National was when they rolled Simon Bridges. Eventually MPs, who see dropping polls as an indicator that they may well lose their seats, will act. Alternatively, or contemporaneously, Hipkins will get sick of flogging a dead horse and leave anyway.
Then we will really see just how deep their talent pool is. I suspect that it isn’t as deep as the Herald editorial writer likes to think it is.
Help Keep The BFD Alive
Expenses are growing, ad revenue is shrinking. Things have to change otherwise we will need to cut services. We don’t want to have to do that. It’s really up to you.
- For security reasons, credit card donations require Javascript. Please enable Javascript in your browser before continuing.
Your Donation
Your Recurring Donation
Donation Period *
Your One-Time Donation
Details First Name * Last Name * Email * Address Address 2 City State Postcode Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belau Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Congo (Kinshasa) Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba CuraÇao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Martin (Dutch part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia/Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom (UK) United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Phone Number Payment Name on Card * .StripeElement { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em; } #charitable_stripe_card_errors { color: #eb1c26; font-size: .8em; margin: .5em 0 0 0; } Credit/Debit Card Donate
Please share this article so others can discover The BFD.
