Transcript of Labour Party caucus meeting II

A further instalment in an occasional series exposing the darkest secrets of the Labour Party caucus room.

David Shearer: Thanks, team, for coming to this special meeting. I know you’re all busy and have places to be, but this is important. You all need to know that we’re about to get some heat over our Electoral Act stuff-up, and it’s probably going to be unpleasant.

If we let this happen

Where will this end?

It starts with an electricity policy proposal by two political parties, then they nationalise the supermarkets, and before you know it you're not allowed to have babies unless you're a member of the Party and have sworn an oath to honour the memory of Comrade Stalin.

Thanks Kev

After reading this piece on The Standard, I am left wondering who "Eddie" is.

But I think I've worked it out. It could be only one person.

A new asset sales plan?

A meeting, somewhere in Wellington:

David Shearer: People, we have a problem. We have been banging the “no asset sales” drum for the better part of two years, and still the polls are flat. Why don’t they like us?

Ten reasons for Labour people not to worry about the polls

1. That's not what I'm hearing when I'm out and about talking to ordinary people.
2. Something or other about how fixed phonelines skew the results.

Trevor Mallard decides to bury the hatchet

Labour Party MP Trevor Mallard says he has decided to “bury the hatchet” in an effort to bring unity to the party’s caucus.

Divisions within Labour’s caucus have rocked the party since David Shearer took over the leadership, resulting in the demotion of David Cunliffe to the backbenches. and leaving party members in despair.

Support Shearer And Stop This Unholy War: A Guest Post By George Darroch

Regular readers will know that my "guest posts" aren't always to be taken seriously. But this guest post is a genuine one. 

The post was written five days before the Labour leadership ballot, and sent to a prominent left blog who did not run the post. I thought it deserved a wider audience.

I had to write. It's got to the point where I can no longer hold my silence. Dear Labour members who write and comment here: Either support Shearer, or destroy the Party, and rebuild it again.

Keep The Debate Going!

David Shearer will almost certainly receive a 100% endorsement from his caucus when they meet to vote on his leadership today.

This will horrify some on the left who are convinced Shearer is a liability and must go. Personally I don't care any more, because there doesn't really seem to be an end to the criticism of Labour's leader, and what good does it do? Is anyone listening?

Is National Really Hands-Off Then?

In David Shearer's speech on Sunday he made much of National's "hands-off" approach to governing the country, comparing it to Labour's preference for a more interventionist "hands-on" approach.

There has been some debate about what the terms "hands-on" and "hands-off" really mean, and it appears that some within National don't like it when people use the term "hands-off" to describe National's style of government.

A Labour Membership Vote Seems Unlikely

Could it be true? Could Labour Party leader David Shearer really be about to call for a general party membership vote on his leadership?

Eddie at The Standard says it is going to happen.

The Post I Never Posted

I spent hours and hours writing a blogpost attacking Labour's various failings, and explaining why the February caucus vote would be a defeat for David Shearer, no matter how it went. I concluded in my post that the party was doomed under its current leader, that just about everything everyone had said on The Standard was spot on, and that the polls showing Labour gains were deceptive because John Key would humble David Shearer during the 2014 election campaign. I argued that history showed that a seasoned incumbent would always destroy a wet-between-the-ears newbie during a leadership debate. We all remember what Helen Clark did to an inexperienced John Key in 2008, and how as a result Labour won an unprecedented fourth term in office, don't we?

Are The Guns Turned Inwards?

Or are some people just overreacting?

I didn't know what to make of the claims being made on The Standard about a Labour MP threatening to "out" or discipline certain bloggers and blog commenters. So I read a number of posts and hundreds of hundreds of blog comments.

What John Tamihere's Return Means

The decision by Labour's ruling council to allow John Tamihere to rejoin the party should be interpreted as one of the following:

What Labour Needs To Do

... is round up all the bloggers and commentators on the left with an opinion on Labour's woes, lock them all in the same small room for days on end until they are ankle deep in their own excrement and overwhelmed by the foetid stench; then drag them outside, wash them down, give them clean clothes, and send them on their way.

Labour's 2012 Conference In Pictures

A conference delegate listens intently as Deputy Leader Grant Robertson speaks

Transcript Of Labour Party Caucus Meeting

David Shearer: Thanks everyone for attending this special caucus meeting. I know the last few days have been tumultuous ones, but we need to address the behaviour of one of our caucus members.

Trevor: Yeah, and we all know who.

Some Advice To Labour's Leader

1. Be strong. Be decisive. Cunliffe must be punished for his disloyalty. Although David Cunliffe has done nothing wrong, so you should not punish him too hard. In fact, Cunliffe is the victim in all of this. Any punishment should be meted out to others, those who created this gigantic mess in the first place. Like Chris Hipkins, who spoke out so aggressively against Mr Cunliffe. Of course, Hipkins might have been speaking out on your instructions, in which case you're the one to blame, and you owe Hipkins an apology for making him do your dirty work. On the other hand, Cunliffe has been plotting with mischievous intent, so stick to the original plan and punish him and promote Hipkins for being so loyal, before punishing Hipkins.  Except Cunliffe hasn't done anything wrong. Unless he has. Don't listen to the lies other people are spreading, unless it suits you to do so, unless in doing so you find yourself acting unethically, unless you have some "greater good" argument to justify acting unethically in the short term. Be your own man. Be strong, be inclusive and accommodate your enemies, and crush them too. Don't put up with disloyalty, but dissent and debate are healthy signs so long as nobody questions you. Are you going to tolerate that sort of backstabbing? There are too many people trying to tell you what to do. Don't listen to anyone else. Follow your heart and just do what's right. Are you writing this down?

I Am Backing David

I've been surprised at the volume of unadulterated garbage written about what is going on within the Labour Party.

A Leader's Speech?

David Shearer today delivered a strong speech to the Labour Party conference. It's an address few of his detractors will like, because he devoted insufficient time in his speech to bringing the dead back to life, healing the sick, or walking on water.

Labour Conference 2012: A Summary So Far

Just a short post on a few points about Labour's 2012 conference.