Shane Jones has recently been attacking policies and positions supported by his own party, and taking positions at odds with the majority of his caucus. He was at it again late last week.
Showing posts with label Shane Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shane Jones. Show all posts
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Discipline
Labour MP Shane Jones appeared on TVNZ's Q&A show over the weekend to debate with Gareth Hughes over plans for a Ross Sea marine reserve.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Cunliffe v Shearer
The Labour leadership battle just gets more interesting. David Parker pulled out today and is now publicly backing David Shearer. I'm glad, not because I want Shearer to win but because I thought Parker was probably the weakest candidate of the three.
I can't actually choose between Shearer and Cunliffe, as both candidates have pros and cons. The deputy leadership position looks a bit more interesting, and the party has the potential to really stuff things up if they get the mix wrong.
Leader
I don’t have a strong view on which of the two Davids should be selected as leader.
Cunliffe is a good debater and communicator and has the ability to take the battle to John Key. He was one of Helen Clark’s more able ministers, is smart and is sharp-witted.
Some people have suggested Cunliffe has few friends in caucus, and that he can be arrogant, but I’m not sure how valid those claims are. Admittedly, I don’t really know the guy other than from what I see and read, and have met him only once. But he was perfectly affable and friendly on the day I met him (as politicians generally are when they have their game face on).
I also like David Shearer for the role, because his background in humanitarian work makes a compelling life story that would be irresistible to many voters. If the leadership is to be awarded to the person who most appeals to the public over the next couple of weeks, I’d say Shearer would have the job.
What makes me wonder whether Shearer’s the right person is the fact we haven’t really seen much of him yet. I don’t really know too much about his political leanings, though with his background one can only assume he must fit in well with Labour’s core values. I also don’t know that much about his ability to handle the rough and tumble of politics. This is not a dig at his experience, because he has led teams in difficult environments. But managing party politics is different to running a humanitarian mission. That’s my concern. It may well be that running the Labour Party is a breeze by comparison to the many challenging roles Shearer has had in the past, but the job is different. Is Shearer up to the task? I just don’t know.
On the other hand, I can understand entirely the desire by many to bring in a new leader untainted by what has gone on before.
They're both so good that it's a pity we can't have co-leaders, but it's not the Labour way.
Deputy
I understand politically why Cunliffe has chosen Nanaia Mahuta as his running mate. Mahuta seems to be well regarded within the caucus, and may also appeal to Maori and women voters.
However, Mahuta has a fairly low public profile, and I am yet to be convinced that she would be up to the task of deputy leader. The aim of promoting someone to deputy leadership to better represent the views of women and Maori is laudable, but it cannot be at the expense of the party’s fortunes. I just don’t know whether Mahuta is ready for this, but I suspect it may be beyond her.
Grant Robertson is another frequently being mentioned as potential deputy leader. Unlike Mahuta Robertson does have a high profile. But I am yet to be convinced that he is the right person for the job. Robertson has spent years inside politics, even before becoming an MP, and he worked for Helen Clark. However, voters have sent a reasonably strong message to Labour that they want the party to move away from the Clark era. I regard Robertson as one of Labour's most talented MPs, but his timing might be off.
Shane Jones is also a potential candidate. He would appeal to Maori voters but would also be attractive to many non-Maori. Jones is intelligent, witty and clever, but he probably stands a bit too much the right of the party, and he would also spend most of his time as deputy having to fend off lewd remarks about that incident.
My pick as deputy would be either David Parker, or whichever man loses the leadership battle.
If you have your own opinion please feel free to comment. We don’t get a vote in caucus, but the party does claim to be listening to us.
I can't actually choose between Shearer and Cunliffe, as both candidates have pros and cons. The deputy leadership position looks a bit more interesting, and the party has the potential to really stuff things up if they get the mix wrong.
Leader
I don’t have a strong view on which of the two Davids should be selected as leader.
Cunliffe is a good debater and communicator and has the ability to take the battle to John Key. He was one of Helen Clark’s more able ministers, is smart and is sharp-witted.
Some people have suggested Cunliffe has few friends in caucus, and that he can be arrogant, but I’m not sure how valid those claims are. Admittedly, I don’t really know the guy other than from what I see and read, and have met him only once. But he was perfectly affable and friendly on the day I met him (as politicians generally are when they have their game face on).
I also like David Shearer for the role, because his background in humanitarian work makes a compelling life story that would be irresistible to many voters. If the leadership is to be awarded to the person who most appeals to the public over the next couple of weeks, I’d say Shearer would have the job.
What makes me wonder whether Shearer’s the right person is the fact we haven’t really seen much of him yet. I don’t really know too much about his political leanings, though with his background one can only assume he must fit in well with Labour’s core values. I also don’t know that much about his ability to handle the rough and tumble of politics. This is not a dig at his experience, because he has led teams in difficult environments. But managing party politics is different to running a humanitarian mission. That’s my concern. It may well be that running the Labour Party is a breeze by comparison to the many challenging roles Shearer has had in the past, but the job is different. Is Shearer up to the task? I just don’t know.
On the other hand, I can understand entirely the desire by many to bring in a new leader untainted by what has gone on before.
They're both so good that it's a pity we can't have co-leaders, but it's not the Labour way.
Deputy
I understand politically why Cunliffe has chosen Nanaia Mahuta as his running mate. Mahuta seems to be well regarded within the caucus, and may also appeal to Maori and women voters.
However, Mahuta has a fairly low public profile, and I am yet to be convinced that she would be up to the task of deputy leader. The aim of promoting someone to deputy leadership to better represent the views of women and Maori is laudable, but it cannot be at the expense of the party’s fortunes. I just don’t know whether Mahuta is ready for this, but I suspect it may be beyond her.
Grant Robertson is another frequently being mentioned as potential deputy leader. Unlike Mahuta Robertson does have a high profile. But I am yet to be convinced that he is the right person for the job. Robertson has spent years inside politics, even before becoming an MP, and he worked for Helen Clark. However, voters have sent a reasonably strong message to Labour that they want the party to move away from the Clark era. I regard Robertson as one of Labour's most talented MPs, but his timing might be off.
Shane Jones is also a potential candidate. He would appeal to Maori voters but would also be attractive to many non-Maori. Jones is intelligent, witty and clever, but he probably stands a bit too much the right of the party, and he would also spend most of his time as deputy having to fend off lewd remarks about that incident.
My pick as deputy would be either David Parker, or whichever man loses the leadership battle.
If you have your own opinion please feel free to comment. We don’t get a vote in caucus, but the party does claim to be listening to us.
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