-
Related
Until now Phil Goff has been Labour leader in name only. Today, that is no longer the case.
He's got his man in Mt Albert.
Helen Clark wanted Phil Twyford, an MP she sees as the next Steve Maharey (and that's a compliment in the Labour Party).
Indeed Twyford is a smart, considered man with a big future in politics.
But, as has been well rehearsed now, selecting Twyford would have brought back Judith Tizard on the list, and brought back memories of the old guard of "lefty Labour luvvies" that Goff needs to break from if he has any chance of being competitive in the 2011 election.
So, essentially Goff muscled Twyford out and the candidacy goes to his former advisor and friend, David Shearer , who leaves a top job as United Nations deputy head in Iraq, to contest the Mt Albert by-election.
Like Goff, Shearer is on the political right of the party. So is Damien O'Connor, who has been sworn into Parliament, replacing Michael Cullen on the list.
Suddenly the party starts to look a little bit more blokey; a little bit more centrist. This is no accident.
Labour's spin doctors have been working on Goff. They get him to take his jacket off and roll up his sleeves as much as he can on TV, going for the casual but authoritative look favoured by Barack Obama.
But today Goff showed more than window dressing, unveiling his first reshuffle of the shadow Cabinet .
Most significantly Trevor Mallard comes back on to the front bench for the first time since thumping Tau Henare in 2007. Nanaia Mahuta comes off the front bench for personal reasons and Chris Carter loses education and is given foreign affairs. He won't admit it, but it is a demotion. Carter is another of the Labour luvvies promoted and protected by Clark and his demotion is another sign of the new image Goff wants to portray.
Mallard will be used as an attack dog on the front bench to go after the vulnerable Anne Tolley, who at times seems out of her depth as Education Minister.
Sure, these are baby steps from Goff and he has a long and difficult path ahead as leader, but at least he is moving.
Some of my colleagues here in the press gallery believe Goff wasn't bold enough in the reshuffle. I disagree. Today wasn't the time to elevate newcomers and take a big bang approach.
Yes, there is new talent - Grant Robertson, Phil Twyford, Jacinda Ardern and Kelvin Davis come to mind - but they have been there five months, the equivalent of five minutes in politics.
In a year's time there'll be another reshuffle. That's when the next election will begin looming on the horizon. That's when the new blood will be promoted. That's when it will really count.
What do you think of the issues Guyon is discussing? Share your views on the messageboard below.
Add a Comment:
Post new commentGeoff Keey said on 2009-08-14 @ 01:47 NZDT: Report abusive post
Guyon, I was surprised to see you citing the Government's climate change cost estimates so uncritically given the extent to which they have been discredited.
stephen6565 said on 2009-08-13 @ 22:15 NZDT: Report abusive post
Another very poor article. You are part of the fourth estate and should be asking the hard questions of the govt. Making the govt accountable is not just the oppositions job. This whole article is just rubbish 'feelings' centred around your personal political views. Stick to policy and 'news' items.
geekypolitics said on 2009-08-11 @ 19:34 NZDT: Report abusive post
Mr. Espiner has some good advice for Labour especially on the environment, but the idea that Goff should "cuddle" up to Key is appalling. It is always difficult for the opposition to take a stance on matters that are of an international nature, as the reputation of the country as a united entity is at stake. Democrats in the U.S. had the same problem with regards to the Iraq War. I'd hate to see Labour make the same mistake in the name of "solidarity behind the troops."
Andrew Nichols said on 2009-08-11 @ 14:17 NZDT: Report abusive post
"Polls in Britain showed, counter-intuitively, that support for their troop deployment increased even as casualties mounted. " You're flat wrong! Current polling in the UKs major dailies actually shows majority and growing option to Britains involvement in Obams purposeless war. Not that that's ever bothered the govt there, who in time honoured fashion enjoy perpetuating "Britains post WW2 role as the Greeks to the US Empire" (Harold McMillan 1943)
Kereama said on 2009-08-11 @ 13:39 NZDT: Report abusive post
Of course Labour need to find their direction! They lost the election and they lost touch with grassroots NZ - National did too once, and it took them years to get back on track - but they did. The point is, the "road to nowhere" isn't permanent (unless you're Winston Peters... let's hope anyway). While it may be the opposition's role to critique the Government, the media has an obligation to do so also. Let the opposition "find" themselves and focus instead on the ones that count.