EPMU President challenging Benson-Pope

The President of the EPMU, Don Pryde, has announced he will seek the Dunedin South Labour candidacy against David Benson-Pope.

This is significant for a number of reasons.

The first is that the Labour hierarchy often uses the EPMU to say stuff, that they politically don’t want to.  Andrew Little started the criticism of Taito Field after it became clear the ongoing defence of him wasn’t working. This then allowed Labour itself to start to criticise him.

And again here, it is a bad look to have a member of Labour ruling Council directly stand against Benson-Pope – as that may generate local resistance.  But having Pryde stand backed by the EPMU, protects the Labour hierarchy from a backlash.

Pryde also has a better chance of winning against DBP than Curran.  The local electorate has effectively four votes to three from Head Office.  But the EPMU are affiliated locally and will probably control one of the four local votes, which with Head Office will give Pryde a majority.

I don’t know much about Pryde but he can only be a step up from DBP, so if he succeeds New Zealand is a winner I say.   Of course National will be disappointed to lose DBP as a Labour MP so will be hoping he can fight off the challenger.