The great purge continues

Vernon Small writes in the Dom Post on Labour’s plans to purge the dead wood and bring in some new talent.

I think it is commendable that Labour is confronting the uselessness of some of its MPs, and that Helen wants at least five to eight new candidates in winnable list positions. Whether the replacements will be any better is another issue.

Vernon profiles Rimutaka where it seems Paul Swain will retire but only if his replacement is not a trendy lefty. If he does convince Andrew Little to be his replacement, then that will be a very good win for Labour. Little is a very smart operator and I would not be at all surprised if he became Labour Leader one day.

Wellington Central is seen as a race between two gay candidates – Grant Robertson and Charles Chauvel. It seems business lobbyist Phil Lewin is not favoured and being pushed towards Ohariu-Belmont (which is unwinnable).

Both seats will be interesting to watch.