Armstrong on Labour

John Armstrong writes:

Ruling parties dumped on the Opposition benches usually spend some time pondering what went wrong and whether they need to redraw the map and reset the compass as a consequence.

But Labour seems bereft of self-doubt. It is as if last November’s election result was some inexplicable mix-up which placed Labour on the wrong side of the chamber; a horrible mistake which will be rectified when everyone comes to their senses.

Of course the election result was a terrible mistake by the voters. Nohing to do with Labour.

Labour is exhibiting a self-righteousness which grates when placed against the backdrop of its rejection by voters.

Bill English had it right when Labour complained over the timing of the release of the Treasury briefing – he said having Labour complaing about the OIA was like Jack the Ripper complaing about community violence.

Phil Goff may have been the only viable candidate for the job of leader after Helen Clark’s resignation – at least for the time being. But the smooth change of leadership was too seamless to display any sense of transition.

As it is, by installing Goff and Annette King as leader and deputy, Labour is failing to undertake the generational shift which Key’s leadership has done for National.

National dismisses Goff, believing he does not have the X factor needed to wow the electorate.

We have yet to be presented with any picture of how a Goff-led Labour Party will be different from Clark’s model – if at all.

I think Goff will be different – he is more centrist. I doubt he would have ever let the anti-smacking law turn into such a disaster – he would have gone for the compromise put forward by Chester Borrows.

But Armstrong is right Goff is no generational shift. He may be only a decade older than John Key, but he entered Parliament under Muldoon, 21 years before John Key did.

In marked contrast to Key’s reaching out across political divides, Labour cannot decide whether to destroy the Maori Party or work with it.

I think Labour’s attacks on the Maori Party are a strategic blunder. They should look at the massive majorities most of the Maori Party MPs got, and realise they are here for a while.

But Labour cannot help itself. In its eagerness to score points, it only scored a succession of own goals this week ranging from state house numbers to the Kopu bridge.

In responding to National’s infrastructure initiatives by claiming it had already announced the same when in Government or had been planning to do so, it simply allowed Bill English to point out that Labour had allocated no real money to pay for those projects.

The Kopu bridge is the prime example. Labour announced the go-ahead, but the go-ahead only went as far as another Transit New Zealand waiting list.

Yes it was glorious fun to see National Ministers get opportunity time and time again to remind people Labour made promises that it couldn’t and didn’t pay for.