The supporters speak out
The Herald has an article with short pieces from supporters of David Shearer and David Cunliffe, which I found interesting. The supporters are:
David Shearer
- List MP Jacinda Ardern
- Former Goff staffer John Pagani
- Blogger Lew Stoddart
David Cunliffe
- Hauraki-Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta
- Labour Auckland-Northland Regional Chair Greg Presland
- Former parliamentary staffer David Hawkins
Most generally make their case well for their candidate, and that is not surprising as both candidates are very credible. However David Hawkins was rather aggressive with this statement:
This battle for Labour’s leadership is a choice between obsolete zero-sum politics and a progressive aspirational social democracy.
David Shearer’s a nice paper tiger. He’s just being exploited by a group that don’t respect New Zealand’s verdict. They actually don’t know what normal Kiwis think because they don’t understand modern direct engagement methods.
The Labour Party’s Red Alert website is symptomatic of the problem.
That is a theme I’ve heard quite a few push. Will Shearer be independent enough from the old guard who are supporting him? If he wins, I guess we will see when it comes to his shadow cabinet.