Labour’s Tukituki candidate

The Herald reports:

Labour’s Tukituki candidate, Anna Lorck, says she won’t delete a 2011 tweet in which she called David Cunliffe, now her party’s leader, a “bully”.

The tweet, posted on December 6, 2011, says: “Can’t wait till Cunliff [sic] turns up in HB … we haven’t forgotten he sacked our DHB … he’s no leader, he’s a bully.”

This is a tweet she published *after* the last election.

It refers to the fallout of Mr Cunliffe’s February 2008 decision, when he was Minister of Health, to sack the board of the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board.

Ms Lorck’s PR and marketing company, Attn!, worked with members of the sacked DHB board, advising them on public relations issues at the time of the sacking.

Yesterday she defended her previous stance.

“Everyone knows I was against the sacking, and as a person dedicated to my region I took Labour’s decision very hard and I protested for quite some time.”

“What I tweeted shows that I’m prepared to front up and speak out for the people I represent and work for. I think that’s what the people of Tukituki expect, want and deserve in an MP,” she said.

I suspect Labour however want someone who can effectively campaign for the party vote and promote David Cunliffe to be Prime Minister. Ms Lorck does not appear to be that person.

Other tweets From Anna Lorck:

August 31, 2011 – “Labour looked like they hired a rent-a-crowd to protest outside PM public meeting in Napier tonight. #provemewrong”

September 1, 2011 – “#5 child just told me that John Key is her man! Big talk for a 2yrs. Must have heard her mother and friends talking politics.”

So why is she standing for Labour?