Little rejects Clark’s advice to gain ground in the centre

Stuff reports:

Labour leader Andrew Little has rejected a suggestion by his predecessor Helen Clark that parties on the left must “command the centre ground” to win elections, describing the suggestion as “a pretty hollow view”.

Yeah what would that Clark know. It’s not as if she has ever led a political party, let alone won an election.

Little says he instead is focused on building “a coalition of constituencies” as he prepares for next year’s election.

Sounds like the old strategy of the missing million voters!

“The truth is that the modern politics in democratic societies has become a bit like a consumer exercise. You try something; you try something else.”

However, they had to ensure they had the support of voters in the centre in order to succeed, she said.

“It’s possible and it’s necessary, because to win an election in New Zealand or probably any Western society, you must command the centre ground.

“You have your strong core of supporters, but you must get the centre ground voters, and I think I was successful in that for quite a lot of years.”

So Clark who won three elections say the key is to get centre ground voters.

But Little said he didn’t think an analysis about the centre is at all helpful – “it’s meaningless”.

But the massively successful Little dismisses the advice of only NZ Labour leader in history to win three elections.

It is hard to say how delighted I am Little is dismissing the advice of Helen Clark as meaningless.