Labour Head Office votes down Barry in Hutt South

Local Wainuiomata boy Campbell Barry got beaten for Labour’s Hutt South nomination by Virginia Andersen yesterday.

Reliable sources tell me that Barry massively won the floor vote by around 70%. He also picked up the support of the delegate elected from the floor and one of the two LEC delegates.

But Andersen had the unanimous support of the three head office delegates and the other LEC delegate so beat Barry 4 votes to 3.

This seriously dents Labour’s chances of retaining Hutt South. Barry is very popular in Wainuiomata where he grew up. The local party members there were passionately behind him. He would have been a formidable candidate.

Andersen doesn’t even live in the electorate and will struggle against National’s Chris Bishop who has won praise from all quarters from his high energy advocacy and efforts in Hutt South.

Local members don’t like it when head office outvotes the local favourite. They won’t leave Labour over it, but they won’t be as motivated to campaign.

UPDATE: A lot of Labour members and supporters unhappy. Comments on Barry’s Facebook page include:

• So disappointed. I for one am not sure Labour represents my values any more.
• Looks like Hutt South is going blue next year
• Yep, Chris Bishop will be the new MP for Hutt South.
• Am speechless.Stunned.Seems like an own goal…..Oh dear
• I’m very sorry that you weren’t selected Campbell. As I said earlier tonight I believe they have made a mistake when the candidate doesn’t even live in the electorate. Wainui which is the biggest catchment in Hutt South works at a personal level, it’s relationships and proving yourself that will cause people to vote for you, something Chris Bishop has recognised and is working hard at.
  
• I am really dissappointed, but will observe the next few months to see whether Labour deserves our vote, and those of our families and youth. Malo lava le onosai uso.
• Sad to here that Labour has gone with a non resident. Even sadder they have decided to go with someone who couldn’t beat Dunne even after the boundary shift worked in Labours favour.
• I’m disappointed in the voting process here because I know that if the people there got to choose, you would’ve won. You saw how many of us came to support you. Today’s result shows that Labour isn’t listening to what the people want.
• We will be deregistering from the party now, we weren’t in there long but we were there to support you & I don’t have much faith now in the party and it’s processes – if they don’t listen to their own people, how will they ever listen to everyone else?
• What a shame and a loss for Labour. Mallard would have lost the seat in the next election to bishop. I really think that you could have mobilised the people to back you and labour would have had a chance to hold that seat. Even with your backing I don’t think she will win.
• I don’t know about Trevor losing but who is Virginia … never heard of her.
• Labour will lose this seat. But I think Campbell would have given them a shot. This is what is wrong with Labour
• I don’t see that with their selection, putting in a policy wonk from outside of the electorate, the Labour selectors have shown they don’t really care about the Hutt South people.
• Ginny has no chance of beating Bishop without Campbell who has the real relationships with the people. Bishop has done the hard yards and none of us grass roots community people know who Ginny is. Campbell was Labours only hope to keep Hutt South…
• Dumb, replacing someone established in the community with someone no one knows. They must have a magical strategy, I hope it works
• It’s completely obvious that the Labour selection committee shot themselves in the foot today. There are going to be negative consequences that will follow this poor decision they have made, especially at a local level. Which will in turn affect central Labour.
• It really does look like they chose a career politician over a community champion. Really concerned that we now have a candidate representing us who in the last election was in a totally different electorate trying to get a seat representing that community

These comments are from Labour members and supporters. Its really is a big own goal – and all because Barry has a Y chromosome.