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Cunliffe threatens the axe

by Whaleoil on December 3, 2011

David Cunliffe is swinging the axe:

Battle-lines are being drawn in the Labour leadership stoush as the team backing former finance spokesman David Cunliffe signals sweeping changes from the top down, including a cleanout of the party’s old guard.

…But Camp Cunliffe were back on an even keel yesterday and are understood to have spent the day crafting a direct pitch to grassroots members about a radical plan for change after Labour’s election thumping.

That will pit them against the party’s old guard, whom they will paint as no longer representing the new generation of activists.

One Camp Cunliffe insider said the Shearer bid was an attempt to “put a new face on an old machine” and the leadership contest represented a generational battle within Labour.

We now know that if the caucus votes for David Shearer it will be because then old crusties are supporting him so they can retain their sinecure positions in safe seats.

It looks like only Cunliffe is prepared to chop out the dead wood.

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  • Anonymous

    They have got to renew themselves.
    The deadwood has to go. 

  • Anonymous

    Indeed the crusty old petrified wood needs to be culled, it will not even be suitable for firewood or pulp!

    Maybe in the end, Silent T is the only one whom can really cut a swarth through the dilapidated Labour Party….

  • Johnboy

    The new deputy face of Labour could resemble a Gorilla in the Mist.

    That should help get some Greeny defectors back into the fold.

  • Anonymous

    I’m now of the view that Shearer would be the easiest for the right to attack. There are a number of nice, soft weak spots in a Shearer leadership –
    * Puppet of Uncle Helen.
    * Seems to be protective of the old-guard in Labour
    * Ivory-tower, anti-business economic views – wanting to make the minimum wage $15+ per hour, and likely to support a capital-gains tax. 
    There may be more Shearer weaknesses – if so, I’d be interested to hear them.  

  • Kosh103

    My my, just browsing some of the posts, it seems old WO is running an anti-Sheare slant on things.

    • Anonymous

      You read a slant on things in a very odd way. 

      WO is not running an anti Shearer slant on it at all, your gutless, blind directionless Labour party are wanting to bring the selection of a new leader into the media and open forum… So many sides of each possible candidate for the role of leadership is being discussed…

      If you se it as a slant, then you obviously really love the current strategy and status of the Labour party… Good for you…

      • Kosh103

        LMAO – yeaaaaaaaaaaaa. Spin it however you like.

    • http://www.whaleoil.co.nz Whaleoil

      Happy to do my bit for open and transparent leadership bids. If either Camp Cunliffe or Tean Shearer have anything to submit I will willingly post it.

      The tipline is pretty busy today I must point out

  • Anonymous

    For me this Labour Leadership is just a side show. I struggle to find any enthusiasm in it at all. There is only so much pleasure I can get from other people’s misery. Personally, this leadership issue would be a whole lot better if it were sorted out with some good old fashioned porridge wrestling. Or are the main contenters afraid that Mahuta will beat them at this game.

  • lovinthatchangefeeling

    Hah. Silent T. This from Steve Braunias “The secret diary of…. David Cunliffe

    The scene is a saloon

    “…. I struck a match on his head and lit my cheerot.

    ‘Aint no smoking in here pardner’ squeaked a high girlish voice in the corner.

     ’Shut it Parker’ I said.

    He sprang to his little feet just as the saloon doors swung open with a crash. Spurs scraped across the wooden floor.

    ‘Shearer’ Parker piped

    The room went quiet.

    Parker looked at Shearer, and Shearer looked  at me, and I looked in the mirror”

  • niggly

    This is all good for the Labour Party: open leadership debate…. bringing the factions out…. the masses and media take interest ….. gives disheartened Labour supporters something interesting to talk about (for a change) ….  gives ‘em a chance to clear out the dead wood.

    Might even raise their profile and polling with the public.

    Now why didn’t they listen to the VRWC who said they should have axed Goff before the 2011 election (and WO’s “The One” etc) and hence the above would have already have happended? For if they did, Labour probably would have done rather well in the 2011 general election…

    Ditch the Duck … the VRWC is the one and only when it comes to providing Labour with effective stategy advice :-)

    • starboard

      Even nancy boy Chris ” I like dick sandwiches ” Carter saw the writing on the wall for Goof way back, but he got wiped like a dirty arse and biffed.

  • nigel fairweather

    Labour being the oldest party in the country……. 

    -old people
    -old policy
    -good old fashioned back stabbing.

    the party never changes.

  • Pingback: When Enemies Advise — MacDoctor

  • whalewatcher

    Shearer certainly seems like ‘more of the same’ … parachuted into H1′s old seat, from the UN where H1 has now gone, the annointed replacement for Mt Albert, etc, etc.
    Not a convincing new broom at all

  • Jaffa

    Will the old guard vote for Cuntliffe?

    Would turkeys vote for an early Christmas?

    • Gazzaw

      Not unless they want to spend the next three years admiring the view from the back benches.

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