Conference was buzzing from start to finish and I imagine a lot of us will be reflecting on what we saw, heard and discussed over the next few days.
The results of the recent Local Government elections meant many of us arrived feeling positive – positive about what the results said about what New Zealanders do and do not want and positive about the platform this provides for the General Election. The Len Brown campaign showed that people respond to messages of fairness and inclusion and most importantly to clear and bold policy platforms.
Our conference was about Labour profiling the work that has been happening since the last election – the listening, consulting, debating and thinking about what we put before the people next year. Conference included policy workshops, new thinking sessions that included speakers from outside of Labour and key note speeches that all were all exciting, challenging and forward looking. And most importantly the framework of a BOLD programme to provide real choice to New Zealanders.
Underlying the work is putting the needs of people first – not some people but all of us. We cannot be successful on the back of poverty, of lack of opportunity and not investing in people. Annette’s speech the importance of placing children at the centre of our policy – we cannot be successful if children live in poverty, in fear, without adequate food and shelter and without quality health and education services and without a loving family. Phil’s speech emphasised improving opportunities for all New Zealanders. He emphasised the need for fundamental changes to deliver a stronger economy where all of us share in the rewards. We need to be focused on increasing exports and employment, we need to protect our assets, invest in education and research and development, control monopolies and lift the incomes of New Zealanders. Unfair, unequal countries cost everyone, not just those at the bottom.
National’s policies are making it harder for most New Zealanders, inequality is growing.
Next year the choice for New Zealanders will be very clear. Several hundred of us left conference today motivated about putting Labour’s vision in front of New Zelanders.
No, we don’t. We need to be focused on developing our economy with exports/imports slowly making up less and less. We should only be producing what we need and no more. To increase it beyond that makes the economy unsustainable (and even just producing what we need can do that as well if there’s too many of us).
Len and Phil are great
I hope you had fun at the conference Carol 
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Phil & Len the flowerpot men?
They smell as fresh as the flowered meadows
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Can’t believe anyone hasn’t pointed out how cringe the aftermath of the speech was. I gotta feeling? Is Labour completely obvlious to how ridiculous that was?
Actually Dylan – I liked it – it was upbeat and relevant considering how Labour has been able to acknowledge we live in a different world to that of last time in govt – and that lessons are being learnt and reversals of thinking made. I thought it was a good thing.
The crowd loved the song at the end of the speech, it was simply an amazing atmosphere. Get over it and get with the moment.
pah… there are times for fun and enjoyment in life I guess I wouldn’t expect a political conference to be such a time
Politics is a great participative team sport, get stuck into it, its a stack of fun. OK you have to be a touch masochistic at times to enjoy it properly…
thats sad that is…life is short…times are grim…take ya fun where you can
One thing Lab could do to improve its game follow the smart dress standard of Winny P and Dover Samuals. That man as normal looked fine Saturday night after the conference (I take it he was in Auck for this)D.S I refer to. not winny. I know he is a pensioner but politics still appear not to have taken a toll on D.S and man I would love to have his wardrobe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_W_N7BRthg
Brilliant, Herod.
Hey Trev, is there any chance you could fish my last comment out of the spam? Always hard when they disappear
My comment never got out!
!!!!!!!!
Man, I had comebacks to what people wrote and stuff
Yeah the moderation on this website is bad aye Spud