The campaign, and in fact the last three years, has been tough. It has been pretty clear right through that leading a government was going to be a big ask but at times we looked tantalisiing close.
I want to say thanks to Phil who worked relentlessly when an enormous amount of shit was thrown at him and to a campaign team consisting of candidates, managers and thousands of activists who worked their butts off.
We have lost some incredibly talented MPs. Some will be back. And our caucus has some brilliant new additions.
We did some things well. There is plenty of room for improvement.
There will be plenty of internal post match analysis. This is a place for you to have your say.
That’s the essence that some who post here seem to have missed.
Elections aren’t won at the extremes, but at the centre. And inconveniently the centre doesn’t always remain in the same place – sometimes it changes temporarily, sometimes it shifts on a more permanent basis.
The centre ground has certainly moved (whether temporarily or permanently) to the right a bit over the past 5 years or so. To close your eyes to this, and attempt to get back into contention by coming up with more extreme ‘back to left wing basics’ policies will just shrink the Labour vote even further.
David Shearer to lead please, the list should have been revamped BEFORE the election. Some of you guys need to look in the mirror and consider honestly why you deserve to remain high on the list.
Interesting comments on the radio this morning that were suggesting that Shearer was too much of a ‘new boy’ to parliament to take on the job.
Look at the success John Key has had despite being in exactly the same boat.
It’s only the politicos themselves who think that you need a long apprenticeship in parliament. In actual fact, as far as the voters at large are concerned, it could be more of a liablity than an asset.
Given his background Shearer looks like he could bring a lot of personal respect and authority to the job.
Phil you ran a good campaign!
I have always supported the values that Labour stands for, and more so than ever before,
Loved the gutsy debates and the integrity was outstanding.
However sometimes the campaign was coming off quite negative at times, which I suppose can be hard while in opposition.
The figures surrounding the policies needed to be more solid. Not sure who’s fault this was, but it had a big impact on voters.
The impression I get is that the public was only just warming up to Goff. It was a little to late till he truly came out of the shadows, but this was not helped by the media’s negative betrayal towards the Labour party and Goff over the last three years. The media pretty much stating they were a failure from the word go, any reasonable person could see that.
Maybe Labour needs some young blood in there appealing to younger voters and grabbing those that don’t usually vote. Jacinda would make a good co leader.
Some of electorates need a look into, as some have come across quite weak, especially in my electorate. Judging from some of the votes, this could make a big impact in the election results.
Phil is the only Labour leader in my eyes. Not convinced of anyone else.
Stay in there Phil!!! brands are a fad and people will soon realise the National party is not the solution for a brighter future.
I said earlier the Labour caucus needs to think this through carefully and that includes the deputy leadership. Even so, we know what the public likes in their political leaders, and we know which of the contenders has the experience, brains and the b–ls to succeed. So I plead with Caucus to put aside personal preferences and choose the right leader for the time.
And while you’re about it, how about reigning in whichever one of your number is ‘white-anting’ one of the two main contenders.
Stop blaming the media. As long as you’re doing this you’re in denial as to the extent to which the voters view your policies negatively. On a number of social issues many in the media are more in tune with Labour than it is with National.
That seems to have been the message last time round as well…
OG truly John Key’s success as a relatively green MP us as much to do witht he branding/marketing around him. The staged appearances and the prepared speeches. rememebr he still does poorly when asked serious questions he hasn’t prepared for.
That’s not a criticism but an observation. And that staging and styling and preparing takes money.
“On a number of social issues many in the media are more in tune with Labour than it is with National.” I suspect that’s Anne’s point, the media arent supposed to be “in tune” with anyone. They are journalists investigating issues, theoretically
Equally funny is the Herald reporting on who the “people’s choice” for Labour leader is. They cannot possibly have any idea.
Sigh,
My reading of the point Marie was making was that the reason for the defeat was the bias of the media specifically against Labour. She does suggest, after all, that there was ‘betrayal’ of Labour by the media.
well your suggestion that they are more in tune with Labour on social issues suggests a bias. I took her and your points about bias in making mine.
Fair enough.
My comment was intended to suggest that there was bias in both directions, so it isn’t the defining issue that so many on the left seem to think it is.
I don’t see that you can do away with some degree of bias in political journalism. If only ‘facts’ were reported some would claim that the choice of issues was biased (probably using the word ‘dogwhistle’ from time to time…). And even if they didn’t moan about the issues which were being discussed they’d claim that the facts that were being reported were selectively chosen to support one particular side.
As always one man’s reasonable well balanced article is another’s biased polemic.
I said the Media didn’t help with Goff’s image over the last three years. I didn’t suggest that this was the sole reason of their defeat, but it defiantly didn’t help.
The problem is how you’re going to bring back the Labour voters that walked away.
For starters, if Goff is to resign from his position, then at least wait until there has actually been sufficient time to discuss the viable alternatives – Robertson, Parker, Cunliffe, Shearer, possibly King – before rushing into the decision.
The leadership has clearly lost touch with the soft Labour voter and picking from that same bunch is just more of the same. At the very least, bring some of the talent you on the outside of parliament due to lost seats back in with a new list and promote them to the front.
The media didn’t help, but blaming them as the sole reason isn’t either.
fair comment OG except we don’t get reporting we get regurgitating. For example, National says something about an issue, the “analysis” involves going to Labour and printing/repeating what they think. Or vice versa. That’s not journalism.
I think it’s a bit better than that Trace! You are starting to sound like Anne, or is it Jennifer, and that’s not a good sign. The NZ Herald certainly cntained plenty of opinion AND analysis of issues in the weeks prior to the election. I will allow though that TV was generally rubbish. Bring back the old NZBC say!!
The aim has to be to win National voters back – not to dessimate the Greens, Mana, Maori or even NZ First. The focus has to be solely on winning back the centre ground that has been lost. MMP works on building strong coalitions. Use the Greens and Mana to your advantage. Let Hone cover the hard left so you don’t have to. Let the Greens cover the environmental policies that sound a little wacky, so you don’t have to. The upshot means that you can focus on social justice, equality and worker’s rights – the core of the party. Being on the left then allows you to negotiate some of these other policies with parties after you gain a decent percentage in an election.
National has to be the focus – not everyone else. Show you can play nicely with others. Please!
I suspect that when people feel confident they lean right. Despite the GFC there is still a lot of personal ambition and optimism about future personal prosperity out there. Social liberalism and talk of fairness and poverty will not win you any swinging votes off the Nats. Yes you want to address those things, but that’s not the msg you lead with. Out in the business world Labour has a very negative image. I don’t recall that being true 6 years ago. Folks are herd animals and when the people around them form a view it pulls them along as well. Prosperity is the message people want. The Nats msg is prosperity and a free market. The free market piece is a -ve for many people, but they’ll put up with it if it comes with prosperity. I think Labour’s message needs to focus more on prosperity, with a curb on the worst excesses of the free market.
The list was full of has beens, some of you need to be standing down and letting new ones in. To not have Nash high on the list was just plain dumb also Davis from up north as well. To many from the Clark years and we know what voters said at the polls for the second time… Learn the lesson, the left sado lesbian gay agenda is not what kiwis want,they want MP just like them.
RT1
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” Ellen Hume, Tabloids, Talk Radio and the Future of News, part 4 (TOC), 1995 cites this as something Moynihan said to a “1994 electoral opponent on WNBC in New York”.
The difference between Anne and Jennifer and me is that I place the criticism on journalists for lack of analysis (on all sides) not just for or against one party.
I agree in the last couple of days we started to see analysis but with a shortened campaign, and indeed between campaigns it can’t be about National said x and Labour said y there’s your analysis, now what’s Justin Bieber doing.
The tea cup focus was about ten days, that was lost to elucidation by media choice. As long as they focus predominantly on personalities so will the people. All sitting governments get greater coverage, it’s logical they are driving policy implementation and representing us on the local, national and world stage. I don’t actually have a problem with that.
I’m still an idealistic soul after all these years, and I like to think truth and facts matter and that somehow journalists are meant to help us get to that, no matter whether it is Labour or National, or Hone speaking crap as fact.
I know that journalists get their OIS’s and Ombudsmen complaints through much quicker than joe avaerrage, I have a complaint awaiting an Ombudsmen decision for nearly 12 months, and that is on behalf of people with litigation in train.
I agree with Mark. I too find there is a dominating clique representing the left lesbian gay agenda within the Labour Party. I don’t care what others do in their private lives but how can this clique represent someone like me? I am married and have grandchildren.
How many Labour MPs represent people like me? That’s why I don’t belong to or vote Labour anymore and to think I once worked hard to get Norman Kirk elected.
Yes – I know, I am getting old and maybe I am being left behind but I still vote and it’s not Labour.
And good on you Phil – you did a great job with what support you had. Sorry to see you go. All the best for the future.
Maybe next time you should inject some real information into you campaign and do some real research. Kiwi’s need to know this:
So what do J P Morgan Chase, Deutsche bank, Goldman Sachs and John Key have in common. Oh oops, a collapsing Bank of America and the collapse of the Reserve currency. So now is the time to loot the world by buying real world assets, preferably for cents on the dollar, with the afore mention soon to be dumped and worthless toiletpaper… I mean US dollar.
And aren’t they lucky John Key can help them here!
http://aotearoaawiderperspective.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/with-bank-of-america-on-the-verge-of-breaching-5-00-my-question-of-the-day-is/
@ Tracy – “The tea cup focus was about ten days, that was lost to elucidation by media choice.” Lost- maybe so but this was the defining moment of the campaign. Not the content, although it was proof Act was a sham branch office of Nat. John key has somehow got it into his head that he can talk to the media where,when & how he likes, hes been doing it for 3 years polling the public first while hiding then making a statement a couple of days after asked. Then he decided the rules for the debates, TV3 has been sidelined by Key since John Campbell scored more hits on him than Helen Clark last time. He campaigned by photo op rather than interview, walked out when he didn’t like the question, Apart from a few ministers the rest of National would not front public, let alone the TV. I cannot describe how disgusted I feel having a democratic PM who will not front his public. And this in the middle of a campaign. Now he is abusing his position to intimidate the media. OMG!
Gee whiz Jeremy, life’s tough isn’t it.
The message that the policies that you were promoting were (and are) sound solutions to our problems and a solid economic approach needed to be very clear, assertive and strong. I believe that by the end of the campaign this wasn’t the case. Perhaps it should have been repeated and repeated. Less explanation and just a mantra of ‘this is the way forward’.
The rightwing had and have NO policies that address the problems we face, Labour did have them, yet somehow voters thought that ‘the right knew best’ I reckon this is what lost the campaign.
Perhaps, because the issues were so serious and complex this year people stayed at home thinking they didn’t know enough about the subject to vote?…oh dear…they got that wrong…
I think all left wing parties while in opposition to the government should be relating toward one another with a view to being in coalition. This will ensure that voters understand that a stable government can be achieved between these parties. Don’t fall for the old ‘divide and rule’ trick.
Lastly, you are going to have to ensure over the next three years that New Zealanders are clear how wrong the right way is.
By putting up a loser of a leader you played into Mr Key hands. we want a real leader someone that has fresh ideas not the same old stuff every 3 years, this is why you loss to national 3 years ago and why you just lost again. Get rid of the old faces and bring in new ones.
Maybe you could start by sacking your advisers, especially if they’re the same ones as those advising you now on the leadership selection process. They seem to have convinced you that the election campaign hasn’t ended yet.
Goff is NOT a loser!
!!!!
The dude was up against it!
The tea party lost Key votes, decimated the ACT party, and gained enough votes for NZ First to soak up 7 seats that are not aligned with the National Party.
Tracey, how else do you think this outcome could have been achieved?