Labour govt 2020-23

[jonu]

Helen Clark has far too much to say at the moment. Time was when former PMs kept their own counsel and let the current lot get on with it. She's probably having a hissy fit over the Cannabis referendum, another matter she waded into with her jack boots on. (I heard she never takes them off)

As for the Mahuta headlines nonsense, it's the old trick of claiming victim status before the inevitable cockups to follow. If she had a nose ring and a mohawk that would probably have attracted headlines as well. So what?!

It's one thing to get along with people (Ms Mahuta may well be a very agreeable person) but that doesn't qualify you to walk the fine line of international relations and diplomacy. How will she cope with appeasing the US, Chinese and Aussies for that matter?

Let's hope her department officials keep her on a short leash and just roll her out to sign the documents.

I finally caught up with the press conference with the "agree to agree to disagree" from Marama Davidson. Main thing that struck me was how twice Davidson pushed into Cindy's limelight. Cindy will have taken note. She won't we one for sharing! I predict friction between those two.

[jonu]

Anyway...in all the excitement I didn't pick up on who has inherited Andrew Little's glorious Pike River cockup, or has he been left to bumble along with it?

And who is the sacrificial goat for Ihumatao? Cindy's greatest personal cockup, which I suspect, she will keep a country mile from.

[Balance]

Anyway...in all the excitement I didn't pick up on who has inherited Andrew Little's glorious Pike River cockup, or has he been left to bumble along with it?

And who is the sacrificial goat for Ihumatao? Cindy's greatest personal cockup, which I suspect, she will keep a country mile from.

Phil Twyford to the rescue/sacrificial table on Ihumatao?

[moka]

Quite right Moka. His original description was much less insulting, and far more accurate when he called her 'a lazy cow'. Beats me why he changed it.

It seems to me that insulting her and calling her lazy is just because she is a Maori woman, overweight with a moko and that is a good enough reason to be judged as lazy. She fits the stereotype.
And for some of you it is okay to insult someone for those reasons, which is racist and unfair. No sign of repentance, and in fact you double down. The label is not based on fact but on a stereotype and on appearance, which says more about those that insult her than it does about her.
She is obviously not lazy. No cabinet minister is lazy, they have a huge workload and if she had been lazy in the last term she would not have been reappointed as a minister again.

[moka]

Labour has had the Maori seats for most of the last 90 years. Do you reckon they have delivered for Maori?

Maori don’t think government has delivered to them whether it is National or Labour. The stats show that Maori are disadvantaged in health, education, employment. Institutionalised racism is common, by government departments as well as by government itself.

[moka]

moka she has admitted Davis told her BEFORE the election that he did not want to be Deputy PM. He has never changed this view. Why was she telling media last week that the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party would be the Deputy PM ? That is a straight out lie, like her pre-election rubbishing of National's plans for a "COVID ministry" that she has now implemented and her rubbishing of National's plan to offer state houses for sale to tenants, something she has been doing secretly for the last 3 years. She simply just continuously lies to us and gets away with.

Apart from Mahuta, Clark and Twyford, I think the PM has come up with a reasonably strong team and I am very pleased she has given infrastructure to Robertson. We may finally see something happen in that field after the disaster 3 years under Twyford.

I disagree it was a straight out lie. She was telling media last week that the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party would be the Deputy PM because that is the way it has been, and no decision had been made at that time to change it. The decisions are made in caucus not by Jacinda when she talks to the media.
This stuff happens all the time in business where CEOs deny there will be redundancies, or mergers or acquisitions or whatever because although they are talking about it and there are rumours no actual decision has been made.

[moka]

I concede that representation and balance are important, but should the optics of diversity be more importance than competence?? At what point do Maori become over represented, which ,it could be argued is fast approaching.
I would make one observation about the CVs of many who are on party lists today. This observation may be unfair . Many seem to be on the conveyor belt of professional politicians. Many "have worked in the sector". It seems mere mortal like me, who are male have fronted up to an employer since 18, paid taxes and raised families etc, apparently have nothing to offer. What are others opinions, or is Sgt Pepper turning into an over 60 male grump??

Working in the sector would be a distinct advantage = relevant experience. Politics is not like business and any relevant experience helps new MPs to get up to speed much quicker. I was very impressed with some of the skills, qualifications and experience of those new MPs on Labour’s party list e.g. Dr Ayesha Verrall.

When it comes to competence this article says Māori culture is different from Pākehā culture, and culture plays an important role in poor Māori health statistics. So knowledge of culture is one competency.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/03...-maori-health/

[Balance]

https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/11/0...are-excellent/

From Chris Trotter :

Clearly, the Prime Minister has been more concerned to keep the peace within her vastly expanded caucus, than she has to match the right people with the right positions. This is not a good start – and only promises to get worse.

No amount of fluffing-up the elevation of Nanaia Mahuta to Minister of Foreign Affairs – “the first woman in our nation’s history appointed to hold the portfolio” – can disguise the sheer awfulness and irresponsibility of Ardern’s decision.

The job should have gone to David Parker: not only because he has earned it many times over, but also because, in the years between now and the next election,

New Zealand is going to need a truly outstanding Foreign Minister. Regardless of who wins the 3 November presidential election, the conflict between the USA and China is going to ramp-up into something with the potential to inflict huge damage on this country and its economy.

New Zealand needs a Foreign Minister of vision, courage, verbal felicity and real, on-the-ground, experience.

Mahuta, sadly, has not distinguished herself as a person over-endowed with any of these qualities.

[jonu]

https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/11/0...are-excellent/

From Chris Trotter :

Clearly, the Prime Minister has been more concerned to keep the peace within her vastly expanded caucus, than she has to match the right people with the right positions. This is not a good start – and only promises to get worse.

No amount of fluffing-up the elevation of Nanaia Mahuta to Minister of Foreign Affairs – “the first woman in our nation’s history appointed to hold the portfolio” – can disguise the sheer awfulness and irresponsibility of Ardern’s decision.

The job should have gone to David Parker: not only because he has earned it many times over, but also because, in the years between now and the next election,

New Zealand is going to need a truly outstanding Foreign Minister. Regardless of who wins the 3 November presidential election, the conflict between the USA and China is going to ramp-up into something with the potential to inflict huge damage on this country and its economy.

New Zealand needs a Foreign Minister of vision, courage, verbal felicity and real, on-the-ground, experience.

Mahuta, sadly, has not distinguished herself as a person over-endowed with any of these qualities.

You have to acknowledge Chris Trotter, who can only be described as a "True Leftie", isn't shy on calling BS when he sees it. He is to be congratulated for his consistency.

[iceman]

It seems to me that insulting her and calling her lazy is just because she is a Maori woman, overweight with a moko and that is a good enough reason to be judged as lazy. She fits the stereotype.
And for some of you it is okay to insult someone for those reasons, which is racist and unfair. No sign of repentance, and in fact you double down. The label is not based on fact but on a stereotype and on appearance, which says more about those that insult her than it does about her.
She is obviously not lazy. No cabinet minister is lazy, they have a huge workload and if she had been lazy in the last term she would not have been reappointed as a minister again.

Moka be careful not to fall into the trap of justifying Mahuta's appointment ONLY because she is a Maori woman. It does Maori disservice. I am criticising that appointment as I think it is a very important role and has always been occupied by highly experienced and capable people. I do not rate Mahuta as such and it has nothing to do with race or appearance. I believe the PM has made a terrible mistake here and obviously Chris Trotter agrees.