Whodunnit? Part 7/34

David Shearer is still keen to know who went blabbing to Patrick Gower about Labour's Spring Offensive, and the leader being placed on 2 months notice to perform.

We can't blame him for that, which is why as community-spiriting bloggers we are determined to find the culprit for him. And our top-down examination of the Labour Party caucus is now at #7; Shane Jones.

Shane Jones is something of an enigma within Labour. He never says in one sentence what could be said in four sentences. He doesn't really fit the "working man" brief that Labour is supposed to. Then there was the well-publicised mea culpa when news emerged of his movie watching habits; 'fessing up is rare in the Labour Party.

But Shane Jones longs to be the leader of the Labour Party. Despite the fact that he is a list MP (and a list MP has never led Labour) Mr Jones hangs on to hope eternal. As younger MP's such as Grant Robertson. Jacinda Ardern and David Clark emerge from the pack, Jones would have to make his move soon; within a couple of months, perhaps?

Lately, we've heard a number of rumours about a Cunliffe/Jones leadership ticket. On the face of it, that sounds a little odd, given that Messrs Cunliffe and Jones are poles apart politically and economically. Perhaps they and their backers believe that they could divide the hopelessly divided Labour Party caucus. But this alone gives Shane Jones a strong reason to be speaking out of school.

Here's what the leaky Labour MP said to Patrick Gower:

"The caucus is just really flat. It's not panic or anxiety just yet, but a couple more bad polls and it will be. David's got a couple more months. A change in leadership cannot be ruled out before the end of the year.

"Spring time is when people will get really nervous, just over a year out from the election. We don't want to get into the "Goff-zone", where it's too late to change the leader, but you've got someone in there the public just don't want -the phone is just off the hook."

Does that sound like the flowery sort of prose that Shane Jones uses? We have strong suspicions about that, and accordingly have awarded Mr Jones an 8.5/10; the highest probability ranking to date. 

We wouldn't be at all surprised too if some of those dinners that Jones has shared with another political party leader at a certain Wellington cafe with an avian name have played a role either, but that is another story for another day...