The strange case of the missing deputy

Four Labour MP's accompanied David Shearer to the media conference where he announced his resignation yesterday. From left to right they are Kris Faafoi, Chris Hipkins, Shane Jones and Annette King.

Grant Robertson was a noticeable absentee. We commented on that yesterday, but we have pondered it since, and the more we ponder, the worse it looks.

You see, we reckon that leadership teams are just that; teams. The leader and the deputy leader should stick together through thick and thin, and even in the worst case scenario such as yesterday, the deputy leader should be there to show his support for his boss.

And our ponderings got even deeper when we read this in the Herald:

A group of Labour MPs were planning a motion of no confidence against party leader David Shearer at the caucus meeting on Tuesday - a step pre-empted by his resignation from the leadership yesterday.
Mr Shearer said he was stepping down because he had not achieved the desired results.
After taking "soundings" from some of his colleagues, he believed he had lost the confidence of many Labour MPs, and it was time for a change before next year's election.
He said there was no challenge against him.
But the Herald has learned MP Maryan Street was preparing a motion of no confidence in Mr Shearer for Tuesday's meeting.
Plans were also being made to send a delegation to him before that to ask him to stand down rather than force the confidence vote.
The MPs involved were certain the motion would have succeeded if it had been required.
Ms Street would not comment yesterday, but it is understood she decided to front the motion because of growing concerns among MPs over Mr Shearer's inability to fire as leader and his poor poll ratings.
A source said there had been discussions for months, but nobody was willing to force the issue until Ms Street stepped up.
One Labour source also said former Prime Minister Helen Clark had been "active" on the issue while in New Zealand over the past fortnight, speaking to some MPs about it.
It is not known if Mr Shearer knew the no-confidence motion was coming, although some MPs close to him had heard rumours of it.

Grant Robertson worked extensively for Helen Clark prior to becoming an MP in 2008. He was such a member of Clark's inner circle that he has often been referred to as H3; just lower in the oecking order than Miss Clark's fearsome Chief of Staff Heather Simpson (H2).

So we reckon that explains Mr Robertson's absence yesterday; he has been donkey-deep in the undermining of David Shearer, and has been flagrantly disloyal to his gaffer. Either he chose to stay away, in a final, public show of disloyalty, or David Shearer told him to sling his hook. If it is the latter, our respect for Mr Shearer has just gone up a notch.

So we reckon that Grant Robertson should follow Mr Shearer's lead and put his own job on the line; after all he can't be both leader and deputy leader. And we doubt that David Cunliffe would have him as his deputy; not after the way that Mr Robertson has behaved towards the man who began yesterday as Leader of the Opposition and ended it with the weight of the world off his shoulders.