Herald cartoonist Rod Emmerson's offering last week of the Three Amigos was very, very good. But he has excelled himself this morning as he has brought #Labour'sGotTalent right into the 21st century. We do however urge caution in viewing for those with delicate stomachs, especially when looking at the Twerker on the right!
This is a stellar piece from our favourite cartoonist. Here's hoping that the Three Twerkers are in Parliament this afternoon to bust out a move or two!
The Dominion-Post editorial this morning is devoted to the talent quest for the Labour Party leadership. Around the traps, the quest is rather unkindly being referred to by the hashtag #Labour'sGotTalent. Readers can judge for themselves the validity of that hashtag!
But the Dom-Post is not overly impressed with what it has seen to date; the editorial begins thus:
Well that didn't take long. Labour's American-style primary contest is only days old, but already it is apparent that in terms of policy none of the three contenders for the leadership has any more to offer than the departing David Shearer.
Caucus favourite Grant Robertson's big idea - one quickly signed up to by party champion David Cunliffe - is to introduce a living wage of $18.40 an hour for all government workers. Meanwhile, Shane Jones, the outsider in the contest, is threatening to pass laws to regulate how much supermarkets can charge for food.
Both ideas sound great. Who doesn't want lowly paid workers to get greater reward for their efforts? Who wouldn't welcome a reduction in food prices? The problem is that neither proposal is remotely deliverable.
Labour's leadership candidates are employing the rhetoric of old-fashioned class warfare. Soak the rich to feed the poor. Unfortunately for them, the world has moved on from the days when governments could change the rules of the game and the players had no choice but to comply.
The Dom-Post leader writer is dead right; as Labour lurches even further to the Left than the Greens (and almost as far as Mana), some of the policy promises that are coming from the mouths of the Three Amigos are getting completely over the top.And the leader writer reminds Messrs Cunliffe, Jones and Robertson thet economically speaking, New Zealand is a very small fish in a very large pond; read on: New Zealand is not a fortress economy, but a tiny player in a global market in which every action has a consequence. In their heart of hearts Mr Robertson, Mr Cunliffe and Mr Jones know this. They were all part of the last Labour-led government, which, despite its socialist credentials, quickly came to the realisation that the interests of employers and employees were inextricably intertwined. The government could not impose extra costs on business, without putting at risk the jobs of vulnerable workers.
Mr Robertson will say his proposal applies only to government workers and contractors, but limiting its application only creates inequities of another sort.
Why should a cleaner mopping out a privately owned building earn several dollars an hour less than a cleaner vacuuming a government building? Why should a worker in a privately owned rest home receive less government support than would otherwise be available, because the Labour Party has decided to advantage a subset of all workers.
Mr Robertson and Mr Cunliffe may also point out that their proposal is to introduce a living wage "over time". However, the caveat either renders the proposal meaningless or recklessly irresponsible. Meaningless, if by "over time" they mean the amount of time it would take the minimum wage to rise to that level under the present system. Recklessly irresponsible, if they are actually intent on establishing an elite class of privileged workers.
New Zealand is a global price taker, not a price setter. The country prospers when it is nimble and flexible. It suffers when it is rigid and flat-footed.
Governments can no more raise living standards by decreeing higher wages, than they can by telling supermarkets how much they can charge for a leg of lamb or a box of cornflakes.
If Messrs Robertson, Cunliffe and Jones are serious about running the country, they should advance serious policies.
We could not agree more. Pork-barrel politics and simply telling people what they want to hear does not bode well for good, sound policy should Labour ever get elected to govern again.
David Cunliffe is Steve Braunias' victim this week, which is hardly surprising given his performance last Monday as he announced his candidacy for #Labour'sGotTalent; check this out:
MONDAY
Hallelujah! A new day. A new day for New Zealand. A new day for New Zealand in a new way, and it only added to the excitement when I cut myself shaving with a new razor. I sent out a press release. A crowd gathered. They watched me bleed for New Zealand.
When they left, I got busy. There was a job of work at hand. I bent my head to the task. I applied a dab of Endymoion cologne (a sensual fusion of citrus, spices and leather, $225), ran a Kent switchblade comb (handmade from sawcut resin, $35) though my hair, and looked at my reflection in a pair of Joseph Cheaney shoes (oak bark soles, $895). I liked what I saw.
That left five minutes to kill before the press conference announcing my bid to lead the Labour Party, so I analysed the latest Treasury reports, studied the economic situation in Japan, Ghana, and Sweden, and ironed my Marcoliani socks (cashmere, $117).
The conference went well. A crowd gathered. I felt at peace.
TUESDAYHosanna! Another new day. They can't come quick enough as far as I'm concerned. I'm in a hurry. I'm in a hurry for New Zealand. I'm in a hurry for New Zealand to get better, to get over these last few bumbling years of Key and his braying nest of monkeys.
Met with my own troops. Looked them up and down. Didn't want to look too closely. Nanaia Mahuta. Louisa Wall. William Sio. Sue Moroney. Someone called Iain Lees-Galloway.
Oh well. It could be worse. Maybe.
This is great stuff from Steve Braunias, although somehow we doubt that Nanaia Mahuta, Louisa Wall, William Sio, Sue Moroney and "Someone called Iain Lees-Galloway" will think so. It's well worth a read in its entirety.Here's hoping that similar pieces appear on the other two of Labour's Three Amigos, lest Braunias be accused of having an undue influence on what is supposed to be a fair contest.
We're still catching up on news, opinion etc on this side of the ditch. But we had to laugh when we read Paul Little's take on #Labour'sGotTalent in the Herald on Sunday:
Which brings us to the Labour leadership selection and the figures - in strict alphabetical order - of David Cunliffe, Shane Jones and Grant Robertson.
Never have three bald men fought more fiercely over possession of a comb than this trio is doing over a prize no one in their right mind could want.
As soon-to-be-redundant jobs go, leader of the Labour Party is up there with sales manager at the electric typewriter factory and cinema projectionist.
But when another friend asked breathlessly: "What about David Shearer resigning?" I was reminded that there are still some liberals out there who take Labour seriously as a political force.
The media have been trying very hard to add some oomph to the Labour leadership campaign and good on them because you'd be waiting a long time for any of the colourless candidates to set the electorate's pulse racing.
They will march forward to September 15, humming the old refrain about restoring a fair go for the average Kiwi - just as the other side does - without a clue as to how to bring that about.
But imagine a world in which you looked forward to hearing what a politician had to say on an issue because it would be practical, sensible and inspiring, a world in which leaders actually led.
Not easy, is it?
Three bald men fighting over possession of a comb; if ever there was a metaphor to describe the Three Amigos' quest for the leadership of the Labour Party, that is it.Well said Paul Little.
Paddy Gower reports on a difficult day for the Three Amigos, the candidates for the Labour Party leadership. The tweets should be read from bottom to top, for the correct chronological order:
So here's the basic chronology of events. Instead of being in Parliament this afternoon, the Three Amigos waived the chance to ask questions of Ministers, and decided (singularly or individually) to go to a union protest in Auckland; at the taxpayer's expense, of course.
However the EPMU thwarted that plan, and told the Three Amigos to go whistle. The Three Amigos became two, when Shane Jones broke ranks, and went to the union meeting anyway. Waitakere Man will be delighted with the defiance showed by Matua Shane.
In the meantime, David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson are left with egg on their respective faces. They have squandered a chance to score a hit on the PM, and they have been turned away by Labour's largest affiliated trade union.
Oh dear; how sad; never mind.
Rod Emmerson is in fine form this morning, with his portayal of Labour's Three Amigos.
Whether Messrs Cunliffe, Robertson and Jones will be as flattered with the attention from our favourite cartoonist is, of course, another matter altogether!
And speaking of Shane Jones' fantasies; what lay behind the repeated references to the "Labour Mothership" when he was on RadioLive with Willie and JT yesterday? That, then the David Cunliffe presser was all a bit surreal.
