Parker poised to return Labour to 'fundamental values'

Labour Party MPs David Clark (Dunedin North) and Clare Curran (Dunedin South) at their party's...
Labour Party MPs David Clark (Dunedin North) and Clare Curran (Dunedin South) at their party's election night headquarters at the Southern Sports Bar and Grill. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
David Parker
David Parker

Labour Party deputy leader David Parker is poised to play a pivotal role in the rebirth of a new Labour movement, based on what the party emerged from 98 years ago.

Without a serious rethink across all sections of the party, Labour faces at least two more elections before it comes close to leading a government.

Labour is 100 years old in 2016, and Mr Parker will use that milestone to set targets for the party to stop it self-destructing as it heads into another divisive leadership roadshow.

Leader David Cunliffe indicated yesterday he would go to the party, asking for its support to remain leader, but although he won his electorate vote, National won the party vote in his New Lynn electorate by about 1500 votes.

Labour's top challengers could not hold their party vote in their own electorates.

As others line up to take the job, Mr Parker could be the deputy leader to reach across and bring all disgruntled MPs and supporters back to Labour.

Contenders for leader and deputy will include Grant Robertson, David Shearer and Jacinda Ardern. But no-one should be writing off Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis, who saw off Mana leader Hone Harawira on Saturday night.

Mr Davis ignored instructions to campaign just for the party vote and allow Mr Harawira to win. And like newly re-elected Hawkes Bay MP Stuart Nash, in Napier, both men were rewarded with winning seats previously held by MPs from other parties.

Mr Nash said there were absolutely no excuses for the party vote result and Labour had to take a hard look at itself.

''I've got no time for sitting down and making excuses. We got 25%; 75% of New Zealanders said Labour was not relevant. Maybe Dirty Politics was an issue, but that was aimed at John Key - not Labour or David Cunliffe. There are no excuses. Labour got thrashed.''

Mr Nash said he supported Mr Cunliffe while he was leader, but believed it was appropriate to put that to the test again.

''I think it makes sense and I think David would also argue there's a need to test his mandate.''

Mr Parker will be able to talk to both sides of the caucus to try to stem the blood-letting which is sure to follow from Saturday's rout by National.

Messrs Robertson and Shearer may have held their seats but both men lost the party vote in their electorates, Mr Shearer holding the Mt Albert seat made a stronghold by former Labour prime minister Helen Clark.

Former leader and long-serving MP Phil Goff held his Mt Roskill seat and lost the party vote to National and it was the same in Rongotai for Annette King.

The trouble with Labour's campaign came down to falling poll support, followed by sitting electorate MPs flagging the party vote and concentrating solely on being re-elected.

Now, those same MPs will have a dominant role in setting the future of the party. Labour can start to forget about the rainbow vote, the quota of women MPs (although a worthy aim) because it needs to start rebuilding its strength from people who have a job but are struggling to make ends meet.

Maori and Polynesian voters delivered for Labour and the party must heed that. It needs to deliver something in return.

In a speech to the party's congress earlier this year, Mr Parker harked back to the first Labour supporters who wanted to make a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. Those people wanted the opportunity to have a sturdy and warm home of their own for their family and to see their children get a good education.

''Our forebears wanted the opportunity to make a better life for themselves, their family, their neighbours, their friends, their community.

''These are fundamental New Zealand values. They are fundamental Labour values,'' he said to a standing ovation.

However, it is not only the leadership of the party which should be given a shake-up. The party headquarters is in disarray and needs a refocus of priorities.

Before the arrival of millionaire businessman Michael Hirschfield in 1995, Labour had a history of picking MPs, aspiring MPs or occasionally a trade union leader as president. Mr Hirschfield had the business contacts to start bringing in money from corporate donations as money from trade unions dried up.

He was followed by the former Manukau mayor, Bob Harvey, who had a background in public relations, but it was self-made businessman Mike Williams who garnered the largest donations from business Labour had ever seen. People like Owen Glenn handed over money because of Mr Williams and Helen Clark.

When both Mr Williams and Miss Clark left Labour, former EPMU secretary Andrew Little took over as president and corporate donations dried up, as Mr Little was not liked by employers he clashed with in collective contract negotiations.

Present president Moira Coatsworth and secretary and former MP Tim Barnett have not raised the money for the party. Labour members have to find someone who can bring in the funds needed to fight a campaign.

Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom and Conservative Party leader Colin Craig threw money at the campaign but failed to get MPs elected, showing, according to critics, no-one could buy an election in New Zealand.

That is incorrect. National had the funding to place mass advertising across all forms of media in the last two weeks of the campaign. Despite dirty politics, National still got its message out. And Labour needs to do that as well.

-dene.mackenzie@odt.co.nz

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