Chris Trotter is probably not the Labour Party’s favourite leftwing political commentator at the moment. Today he went on TV3’s Firstline programme to explain Labour’s poor showing in the opinion polls. You can watch his video or read the brief article here: Labour can't win the election - Chris Trotter, which reports that ‘Trotter says Goff has been held back by his caucus, who've failed to show support for his plans but also refused to replace him’. To top off his severe public critique of Labour, Trotter then went and published a blog post this afternoon, Auslander!, which really eviscerates Labour by arguing that the ‘workers party’ has caused its own demise by taking for granted working class voters and treating them with managerial contempt. By contrast, the secret of John Key and National’s success, according to Trotter, has been their message of solidarity for working voters who aspire to economic advancement. By pushing this powerful message – coming from a leader that supposedly personifies such humble advancement – National has been able to ‘lure them across the great political divide’ to the extent that the party of the right has twice the public support of that of Labour – see TV3’s Latest 3 News poll shows Nats' support twice that of Labour and TVNZ’s More poll woe for Labour and Goff. Additional evidence for Trotter’s theories can even be seen in Danya Levy’s Few see downside to state cuts.
Trotter’s critique of Labour is very thoughtful and poignant. And of course, Trotter isn’t exactly hostile to the Labour Party – in previous elections he has been somewhat of a cheerleader for the party. But his patience for Labour has obviously disappeared. Recently the party has shown its dysfunctionality and lack of focus via its undisciplined and aggressive outbursts. The most recent are covered well in the Herald’s MP's silly gripe throwback to tribal politics, Grant Miller’s MP's beef with Mad Butcher, and Kerre Woodham’s MP Fenton minces her words.
One of the difficulties for Labour – which Chris Trotter and the Mad Butcher personify – is that it lacks supportive public figures endorsing or championing it. It suffers from a decline in the numbers of strong voices from within either civil society or the ‘commentariat’ that are willing to stand up, defend, or argue the party’s case. Many of the leading political commentators are far from enamored of Labour at the moment. So in Phil Goff’s office there must be a serious angst about the dominance in the media of partisan political commentators like David Farrar and Matthew Hooton.
So where are Labour’s sympathetic voices? John Pagani is about the only one, and even he seems to be viewed by many as a Phil Goff plant amongst the commentariat – he was working in Phil Goff office until relatively recently, but is now a full-time blogger and commentator putting forward the messages of Goff and co. Effectively he’s probably just seen by many journalists as a spokesperson for Goff’s office who barely deviates from Goff’s lines of the moment. Mike Williams is another, but he too, as Labour’s recent president isn’t taken seriously as any sort of critically-minded observer. So it’s not surprising that Labour is getting frustrated and lashing out at everyone from academics through to the ‘Mad Butcher’. Surely it won’t be long before Chris Trotter, too, gets his comeuppance from Labour. Labour’s campaign strategist is probably planning his revenge against Trotter already, and sadly for Labour, this is the type of political behaviour that is coming to exemplify its 2011 campaign.
Meanwhile, there are significant issues of policy that Labour should be focused on instead. In particular, the economic downturn presents real opportunities for Labour to challenge the Government on, but it sometimes seems that Labour has given up already. [Continue reading below for a full list of the highlights of NZ Politics Daily]
Opinion polls
Duncan Garner (TV3): Latest 3 News poll shows Nats' support twice that of Labour
TVNZ: More poll woe for Labour and Goff
RNZ: Gap not too wide to close – Goff
TV3: Labour can't win the election - Chris Trotter
NZN: National's lead likely to disappear – English
Danya Levy (Stuff): Polls point to further woe for Labour
Laura Heathcote (Newstalk ZB): Labour takes hit in latest polls
Danya Levy (Stuff): Few see downside to state cuts
Michael Fox (Auckland Now): Key loses support in Auckland
Rob Salmond (Pundit): Polling update: Labour's loss is Greens' gain
Kim Savage (Newstalk ZB): Key hits highs in polling ladder
Ian Llewellyn (electionresults): Polls Bring a Sense Of 2002 Déjà vu
Opinion polls – Maori electorates
NZH: Labour has edge over Hone: survey
NZN: Labour most popular party in new poll
RNZ: Poll shows most Maori voters still prefer Labour
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): The Marae Digipoll
Marae Investigates: Digipoll debate
Economy/Credit downgrade
Audrey Young (NZH): Govt faces having to eat words after downgrades
Tracy Watkins (Dom Post): Downgrades hit National where it hurts
Tracy Watkins (Dom Post): Credit downgrades jolt election lead-up
Bernard Hickey (NZH): What did double-downgrade day really mean?
John Hartevelt (SST): Labour’s campaign lifted by credit downgrade [Not currently online]
Tim Watkin (Pundit): Why the bad news isn't as bad as it looks
Newstalk ZB: Green Party blames Government for downgrade
Bryan Gould (NZH): Dig for the truth Key has buried
David Cunliffe (NZH): Rating agency refs show yellow card
David Cunliffe (Red Alert): Why The Downgrades Matter
Stuff: Reserve Bank warns of global financial risks
Q+A: Govt and ratings agency at odds - English
The Standard: The Nats’ muddle, your job on the line
Tapu Misa (NZH): Values that matter lost in the worship of wealth
Labour
Chris Trotter (Bowalley Road): Auslander!
Editorial (NZH): MP's silly gripe throwback to tribal politics
Grant Miller (Manawatu Standard): MP's beef with Mad Butcher
Kerre Woodham (NZH): MP Fenton minces her words
AAP: Maori MPs back Jones as Labour leader
Election
Herald: Editorial – Don's amazing disappearing Act
Paul Little (NZH): Rambling Brash bungles it again
Deborah Coddington (NZH): Green support a bitter saviour for Nats in power
Graeme Edgeler (Public Address): On Cats and Coro
Matt McCarten (NZH): Rugby and politics a double-headed contest
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Political Report for October 3
Nevil Gibson (NBR): Editorial – Public keeps Key in perspective
Michele McPherson (Bay of Plenty Times): Hoardings a sign of election season
Scott Morgan (NZH): Gaffe-prone Lee takes on Shearer, again
Merania Karauria (Wanganui Chronicle): Mana nominee goes independent
Whare Akuhata (Rotorua Daily Post): Sykes confirms Mana role: 'Free school meals'
Joshua Drummond (Waikato Times): Beneficiary bashing an easy political game to play
Police discrimination allegations
Neil Reid (SST): Maori cop raw deal – Sharples
Neil Reid (Sunday News): Maori Party fires broadside at courts
NZH: Justice system 'discriminates against Maori' – Sharples
NZ in Afghanistan
SST: Editorial - Another man sacrificed in bloody chaos [Not currently online]
Waikato Times: Editorial - The folly of Afghanistan
Bronwyn Torrie (Dom Post): Deadly Afghanistan raid 'justified'
Danya Levy (Stuff): Govt targets names not ranks for cull
Other
Lois Cairns (SST): Red zone exodus 'only way'
Northern Advocate: Ngapuhi given tick to settle claims
Jamie Morton (NZH): Tuhoe has self-governance in its sights
Fairfax: Key flies Aussie flag after Warriors' loss
The Press: Ministry mishap turns into $2.5m bonus for schools
RNZ: Criticism of ministry for overpaying private schools
Marika Hill (SST): University in damage control after outburst
Dave Armstrong (Dom Post): A fan's rugby allegiance is a tenuous affair
ODT: Editorial - In need of some House training
Anthony Hubbard (SST): How to grow rich but stay green? [Not currently online]
Dom Post: This Week in Politics: Monday
iPredict: 2011 ELECTION UPDATE #46