The “captain’s call” could become a thing of the past, at least for the Labour Party, with members this weekend having the opportunity to vote on a rule change that would effectively ban them.
A “captain’s call” is an informal convention of New Zealand politics which allows a leader to decide a party’s policy, at least as long as they’re in the captain’s seat.
For over a year, Labour has been grappling with a particularly controversial captain’s call: Leader Chris Hipkins’ 2023 decision to rule out a capital gains tax and a wealth tax in 2023. …
The Herald has obtained a proposed amendment, put up by region one of the party, which runs from just south of Auckland up to Northland, which would only allow a change to the party’s manifesto if the caucus and party policy council jointly agree − and even then, this can only be in “matter of great urgency”.
So a future Labour Party PM would be able to be over-ruled by the Party’s policy committee. This is an attempt to politically castrate Hipkins.
The council includes members of the caucus, the party’s out-of-Parliament operation, and five elected members. Currently, those elected members are: CTU chief economist Craig Renney and Toby Moore, both former advisers to former Finance Minister Grant Robertson, former MP Michael Wood and Former Hamilton West candidate Georgie Dansey, and Labour member Jo Spratt.
Michael Wood would become more powerful than he was as a Minister, and all without even having to be elected to office. No more problems with share portfolios.
This is a blatant attempt by the hard left faction led by Wood to either take power away from Hipkins, and give it to themselves.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.
8 comments:
The long shadow of the communist party structures…
Castrate Hipkins?
Sorry; can’t do that twice.
Surely we are seeing such a captains call right now by Mr Luxon with his widely misrepresentative position on Act's Treaty Principles Bill.
A broad range of polls , political analysts and more importantly the public indicate that the Bill has strong approval. If the Bill was put to a public referendum right now it would most certainly gain majority public approval.
I would love to see a poll of the National Party Caucus, my money would be on a majority of them supporting Mr Seymour's views.
We were all told of the ensuing chaos and confrontation from Maori should this Government revoke 3 waters, a separate Maori Health system and unelected seats on Local Councils. And in Parliament this week the tattooed cowboy tells of a broad range of statutory changes that removed privileges obtained by the brownness of ones skin.
And have we seen such chaos confrontation? No we haven't, there has been quiet but strong acceptance of these reforms from the broader public. And the public demand a government that puts an end once and for all to the gravy train of Maori grievance and sense of entitlement and tax payer funding of their benefit dependence and alternative lifestyles. And Seymour's Bill is a good way to ram that home to them.
Mr Luxon seems to substantially misread this issue on a level matched only by main stream media. Though he describes the nature of the MMP agreement he has with his coalition partners , he seems to be picking a fight here when he just doesn't need to . And he might well lose that fight, and a lot of public support. After the next election National might well be in the same situation they had after the 2017 election, looking around wondering where their friends had gone.
So a little turmoil in Labour, the rank and file trying to prevent another leader as dictatorial as Clark or Ardern.
However National has had similar problems of it's own. Muldoon, Key , now Luxon ? So what is the National Party rank and file doing right now. Standing in line sucking toes, and paying peasant like fealty to their superiors.
Luxon is being a bully on this one. The country doesn't need another captain's call from the latest new messiah. We need genuine political courage and leadership.
Here comes 2017 all over again.
Yes - that would be the reason that he does not seem to know what a "woman' is.
A brand range of polls ... just like the ones that said Kamala was neck and neck in the voting with Trump?
I don't see that castration is the issue. I am not in favour of the Captain's call, which gives an individual far too much power - as Luxon has now. I guess a caucus can vote a leader out, but this goes too far in the opposite direction. Reason should prevail - and must be seen to direct government - or else it is just corrupt.
David's heading says: "Labour left seeking to castrate the leader". Anon at 11.24am says: " Sorry, can't do that twice". I say: "third time lucky"!
I once worked for a Maori lady who owned her own business. She was a great (I don't remember how many times) granddaughter of Hone Heke of flagpole fame) and was a pleasure to work for. She had s sign on the wall at the back of her office - Warning: I go from zero to bitch in one point five seconds!
Kevan
You got it. Luxon has no more sense than the rest of the caucus, why should he have disproportionate power?
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