The Dom-Post on Shearer

We hope that David Shearer didn't read the Dom-Post's editorial this morning whilst he was eating his breakfast. If he had done, a severe dose of dyspepsia was likely to have resulted; check this out:

When David Shearer became Labour leader at the end of last year, he touted himself as a fresh face for the party and promised a "fresh vision for New Zealand". So far, his face has barely been seen by most of the voting public and his vision, if there is one, remains hidden from view.

More than two months after he took over from Phil Goff after Labour's disastrous election defeat, Mr Shearer is yet to give any meaningful indication of what he stands for, what his aspirations for New Zealand are and what he would do differently from Prime Minister John Key to achieve them. Mr Shearer is in danger of wasting the honeymoon traditionally enjoyed by new party leaders unless he starts espousing his vision and policies to back it before much more of the parliamentary year ticks away.

The difference between Mr Shearer's first weeks as Opposition leader and Mr Key's could not be more stark. When Mr Key won the National leadership at the end of 2006, he immediately drew a line between himself and Don Brash, whom he replaced, by promising to keep New Zealand nuclear-free, signing up to international efforts to combat climate change (Dr Brash had at best been equivocal on both matters) and heralding a more measured approach to race relations.

By contrast, Mr Shearer has yet to tell voters in any great detail how, if at all, a David Shearer-led Labour Party is different to the one under Mr Goff. His stated vision of a "clean, green and clever New Zealand" is so platitudinous as to be almost meaningless. It would have some resonance if Mr Key was advocating a dirty, polluted, dumb New Zealand, but he is not, and nor is anyone else.

Mr Shearer needs more than a slogan to make a real impact in what is after all a contest of ideas. Where does he stand, for example, on Labour's promise to extend the in-work tax credit to beneficiaries, a reckless policy that undermined the party's claims to fiscal responsibility and which alienated many of the workers it claims to represent? Or the plans to remove GST on fresh fruit and vegetables, introduce a capital gains tax and raise the age of retirement?

The leader writer then tries hard to be fair to David Shearer, cutting him some slack for his relative political inexperience. But that in itself is one of the obstacles that Shearer faces; read on:

Of course, sifting through the wreckage of Labour's defeat last year and considering, refining and announcing any policy changes was always going to take time. Mr Shearer, who was elected as leader after less than 2 1/2 years as an MP and who remains largely unknown to most of Labour's rank-and-file, was also going to need more time than a more experienced hand to settle in. That should not have prevented him, however, from starting to stamp his mark on the party by now.

Labour and Mr Shearer will have taken some heart from the weekend's 3 News-Reid Research poll, which had him debuting at 10.1 per cent in the preferred prime minister stakes – higher than Mr Goff ever achieved. Mr Shearer's near-invisibility makes it difficult to escape the conclusion, however, that the rating is much to do with the simple fact he is not Phil Goff. If Mr Shearer wants any chance of giving Mr Key a run for his money in 2014, he must offer voters much more than that.

We're not sure who Mr Shearer's closest and most trusted advisor within the Labour caucus is, but the quality of the advice he's receiving should be questioned. He's had his first two weeks of Question Times, and has barely landed a glove on John Key. And as numerous others have noted, he seems to have been usurped by the Rt Hon Winston Peters who is looking and sounding like a de facto Leader of the Opposition.

And the Herald refers to that this morning; have a read of this:

Labour leader David Shearer has begun wooing potential coalition partners - including dinner with NZ First leader Winston Peters and calling an end to the Cold Shoulder War with Mana leader Hone Harawira.

Mr Shearer confirmed he had eaten dinner with Mr Peters last Wednesday at Wellington's Trade Kitchen restaurant. He said it was an impromptu dinner after they appeared together on a TV3 show.

"It was just a getting together and having a bit of chat, as you'd expect."

The pair were spotted and it was reported by blogger Cameron Slater on his Whaleoil blog. Yesterday, Mr Shearer would not divulge what they discussed.

David Shearer and his advisors don't have to look back too far into the history books to realise how flawed the courtship of Winston Peters is. Three times he's been a Minister; three times he has failed to last a term. He was sacked by Jim Bolger in October 1991 over Ka Awatea, then again sacked by Jenny Shipley in August 1998. He almost lasted a full term as Helen Clark's Foreign Minister between 2005 and 2008, but was stood down in August 2008 whilst Parliaments Privileges Committee investigated an allegation that he had knowingly misled the House by filing a false return of donations. On 23 September 2008, the House found, by a majority of 62 to 56 that Peters had "knowingly providing false or misleading information on a return of pecuniary interests”.

David Shearer and his advisors should be very careful. Winston Peters is the consummate opposition politician, but to attempt to govern with him is almost certainly going to end up in tears. Shearer would be far better advised to carve out his own niche, and return the Labour Party to its roots; assuming of course, that the damage already doine to Labour isn't terminal.