I have no particular animus against the leader of the opposition in NZ, David Shearer, who resigned yesterday. He had been losing in the house (the PM is a good performer, and many people see his casual style and underestimate him). But the first quote today is about that, and refers to Marilyn Street, who is the leader of the Rainbow (gay) faction within Labour, a woman who will never be prime minister and is no longer minsterial material. But she has power, and she (Along with the last Labour PM, Helen Clarke, who is “on holiday” from her job in the UN) dragged him down.
A group of Labour MPs were planning a motion of no confidence against party leader David Shearer at the caucus meeting on Tuesday – a step pre-empted by his resignation from the leadership yesterday.
Mr Shearer said he was stepping down because he had not achieved the desired results.
After taking “soundings” from some of his colleagues, he believed he had lost the confidence of many Labour MPs, and it was time for a change before next year’s election.
He said there was no challenge against him.
But the Herald has learned MP Maryan Street was preparing a motion of no confidence in Mr Shearer for Tuesday’s meeting.
Plans were also being made to send a delegation to him before that to ask him to stand down rather than force the confidence vote.
When I turned to the gospel this morning there is a passage in which Christ decides to make everyone’s head hurt by referring to the psalmist, and then goes to warn against the scribes. Who set rules, who demand fealty, respect. And who do not do a thing to lift the burden off others.
35While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.”’
37David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.38As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
41He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
These woman on the left are poison. They want a 50% quota for MPs, more women in the board room, equal wages, free abortions and a large welfare state stuffed full of clients dependant on them. They say girls can do anything but do not mind the risky jobs going to men — provided they are underpaid for doing jobs that can kill them and they have their nice air-conditioned paper shuffling why the men (they despise as working class morons) sweat and bleed in the heat and the cold, including those who risk themselves in the southern ocean — in fact they complain about the price of fish.
And they subvert, using the back rooms, the committees. Particularly, in NZ, on the left — on the right we have had a bunch of stroppy female ministers who reform things from Ruth Richardson to Amy Adams. But most of those women come to parliament with an agenda, and when that is over, they leave. Like David Shearer, they come to politics in their 40s with one career behind them and they can easily move on.
But not the women of the left. From student unions to parliament, all they know is politics. And that is a shoddy set of qualifications. They have demanded much, for much they will be accountable.
Because, in the end, David Shearer was a diplomat, he is a good negotiator, he will find work. His family will have pressure taken off them. He can sit on the sidelines and watch the spectacle. The right may even give him some popcorn. Watching tho sisterhood on the left drive the entire progressive enterprise off a cliff.