But does Cunliffe actually deserve the sack? He was, after all, only leader for a year, and much of the hierarchy and campaign staff were already in place, with plans laid, when he took the reins.
Moreover it's doubtful anyone else could have fronted Labour to a better result; they were outflanked by John "the smiling assassin" Key who, despite his severe memory lapses and the loss of a high-profile minister, managed to emerge slightly tarnished but ultimately triumphant.
It helped Key that, apart from Dirty Politics backlashing unfairly against Labour, the likes of Gower, Paul Henry, Corrin Dann, and Mike Hosking were not the only parts of the media displaying a pro-right bias.
A researcher told me this week a study of print media during the election indicated National and the Conservatives enjoyed the lion's share of general coverage, followed by NZ First ahead of Labour, while the barely-one-man Act garnered as many column inches as the third-largest party, the Greens.
Is it any wonder, then, that Labour's policies failed to spark with the electorate, or that the Greens struggled to hold steady? If people aren't talking about you, your message can't be heard.
Cunliffe's perceived failings were often referenced, though Key's are legion in comparison. Trouble is, the Prime Minister's marketable attributes similarly outweigh any challenge; and though fallout from Nicky Hager's book continues, a decisive win goes a long way to minimising damage.
A decisive loss, on the other hand, has Cunliffe's head on the block deserved or not. On balance I'd argue not, for one simple reason: Labour needs continuity. If they keep dumping leaders after every defeat they will never have someone with previous election-leadership experience.
The party and the public need to see a leader who has been tested to destruction yet has found a way to rise above it and fight a better fight another day.
Sure, it's arguable whether Cunliffe is that person, but he's halfway there. Grant Robertson, the apparent main challenger, does not even have ministerial experience, while local new boy Stuart Nash should keep his ambitions in check lest he find them permanently parked. Walk first, Stuart.
However, the way things are going we'll soon be treated to a televised spectacle of the lamb not only being slaughtered, but disembowelled in public and its entrails paraded through the streets.
Hardly the way to set up a chance of winning next time, is it? That's the right of it.
Bruce Bisset is a freelance writer and poet.
