Now is the hour for PM Jacinda Ardern to stamp her own mark on Labour, writes David Cormack. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Now is the hour for PM Jacinda Ardern to stamp her own mark on Labour, writes David Cormack. Photo / Mark Mitchell
COMMENT:
When Jacinda Ardern took over as Labour leader, it was six weeks out from an election. She didn't get to choose her caucus the way that many leaders do, she inherited one. Since then this Labour Party hasn't really been her party. This could all change in the leadup to next year's election. Jacinda Ardern is arguably in the strongest position as a Labour leader since Norman Kirk, despite being in perhaps the weakest position an MMP Prime Minister been in this country, with two large coalition partners.
The Prime Minister has her first chance to really take control of the party by heavily recommending a party president that she wants. Following the resignation of Nigel Haworth, the PM can now lean heavily on the party side of Labour and suggest a candidate that would be loyal to her and help shape the future of the party in the image that she wants.
Her performance on the world stage at the UN demonstrated yet again that she is Labour and Labour is her. Without her the party would be in the doldrums. This is the opposite of National where it maintains a position of strength despite its incompetent leadership.
There were a lot of eyes on her first reshuffle after the budget this year. That was the first chance that people perceived her of being able to stamp her own mark on the current Labour party. But realistically, everyone who was capable of being a cabinet minister at that time already was one.
It's a fairly weak Cabinet. People really need to step up and help. At the moment there is a very small handful of ministers who you'd think "yeah they're definitely high-functioning ministerial material". It might be a case of if we were going to see real star-power emerge from the current crop, it would have already materialised.
This means the Prime Minister needs to be shaping up the candidate list for next year's election now. It seems odds-on that she'll still be Prime Minister after the election. Every time National look like they're making progress they go and do something unbelievably stupid like float the idea of fining parents $3000 if their children drop out of school and don't go on to training.
Labour's latest internal polling gave National no path to power anyway.
With a likely election victory to plan for, the PM needs to be looking at her current caucus, identifying where there are gaps and shoulder tapping people who might bring heft. The way that Christopher Luxon thinks he'll be bringing heft to National.
There are obvious gaps to fill. People with a track record of having been in business or at least run their own, someone with health expertise and someone who can command their own story, convey what they are doing and how it helps people. These are all what will be needed in a second term Labour-led Government's Cabinet.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks with media during a press conference with former Labour Party president Nigel Haworth. Photo / Greg Bowker
Labour's class of 2017 does have some talent coming through. There are four obvious contenders for future cabinet ministers - Kiritapu Allan, Deborah Russell, Michael Wood and Kieran McAnulty - but they'll need more than this group to step up another level from government, to competent government, to excellent government.
What Labour needs is competition within the ranks. It need Ministers feeling nervous that there are people in parliament with them who are on course to be Ministers, because that sort of pressure either brings out the best in people - in which case you get high performing mInisters - or it exposes cracks. Politics is ruthless and so having someone who can withstand that sort of pressure is crucial, especially because you're constantly facing pressure from the opposition anyway. And a Judith Collins-led National Party will be an altogether more frightening proposition than a Simon Bridges-led one.
With an expected 11 or so months to go until the next election, and with a vacant Party President role to fill, the Prime MInister has the chance to make this Labour Party, Jacinda Ardern's Labour Party. And as the party's greatest strength by far she would be dumb not to. She needs to dust off a 2017 election campaign hoarding and do this.
• David Cormack has worked for the Labour and Green parties and interned for Bill English while studying.
