Brian Rudman: Flags waving for a battle two years off

Talk about coincidence.

All that empty office space in the Auckland Central electorate and where does wannabe Labour electorate MP Phil Twyford just happen to set up shop? Two doors up College Hill from new National MP Nikki Kaye's headquarters.

Their signs are out, Ms Kaye's in gentle pastels, her beaming face declaring her the MP for Auckland Central; Mr Twyford's in strident red, proclaiming "Labour list MP, based in Auckland Central".

The previous MP for Auckland Central, Labour's Judith Tizard - defeated last year after 12 years in the seat - was overseas when Mr Twyford's battle flag went up this week, which was, perhaps, just as well.

The last time the two Labour politicians' shadows crossed, the outcome was unpleasant for both.

This year, he was the heir presumptive to succeed former Prime Minister Helen Clark when she resigned her safe seat of Mt Albert for a top job at the United Nations.

But it was not to be. The new Labour hierarchy banned him from seeking the nomination because if he won, his replacement as a list MP would be Ms Tizard, seen as one of yesterday's gang.

Thwarted in Mt Albert, Mr Twyford has now muscled in on Tizard territory.

Close friends of Ms Tizard say that at the time of her defeat last year, and subsequently, she told them she would not stand for Auckland Central again.

But there are those in the party - including other potential candidates - looking somewhat askance at Mr Twyford's quick moves to become Labour's de facto Auckland Central MP. A few days ago, he held a "special event to mark the beginning of Labour's campaign to win back Auckland Central in 2011".

Last October he was emphasising his close links to Mt Albert, how he'd owned a house in the electorate for 20 years, and was glad to be back after a career overseas that had kept him from his roots.

But a month ago, in his letter inviting me to his special event, he was declaring "I have lived in the central city for 26 years" and enthusing about "the special quality of life the inner city provides ... a unique community ... one of the most creative, cosmopolitan and dynamic places to live in New Zealand".

He concluded that "the party has tasked me as a list MP living in central Auckland to be the buddy MP for the Auckland Central electorate and work ... to build Labour's profile, and get ready to win the seat back".

Mr Twyford says Ms Tizard's hasn't been involved in setting up the new Labour headquarters because she's "taken a bit of time off from active party work". He says he's not aware of her plans for the future and emphasises that candidate selection will be "according to party rules".

At least Mr Twyford's letter arrived with a 50 cent stamp attached, which is more than can be said for the billet-doux sitting in my letterbox from the Prime Minister on Wednesday. It had one of those ominous NZ Post permit stamps on it suggesting that I, the taxpayer, was paying.

Earlier in the day, Mr Key had announced that 72 of the Helen Clark-era honorees had agreed to his offer to make them knights or dames. I ripped the envelope open wondering if I was next on the list.

Silly boy. He was just writing to reassure me on prime ministerial letterhead that even in "tough economic times" his Government "is committed to keeping existing superannuation entitlements ... I have said many times that I would resign rather than change them".

He also invited me to sign up to the John Key fan club site.

I checked with some of my contemporaries - some, like myself, not yet eligible for the free bus pass, and it seems the Hon John Key, as he oddly calls himself, has been a very busy chap.

Obviously the holders of freepost permit No 127061, marketing consultants Baseline Management of Lower Hutt, have been doing some polling on his behalf, and discovered we baby boomers are worried about our pensions, and that Mr Key had better start writing reassuring letters.

Which is probably true. But to send this party political bumph out on parliamentary stationery on the same day he was boasting of making his Cabinet colleagues fly business class, because of the tough times, seems rather an own-goal. Unless, of course, he's picking up the tab himself.