David Shearer resigns as Labour leader

Where did this come from??

"I've made this announcement now after the fight to defeat the GCSB bill," he told media shortly after an urgent caucus meeting this afternoon. "I didn't want us distracted before now."

He said there was no ultimatum given or vote taken before he quit, but refused to answer questions about the process.

Mr Shearer's resignation is effective from when a new leader is appointed, a process which is expected to take three to four weeks. Nominations for the leadership will open within 48 hours.

Source

This doesn't sound good for general political stability in New Zealand?? Whats going on down there? All I've been hearing is damage range quakes hitting around there like it's a regular thing now and then earlier today a headline about NZ passing a law to allow domestic spying (I didn't realize they couldn't?). Now this?

Anyone from New Zealand around to shed some light on all this for some poor American folk whose media kinda forgets the Southern Hemisphere exists most of the time?

Hmmm.

Strange how He was opposed to that spy bill.

Maybe he got 'bought off' and threatened.

Sounds familiar eh !

This evening, Labour leader David Shearer said that is was disappointing that the Prime Minister had left it so late in the piece to clarify aspects of the Bill.

"This is a sad day, we are passing legislation that is ad hoc, that is Mickey Mouse, that you have to have a third reading of to explain exactly what the Bill will do.

"It will do nothing to reassure New Zealanders that their private lives are safe from the prying eyes of our spies.

"Right up to the last minute, the Prime Minister has been forced to clarify exactly what the GCSB will actually achieve," he said.

Controversial new spy law passes final reading

It's a wonder he's still alive !!

p.s ..... wrabbit, we must be drinking the same beer tonight !!!!!

Hello Rabitt2000,

I can't help you with New Zealand but let me tell you about Australia. I am a blue collar 1st class tradesman and earn my living as such in a world that would rather import than train young people to take up trades.

Our Labour party was traditionaly the party for us.....8 hr day and fair days work for a fair days pay, etc , etc.

We have our elections coming up next month and this is the choice I have before me......

Our Liberal leader is a fundy religious fanatic who appears to have problems relating to the fairer sex particularly if they have letters before their name.

Our Labour leader has dummy spits if he can't get the correct meal on a flight ....can't get a hair dryer for his thinning head....this is true, I kidd you not.

so do I vote for a blouse wearing,flower smelling man or a religious nutter.....what a choice I have before me...

IMO both parties hate workers....they'd rather bend over in the shower for the mining companies because that the only industry that's keeping this country afloat....our university educated wis-bangs can only come up with sell, sell, sell to foreign...code for chinese...companies....selling our natural resoures has to be the laziest way to earn a quid....quick bucks but no long term benefits....most of the mining companies are overseas mobs who are only here because we are cheap and stable.

my great-grandparents and grandparents were proud nation builders and defenders.....my parents and my generation[ who are running things now ] are just brain dead non-productive dead wood with great retirement benefits....I have to wait until i'm 65yrs, if I make it, before I can collect what I've payed into, if they haven't moved the goalposts again.

anyway I just wanted you to know that it's not all beer and skittles down here near the south pole.

I have to go now and do a drug and alcohol test so that I can earn a quid tomorrow....

and the above A/holes want me to vote for them and their system.

I think Shearer had to go, especially after his dire performance in the House this last week.

His Question Time attempt to corner Key on who asked for a meeting over the GCSB Bill backfired badly, when Key twisted the question round to make it seem like he had invited Shearer for a private discussion. Total incompetence that was somewhat made worse by the Speaker's idiocy and biasedness, and the limits of supplementaries.

Outside the House he proved to have poor judgement too. Falling into Key's Snapper debate trap was a profound act of foolishness, or naiveté, that resulted in Key literally parading dead fish in the House.

Ultimately, Shearer was the dead fish, his caucus knew it, and all onlookers winced knowing that Shearer had fallen for the Red Herring that is the Snapper debate.

Bye-Bye, and here's hoping Labour has a better future.

Hey Rabbit,

in regards to the spying stuff.....our capital city Canberra....is chock full of US spy types and they are in both the labour and liberal parties as well as military....

all of those softhand scared white men who are members of the alphabet groups gather in Canberra where they get payed large wages to spy and imagine worst case events and if the politics of the day does not go their way, then suddenly we have a change of leading parties.....ie Goff Whitlam during the 70's....

my country might be small and quite but it is truly full in our capital city of those dirty white types that participate in those groups......they are like the kkk.....if your not with us then you must be against us types.

our politicans will do everything to appease the US and mining corps and Israel....ie Israel can get Aussie passports so that Israeli assassins can commit murder in Dubai...and they got caught out...yyeeehhhh.....

yeh it's not all beer and skittles down here...

reply to post by wrabbit2000


Shearer has been pretty ''weak' as a party leader for Labour unfortunately (not weak as in doing a bad job, but weak as someone to work against the opposition), its the old problem with politics the world over...

The people with nice personalities and ethics just cant survive playing the game. Which just goes to show the state of what politics is and always has been. The only way to fight a smug arrogant bastard like John Key is with the same, fire vs fire (god help us all)... and Shearer was the opposite.

The paper this morning seems to be indicating that there was a possible leadership no confidence vote coming up lead by one of the Labour ministers and id assume be decided to leave on his own impulse before that happened. The last thing Labour needs coming into the voting year is to have stuff like this dragging it down with inter party conflict, so the sooner and cleaner it gets done the better. Its funny how a party with divisions is laughed at by the opposition yet its all hunky dory with a party like National that is told by their grand leader, vote this way on this bill (GCSB), conscience vote be damned or else...

Im a Green voter myself but vote Labour for my local seat since the way MMP works, meh nvm its to complicated

Nothing conspiratorial in this, its been sitting on the horizon from day one.

Heres hoping we get someone that can stand toe to toe with Shonkey next year without compromising anything else, either way given the recent issues with the GCSB and the like John Keys going to be on the ropes regardless, no leading party in NZ ever really gets a third term in power. The good thing is, National wouldnt have been expecting this at all (theyd be real happy for Shearer to have stayed past the coming election as it would have been a sure fire win for them) so behind all their grins of satisfaction and we hope the best for him they will be completely crapping themselves over this, and to that I can smile.

Its funny though, id have liked to have seen Shearer as the Prime Minister (same as id have liked to have seen Phill Goff)... would have been interesting to have seen what they'd have done in power.