Labour Party Conference Coup - so they do read the blogs

I declare BBQ season open.

“The blogs dont get to vote in the labour party, so we dont pay much consideration to it” - Andrew Little.

“Blogs,who cares about blogs” - Clayton Cosgrove

"I don't read blogs" they are "nonsense" - David Shearer.

Well, it turns out that perhaps the leadership should have spent a bit more time listening and reading the blogs after all. The massive movement to retake the Labour Party back for the members to articulate a real left wing political option has seen an incredible vote supported by the Unions to set the stage for a leadership challenge in February using the new Caucus trigger point of 40%.

Something Tumeke pointed out in September.

Let's not underplay the dramatic impact of what happened today, it was an event that caught the pundits off guard, it caught leadership off guard and it caught the mainstream media off guard. It was the rank and file members and Unions demanding a leadership that articulates a left wing political voice, not a Pagani centrist sell out and the blogs have been the main vehicle for that expression.

The summer season of BBQs is now on. For those not familiar with Labour Party mythology, Phil Goff once infamously had a 'BBQ' when he was eying up a coup against Helen Clark, ever since the BBQ has been a euphemism for a very Labour Party style of coup. Who can beat Key in 2014 is the only issue now and if you saw Key on The Nation this morning, you will see what a difficult job that is.

Whatever you have to say about Key, and personally I think he is a delusional multi-millionaire living in a fantasy world with zero concern for poor people, his mastery over jargon means whoever goes up against him has to be able to articulate a vision well beyond what Shearer has been able to muster to date.

Cunliffe has been nothing but loyal to Shearer and hasn't sought these changes, the membership have and it is now up to Shearer to prove that the Caucus's faith in him wasn't misplaced.

If he can't prove it by February, he will be challenged for the leadership.

What an extraordinary day for left wing politics.

UPDATE: To their total shame, Prime TV just said there would be no political challenge to Shearer - obvious pre-record. Get it wrong 1st at 5.30?

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