The good kind of conspiracy theory
Yesterday Labour’s David Parker gave a speech to some of Labour’s strongest, most loyal supporters in Wellington. According to The Standard's Mike Smith and the Dominion Post's Vernon Small it outlined some of the specific “hands-on” economic policies Labour was considering, including tax credits for exporters and targeted public works, along with Labour’s other previously announced economic policy commitments.
Mike was impressed, saying:
It was good to see Labour getting on to the front foot. It looks like there will be a real economic alternative on offer through to the next election. The other good thing about the event was the debate and discussion afterwards. It looks like the policy formation will be open and the key players receptive to good ideas.
But Mike and others across the leftie blogopshere had decried Labour earlier in the week for, in their view, abandoning its base by way of a 100 word anecdote in a recent David Shearer speech, and threatening to become an unprincipled pack of National-plus-epsilon nihilists in red costumes.
Taking these events together, I have two points:
- It looks like Labour does have an ideology and an alternative vision and is consulting its base and all that good stuff after all. Phew! This was, of course, pretty predictable;
- Hopefully we can all use this sequence of events to learn the folly of hitting the panic button too early, as I think some did this week.