The spat between former Labour Prime Minister and the Labour Party continues.
From Stuff
Former prime minister Mike Moore is laughing off a Labour letter-writing campaign against him – and rubbishing speculation that he is part of a plot against Helen Clark.
Labour members have been urged in an email to write letters to newspapers and call talkback radio shows responding to Moore’s “nasty, malicious” column labelling Clark “Muldoonist”.
The email was written by a former Labour MP and office holder.
Moore’s column accused Clark of “using the politics of personal destruction” – leading Progressive leader Jim Anderton, a former Labour MP, to accuse him of past muck-raking against Clark, and a smear campaign against MPs, including former National Party leader Jim McLay and former Labour prime minister Bill Rowling.
There is some bitter history beteen Moore, Clark and Anderton.
Mike Moore was very close to the union movement in the late’80s. however I’ve been told he sealed his fate when he refused to commit to repealing National’s Employment Contracts Act.
The union movement, then turned on Moore in favour of the more sympathetic Helen Clark.
In an interview with Robert Mannion of the Sunday Times of October 24th 1993, unionist and leader of the Marxist-Leninist, Socialist Party of Aotearoa, Bill Andersen, outlined his party’s priorities and plans. According to Mannion, Andersen supported Jim Anderton’s Alliance Party and “would like to have seen Alliance/Labour accommodations in crucial electorates”.
Interestingly Andersen added “They had a good meeting with Helen Clark and Alliance parliamentary candidate Laila Harre at the Trade Union Centre recently.”
Harre, then Anderton’s “right hand girl” went to become a Cabinet Minister in the 1996/99 Labour/Alliance Coalition government and in 2005 succeeded Bill Andersen as leader of the National Distribution Union.
Clark, later deposed Moore as leader of the Labour Party, in a coup later described by Mike Moore as “almost Maoist“.
Seems like the “Maoists” are still at it.
should he show some compassion to his sick brother instead of mumbling shit at this age.and you Trevor,should know that Mike never liked the excrements he received in the WTO, in your capitalist behalf.
I agree with you Tane – it is far more convincing.
Kia ora
Huhana
Trevor, this one’s far more convincing.
http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=85
That could be a problem, given that sometimes “moral” is not supported by “legal”.
I’ll get back…..
By all means Steve-long as it stays legal.
I remember Moore in Wellington in the 70s.
Fascinated with Labour and absolutely entranced with Norm Kirk, I would go up to Parliament often.
There I was at 22, a little wannabee Labour MP, up in Bellamys having a gin with the redoubtable Island Bay Labour MP Gerald O’Brien and that old dinosaur of a National MP for Waipa, Sir Leslie Munro – recalled from the UN on account of a spot of bother with the booze by all accounts – a proclivity which not infrequently manifested in the House, in wonderful comic display.
He was a renowned commie-hater old Sir Les. But that was 35 years ago so forgiveable really…..
Anyway, Munro spoke about Moore to this effect: “If that young fellow could pull his head in and shut his mouth he could be PM one day…..”
Well, he was. For six weeks or so – a gratutitous occurrence really. Palmer I think it was, he canned out more or less. No, maybe Moore rumbled him. Anyway, what a poisoned chalice that was !
The man didn’t do what Munro suggested however, and worse, he scabbed on the people who’d put him into politics in the first place.
All the way from the Printers’ Union as I recall, to the New Right. And a fabulous stipend from the WTO thereafter.
What is he now ? A clapped out old former politician all dressed up with nowhere to go. And bitter, bitter, bitter on Helen Clark…..she meddled with his “fated” role. Incredibly however, he still chances his arm.
Hallucinating himself that he’s to New Zealand politics what Sir Edmund Hillary is to New Zealand as a whole. Forget it mate – bad call.
You want me to give you Part 2 of the Michael Joseph Savage Moore Story Trev ? There is more…..it’s very interesting I swear.