Not only did she concede but she fell on her sword. There will be a new leader by Christmas.
This is going to be a period of major change for Labour - a leadership contest, and generational shift. And for the first time in ages, we think will be seeing some by elections. Mt Albert and Rongotai would be our picks. Those who missed out on seats but who just missed out on the list - eg Judith could well find there way back into Parliament quite fast - should they want to be there. We can't see Cullen hanging around, and others might want to go also.
The PM has done the right thing for Labour. A contest will be difficult, but a series of plots to unseat Clark would have been even worse.
Radical idea from The Hive to John Key. There are no obvious jobs for Helen in the UN system at present. Why not do a Bolger? Helen would be a wonderful Ambassador in Washington as Obama takes over there. While it might be tempting to send Brash there instead, wouldn't it be better to ask Don to serve in some other way? His skill set is rare and directly relevant to the response to the financial crisis. We would ask him to hang around in New Zealand for a while.
Goff v. Cunliffe. Game on. This is going to be fun to watch.
