Claire Curran's attack unwarranted
Labour leadership contenders David Cunliffe and Shane Jones are maintaining that MP Clare Curran overstepped the mark in her attack on Mr Cunliffe's leadership campaign manager, Jenny Michie.
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Labour leadership contenders David Cunliffe and Shane Jones are maintaining that MP Clare Curran overstepped the mark in her attack on Mr Cunliffe's leadership campaign manager, Jenny Michie.
And Mr Cunliffe wants the party's Leadership Advisory Group to see whether she broke the rules the party and candidates had agreed on the conduct of the leadership election.
Speaking on TV3's "The Nation" Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson denied that Ms Curran discussed her tweet with him before she made it.
In the tweet she drew attention to comments made on August 24 by Ms Michie on "The Nation" in which she claimed the party needed to understand that some potential voters would have difficulty with the fact that Mr Robertson was gay if he ended up leading the party.
"She's entitled to her view about what she perceived as going on through the campaign period," he said.
But both Mr Jones and Mr Cunliffe were critical of Ms Curran.
I think if you're going to run around the country telling the party members that you're going to unify caucus, then you need to enforce your rhetoric," he said.
"I cannot imagine what possessed Clare to think that the Labour Party was going to be a winner for saying that.
So I made the observation that if I'm privileged enough to be in charge I'm going to have zero tolerance to that.
That's what members have been telling us from Kaitaia to the Bluff, it makes them hoha, and I don't think that any caucus member should have the right to damage any further our brand in that fashion, end of story."
Mr Robertson maintained that the party and affiliate membership wanted unity within the party.
"What they want is a Labour team that's going to take the fight to John Key, focus outwards not inwards, and obviously that's a message that I've certainly taken on board and I'm sure the others have as well."
NBR Staff
Sun, 15 Sep 2013
Sun, 15 Sep 2013
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Claire Curran's attack unwarranted
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