Editorial: The real Phil Goff must stand up

OPINION: The ease with which Phil Goff was confirmed as leader of the Labour Party yesterday belies the rocky road he's walked since taking up the job, and the enormity of the challenge in front of him.

Questioning and undermining the job security of Opposition leaders is a seemingly irresistible political pastime (Prime Minister John Key famously referred to Mr Goff as "Phil In" after he filled the void left by Helen Clark), and pundits are often over-zealous in predicting their demise.

Despite his sub-subterranean personal poll levels, Mr Goff will lead Labour into the next election. Not even his most die-hard supporters would describe his first year as Labour leader a success, but to label it a failure would be to disregard the political landscape since National came to power.

As Palmerston North Labour MP Iain Lees-Galloway said in the Standard recently, "People didn't want to hear from the Labour Party" last year.

A political veteran like Mr Goff surely knew that, and set his expectations accordingly. I met him when he was in Palmerston North recently, and encountered a man not the least bit perturbed by his unenviable political predicament.

He has seen the tide come in and go out on politicians and parties countless times during his 28 years in parliament, and knows it is only a matter of time before his grounded and listing ship can once again set sail.

As I spoke with him, he was engaging and charismatic – a different man entirely from the wooden and gormless persona he presents on television. If he is to capture the imagination of the New Zealand people, he needs to convey who he is as person – not who he is as a politician.

Mr Goff has made attempts to do that by playing up his love of motorcycles and his pre-politics stint as a freezing worker. Time is on his side, but simply waiting for the tide to go out on National is placing too much faith in the hands of the political gods.

Privately, Labour knows its chances of wining the election next year are incredibly slim, but the party will be closely examining the fight Mr Goff puts up on the campaign trail.

If Phil Goff the person hasn't started resonating with the public by the time polling booths open, Phil Goff the politician will be swept out to sea, never to be heard from again.

ONE MORE THING

Our Tall Poppies feature debuts on page 2 of tomorrow's paper. Each week it will profile a Manawatu person who has done something outstanding or had some kind of success.

People often say there's too much bad news in the media, so this is your chance to change that. We get calls every day from people who have something to complain about, or who have had something unfortunate happen to them.

Now's your chance to contact us and nominate a Tall Poppy. Email editor@msl.co.nz or call 350 9838.

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