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This morning David Shearer spoke about his vision for New Zealand. He spoke of a New Zealand with a strong, clever and creative economy and a world-class education system that gives all Kiwis the opportunity to succeed.
I know that there will be some who argue David should have set out a detailed policy agenda for the next Labour government, just 3 months after an election we lost. Here is what David has to say about that:
I want to arrive in government on Day One with a detailed plan that will actually achieve a shift to a new, job-rich, high-value economy. We won’t be waiting around for officials to give us cautious ideas and suggest a few adjustments. We will be presenting them with detailed and far-reaching policies. Labour will spend the next two years listening, drawing up our plans. We will accept the best ideas wherever they come from. On Day One in office we will be ready to go.
That highlights a huge difference in approach between John Key and David Shearer. David resisted the temptation to rattle off a gimicky “action plan” that ticks a few boxes but doesn’t deliver the real change that New Zealand needs. Instead he set out a vision, and committed Labour to building a comprehensive plan based on the best advice and the best evidence available. That’s real leadership.
