With the resignation of Shane Jones from the New Zealand Labour Party (discussed here in Shane Jones leaves the Big Red L)
naturally there is a vacant position in parliament for Labour to fill – it is filled by way on the next candidate on their list, Kelvin Davis, as reported here by the NZ Herald

Davis a man with a mission!

Kelvin Davis wants to be the man who stands up in Parliament against domestic violence when he becomes an MP again next month.

Labour was probably hoping for something a little more original, a little more vote catching – didn’t have to be another supermarket crusade – just a little more than an application to join the War on Domestic Violence and be the next toy soldier.

“We should not be hurting our women and children and whanau through physical, emotional or sexual violence”.

We already have laws that deal with domestic violence, we have Family Courts, violence courts, employment punishment, and all manner of policy positions, police enforcement etcetera. It is already the most discussed issue in parliament when we hear from the Labour and Greens.

Does Labour want to re-brand as the Domestic Violence Party, save competing with the Greens?

Reality is some couples fight, always have done and that is not likely to change any time soon.

No, I think it is rather that he has learned what he has to do to get along in the Labour Party – just be one of the girls and you’ll be accepted.

It is a pity that a candidate that Shane Jones shoulder tapped, should be coming into parliament, as he would say, to join the “geldings.”

He had the media on his doorstep and he couldn’t tell us what he is about, or what he might do. He would have been better to stick to his knitting and tell us about his passion for education, the passion that made him leave his comfortable Ministry of Education job, and the improvements he hoped for.

Surely coming out of the Ministry he has got his finger on the pulse, or was he just there to eat his lunch and collect his pay.

Another Big Red ‘L’ moment for Labour with the introduction of Kelvin Davis. Stay tuned for more Big Red ‘L’ moments from Labour in the lead up to this years election, in the mean time …

You go girl.