Stuart Nash: former Labour Minister on Labour voting to ban captain’s calls

The 'captain's call' may become a thing of the past - and former Minister Stuart Nash isn't a fan.

New changes impacting party policy decisions are going to a vote at Labour's conference this weekend.

It would mean the leader could only change the party manifesto with sign-off from MPs and Labour's policy council.

Nash says a captain's call absolutely should not be banned.

He explained the Prime Minister and leader of the Opposition have more staff and a broader view than everyone else - and you've got to empower your leader.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now Labour is going to vote. The Labour Party members
are going to vote whether they're going to ban captain's calls.
Most recent captain's call was Chris Hopkins last year as
the Labour Party leader and Prime Minister going into the election,
when he decided to rule out the Wealsh tax that
David Parker was so keen on. Former Labor Minister Stuart
Nash is with us on the SA stute.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
How are you, Heather?

Speaker 3 (00:18):
I'm very well, thank you? Do you reckon you banned
the captain's call or no?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Absolutely not ridiculous thing to do. Well, keep in your
mind that the Prime Minister or the leader of the
opposition probably has more staff and a more macro outlook
on what's tappening over the general economy from a political
spectrum than anyone else. You've got to empower your leaders
to be able to make calls that he or she
thinks are in the best interrists of both the party
and the country.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
I mean, this is one region putting it up right,
So it's Region one Auckland and Northland. It's probably going
to get voted down, isn't because it hasn't got the
support of I doubt it's going to have the support
of the MP's hasn't got the support of the policy Council.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
It's an idea going nowhere, isn't it?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well, it's really good. The concentrating on this is that
are important like healthcare, economic development and you know all
these other things and cost of living. But I think
I'll probably got it down because of going Why would
you disempower the leader of your party to make a
call that he or she thinks is in the best
of the party. And keeping in mind you know, the

(01:15):
Prime Minister or the lead of the opposition, they often
lived and died by the captain's schools. If they make
a good one, then fantastic. They make a bad one,
then you know they're often in a lot of trouble.
So these things aren't made in isolation. They're usually done
with a lot of consultation with key advisors anyway, but
certainly with the leader of believing that they're making the
best call for the party.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Are you have you have you had a chance to
read this COVID inquiry? Are you going to come out
of it looking okay?

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Not yet? But I hear your tripy on your arsehole.
Jesus A lot.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
Of things that just came out of your mouth that
might get me in trouble.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
But the thing is here, that is you know, I
mean obviously I was around the cabinet table the whole
time that COVID, the COVID response was in play. You know,
everyone is wise in hindsight. We were a cabinet that
was faced with a whole lot of really difficult decision
to make in a pandemic where there were no rules.
And sure, at hindsight we knew, you know, we discussed this,

(02:08):
We knew that there were things that in the mindset you
probably do differently. But do you know anyone who died
of COVID. You don't.

Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yes, Oh it wasn't in New Zealand, is it? This
is important that it's a New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Okay, yeah, I know, so I remember, you know, I
was in my classroom during all that time, of course,
and he said you should be doing what Stockholm did,
You should leave the economy open. Well, if we've done
the same as stockhowned done or Sweden it done, then
then there would have been about five thousand people.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, before you
start going down this path, Stewart Nash, how many Okay,
have you had a look at Stockholm's Have you looked
at Sweden's COVID debts in comparison to ours?

Speaker 2 (02:43):
I was looking at them. Mind, Now we did a
really good people. People have very short memories.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
No, no, But now I'm asking this because I'm going
to tell you something. Do you realize that we have
caught up to the global average on COVID debts? We
haven't saved anybody that weren't going to die.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Of course we have. Back then we didn't know what
the hell was going on.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
Now give me this disinformation and misinformation.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Hey, don't you spread disinformation.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
I'm giving you actual data. Hey, listens to you. Thanks
very much. Ed appreciated that. Stuart Nash, former Labor Minister.
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