Does experience count?

Karl du Fresne, writing in the Nelson mail on June 11, compares recent NZ prime minsters for their visionary and managerial skill. Rarely he note do both capacities reside in one PM the exception perhaps being Fraser during the war years.

Holyoake, Muldoon, and Bolger were all managers, skilled at keeping themselves in power if nothing else. Kirk and Lange were great visionaries but struggled with management.

How then Helen Clark? Du Fresne classifiers her as a manager and reckons she has failed in terms of communicating vision. Certainly Clark has managed the MMP parliament very well managing to pull together support for progressive legislation with a minority government is no easy feat. But is the criticism that she lack vision fair? Clark is not the orator that Kirk or Lange were, but she has always impressed with her ability to read and respond to an audience and with her ability to never be fazed by a reporters question. She knows her stuff and I've never seen her caught out bluffing or lying.

Clark's vision has been one that has been demonstrated more than vocalised. There have been spectacular advances in many sectors due to her vision and drive.

However if Labour looses this election it will be because they have not communicated the vision well. Take the Working for Families package, this has been fantastic for families (we've benefit ted from this personally and are very grateful) however recent polling and focus group research indicated that the government gets not credit for this.

The Government may also be guilty of failing to take people with it when introducing legislation, from Prostitution law reform to Sect 59, to cell phone regulation people have not understood the governments agenda and got angry at perceived social intervention.

It is a shame but election are often one on rhetoric and slogan and popular perception all of which require good communication skills and expensive marketing campaigns. The left have often been good on substance but not so good on inspiring vision.

It appears if you believe the polls that a majority of voters are prepared to give away the subtance for an as yet untried alternative. A leader who has shown no vision yet nor been tested in terms of management.

Du Fresne:

And how about John Key, who is asking us to make him our leader for at least the next three years? Visionary or manager? Frankly, we don't know whether he's either, neither or both. If he has a vision, he hasn't communicated it. And his managerial skill is yet to be tested under fire, since he's had a very easy run thus far. The demands of government will very quickly expose any weaknesses - by which time, unfortunately, it will be rather too late for us to do anything about it.

My hope at this stage is that some how Labour and its allies may be able to come up with a blinding campaign that will clearly communicate a positive progressive vision for our country. If that can done that it is bound to contrast with the Gnats bland conservatism and may turn the polls around.