After the severe drubbing in the just concluded New Zealand polls, the Labour Party is realising the need to labour more, before approaching the voters yet again. Party's top leader PM in waiting, David Cunliffe, has sounded defiant by not agreeing to step down. The party has started a soul-searching on how to revitalise the party, reported stuff.co.Nz.

The party's top leaders are going public with their views on the reasons for defeat. The Labour MPs are shocked at the return of John Key's party with more popular support and a thumping majority. The anger and frustration are palpable. Part's popular leader David Shearer has expressed his anguish and it looked visceral.

Mixed Reactions

Former president of Labour, Mike Williams, described the party's loss as worse than what the federal Australian counterparts faced. He noted the drastic fall in Labour Party's vote to the levels in 1920s. Williams cited several reasons including an unpopular leader at the helm; a fairly good economy under the National and the better public relations (PR) of the incumbent government.

Party's mascot David Cunliffe took over in Sept 2013 replacing David Shearer. The party has been changing leaders in the last three years. Mike Williams did point out that the party was in a better shape, when David Shearer was there. Though he left citing lack of support from the caucus the Labour Party was in a better position. It had 35 per cent of the vote share in coalition with the Green Party. That base was enough to win the election.

It was an indirect admission that David Cunliffe's gave the party a downhill ride. Cunliffe, a good orator, failed to connect with the voters and also with a section within the party. Shearer said what is needed now is an effort to reconnect. So barbs are still flying in the air targeting the Labour leadership for the defeat.

Chance Spoiled

Labour's coalition partner Green Party is also unhappy. Its leader Metiria Turei blasted the Labour leadership for cruelling its own chance of forming the government. She recalled the proposal mooted by Green party to the Labour to face the polls with a promise of Labour-Greens as the new government. That would have sounded more credible before the voters and the country. But Labour did not heed, she said. PM aspirant David Cunliffe proffers own analysis on what went wrong. He saw sources of defeat in the economy, backlash from dirty politics, the Dotcom bomb, surveillance, and above all party's failure to raise funds.