Following the crushing defeat by UK Labour last week, and our own Labour Party’s ongoing poor polling, people are asking if there is something wrong with the left in this country.

I have spent considerable time over the last couple of weeks thinking through the ramifications of these events, and formulating a plan for NZ Labour to return to power. I have considered whether Labour needs to move left, to the centre, to the right, or to the right-of-middle-centre-left.

Does Labour remain a party of the workers, or a party of the middle classes? Is there room for both? Are the policies right? Do we need more taxes or fewer? Less red tape or greater regulation?

Should Andrew Little take a more aggressive approach, or is he already being too aggressive? Should Labour work more closely with the Greens, or is New Zealand First a better fit? Or perhaps neither, or both, or someone else.

All these thoughts have taken a lot of time, but I think I have a plan. I have identified the central weakness in New Zealand Labour’s plans to return to power.

If Labour follow this plan, I can’t see how they can fail.

Here is the plan in full:

The Plan to Return New Zealand Labour to Government in 2017:

1. Raise heaps and heaps of money.
2. Repeat 1.
3. You still don’t have enough. More!
4. You now have enough money.
5. Spend your money.
6. VICTORY!