Clark Clearfells Sutton- Labour Leadership Unsustainable

Food and Fibre Minister John Luxton said today that the resignation of Jim Sutton as Labour's Forestry spokesperson highlights the deep division in the Labour Party.

"The cracks in Labour are beginning to show. There is a clear rift in the Labour ranks between the productive sector and the environmental lobby and now the secret is out. While Helen Clark has tried to paper over the ideological cracks in her party, the split between the left and right wing factions continues. You only have to look at Labour's meltdown in the late 80's for evidence of that."

"Helen Clark has now decided unilaterally to break the West Coast Accord and ban all indigenous logging on Crown land. This shows just how impractical and out of touch with West Coast people Labour really are."

The resignation of Jim Sutton comes hot on the heels of yesterday's damning comments in the Christchurch Press where Labour's West-Coast Tasman Electorate Chair blasted Helen Clark and I quote: "I think the party want to forget about us here on the Coast. Leader Helen Clark is completely ignoring us. We've heard nothing from her in a long time."

"Today buried in the middle of APEC, Labour has finally released a statement that is so unpalatable even to it's own spokesperson that he has done the only honourable thing and resigned. As a long term and committed advocate of sustainability, clearly Jim Sutton has been over-ruled by Labour's academic wing."

"It's no wonder Jim Sutton couldn't promote the new policy with either sincerity or conviction because it is so completely at odds with the sustainable management policy of Labour's Primary Industries Council. To ignore the wishes of Labour's rural wing is further evidence that the urban-dominated academics rule the roost."

"Unlike Labour, National is committed to the future prosperity of the forestry sector. New Zealand's future is in sustainable jobs and sustainable forests."

ENDS

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