Phil Goff has surely got the worst job in New Zealand politics right now? Taking over the leadership of a party that was soundly trumped in an election is bad enough. But inheriting this role from St Helen, whose new position in the UN only serves to entrench her legacy as PM, makes his situation even more difficult.
The magnanimous way he was appointed as leader makes it even harder to use a new broom, and clean house. This was evident in his somewhat half-hearted speech during the party conference when he apologised for his then-government appearing to be distracted by small matters such as light-bulbs, smacking and Electoral Finance Acts.
The position he finds himself in now is potentially tainting how he goes about developing his own brand as leader of the opposition, and I am wondering if it is part of the reason for his somewhat lack lustre performance in media interviews.
It looks to me like he is saying what he thinks people want to hear and how they want to hear it. The result is a Mr Goff who looks more like a friendly and polite church vicar than a political party leader.
Unfortunately in politics today, the brand of the leader reflects on the popularity of the party, and for Mr Goff that brand is yet to be revealed. Or is what we are seeing now all we are going to get?
Where is the man who was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade? In this role he was one of the most interviewed politicians of his day, and I was always impressed with those media performances where he came across as passionate and committed. He was forceful and dynamic in his responses, and you really did feel he was representing our interests on the world stage.
Mr Goff now needs to set about showing that same passion and commitment in his new role and demonstrate that he is the real deal. It remains to be seen if he will prove the neigh sayers wrong, and establish his own legacy as leader of the opposition. Or will he simply be the temporary custodian that many say he is?
In recent weeks Phil Goff has shown the unnerving ability to ‘get it wrong’, and even his most ardent supporters must have been wringing their hands in despair every time he went public.