I am here to help the ol' Chipster. 

The Chipster, aka Chris Hipkins, was in the building this week. I said hello to him. 

He asked me when I was dropping the blacklist I have on him appearing on this show. 

I said he had appeared once already this year and that was plenty. We both laughed. 

What I like about him is that he doesn’t seem to take any of this personally. 

He knows I think he's hopeless and he knows I think he wrecked the country. But he is playing the long game and he knows I know he will be back next year in the election campaign and, if he wins, he will be back as a regular. 

Which brings me to the help. 

In Australia this week their Labor Government approved the extension of a massive gas project – Woodside are Australia's largest gas producer. 

Before the word came from the Government, the company had launched a fairly vigorous, and as it turns out, effective campaign reminding us all that if you want to look at Spain the other day, and indeed various parts of Europe that have been spending increasing periods of time in the dark, you will find they became obsessed with renewables and that obsessions led to blackouts. 

Continuity and consistency of supply, Woodside argued, is just as important as where you get your energy. 

Anyway, Labor gave them the tick. Yes, the conservationists are upset, but aren't they always? 

The point for Hipkins is this: this is a Labour Government that did this. A Labour Government that romped home in an election just the other day. A Labour Government with a gargantuan majority. 

Why? Because it's what you'd call here a Labour Government of old. It's a centrist Labour Government. 

It's not a woke, handwringing, ideologically obsessed Labour Government of, say, 2020-2023. 

Blair Hawke and David Lange are your Labour Governments of success. 

Hipkins is your Labour Government of failure. 

Albanese has clearly learned the lessons of history and worked them nicely to his favour. Yes, he can be centre left, but the lights will always be on. 

Last time the Chipster was in charge we stopped looking for gas altogether and, as far as I know, he wouldn't start looking again. 

That’s the sort of thinking that leads to blackouts and an electorate that doesn’t see you as viable. 

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