By Willie Jackson

The extraordinary meltdown by Labour MP Chris Carter has opened the door for a number of contenders in the Te Atatu electorate.

The favourite appears to be lawyer Deborah Manning, who is known for her tremendous work with Ahmed Zaoui.

A Labour member for a number of years, she is great friends with Carter and highly regarded within the Party.

Another possibility is Phil Twyford, a Labour list MP with a very impressive CV.

He spent 15 years with the humanitarian and development organisation Oxfam as its chief executive, having built the organisation into an influential aid agency.

Twyford should've been selected as the candidate for Mt Albert after being groomed for the seat. He lived in the electorate and shared an electorate office with Helen Clark.

Unfortunately, if Twyford had become the Te Atatu MP, that meant that Judith Tizard would have taken his list position.

Tizard was regarded as a major liability and Labour didn't want to risk having her back in Parliament.

It appears that the Labour leader Phil Goff panicked at the thought and as a result, the party hierarchy asked Twyford to step aside for David Shearer who now holds the seat.

That act was described by political strategist Matt McCarten as one of the most disloyal and treacherous acts he'd ever seen.

The Te Atatu seat however now gives Labour a chance to redress that situation and promote Twyford, who for some years now has been regarded as one of Labour's most outstanding future leaders.

Another Labour list MP, Shane Jones,who although a long shot, is worth considering.

Most in the party believe that he has some way to go in terms of serving his penance for his blue movie debacle.

But his apology couldn't have been more complete and the public seems to have forgiven him for his sin.

Having Jones in the Te Atatu seat would be the first time that Labour has stood a Maori in a safe general seat and might be its last chance to recapture the Maori vote.

It would also signal to Maoridom that Labour is serious about the Maori vote.

Former Alliance leader Laila Harre has ruled herself out.

But someone who I think would be perfect for Labour to consider is my mate John Tamihere. JT lives and works in the electorate and has all the necessary experience.

Okay, he can be ill-disciplined and in the past has upset gays, women, the union movement and Maori, but he remains the only other high-profile political personality in the country apart from Winston Peters, who has strong appeal to both Maori and Pakeha.

Maybe it's time to give JT another chance.

Auckland Stuff.co.nz, 6th August 2010