Hard News: Last Words
203 Responses
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Another important poll result.
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Sam F, in reply to
And I’m pretty sure I recall Pita Sharples saying something similar, or at least hedging his bets in that direction, recently.
Yup, on NatRad earlier in the week. He didn't confirm whether or not they'd support sales if consideration to iwi investors wasn't on the table.
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Sacha, in reply to
preferential treatment for Iwi investors
which Key duly refused, to avoid upsetting the Orewa vote..
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Rob S, in reply to
My understanding is that there is a line of thought in the Maori Party that various Iwi would take up the offer of these utilities.
I'm in 2 minds in regard of this as I view them as long term holders so that a portion of NZ gets the economic benefits from them instead of overseas carpetbaggers.
However I feel that Government ownership is preferable as the benefits flow to the country as a whole.
I can see the Maori Party voting for partial sale as long as some ownership quid pro quo was dropped in to make political capital that they can show to their voters -
More than a little glum about all this. Perhaps naively, I thought Joyce's bullying disregard for public transport would have more of an impact on the party vote up here, but seems not.
And I can't help but feel that asset sales - if they actually go ahead - will be one of those 'that's a f**k up for the ages' type calls we'll only regret more as the years trundle by.
Hey ho. The Greens have got my party vote again; like a lot of others, I think they've run a good campaign. Metiria Turei, in particular, has really impressed me and the (likely) new MP's look to have plenty of talent - kia kaha Denise!
All of which means this time round I'll happily vote for Jacinda Ardern in Auckland Central. Wish there were more like her at the right end of Labour's list.
From what I can tell, Nikki Kaye's been competent, visible and very hard working. Astonishingly - to me at least - she *phoned* my wife back in response to one of our regular rants about the clowns who run Fullers. Didn't change a thing, mind, but still...
So, I have felt some sympathy for her over the awful, awful policies they keep trying to biff our way. Not much though. Anybody know what the polls look like in Auckland Central?
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hamishm, in reply to
I thought that their " Iwi not Kiwi" billboards might have blown it, but evidently not.
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Ben McNicoll, in reply to
which Key duly refused
For now. Before the "actually, this is the only way to do what we need to do, so this why you should vote out MMP" talking point.
It works both ways for him.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
…unless it’s for uneconomical white elephant motorway projects that are counterproductive to NZ’s long-term economic development and expose our economy to future oil shocks. Those are fine to spend money on.
In a few words: socialism for the rich.
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merc, in reply to
Joyce knows that his highway is a ribbon of oil to carry bigger diesel trucks to carry the petrol from the offshore oil rig to go in the cars that pay the tax on the oil that pays for the police and the soldiers...you get what I mean.
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Ian MacKay, in reply to
Farrar’s exclusive has been destroyed as an anti-NZF ploy, by Sprout and Graeme Edgler who have pointed out that Winston is eligible under the Electoral Act and nothing to to with the Incorporated Societies Act 1908.
So of course they must know that NZF is over the threshold and in a piece of poetic justice Winston will be able politely be in a stronger position than had they left him alone this time, and last time for that matter. Some strategic NZF votes coming up. -
Peter Darlington, in reply to
He is the ABs at half time in twickenham 99...but Labour aren't France me thinks.
*Polite applause*
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Carol Stewart, in reply to
Astonishingly - to me at least - she *phoned* my wife back
She phoned me too, Richard, in response to an irate email from me about National Standards (which she was defending). I was very taken with her even though I continued to disagree. And I'm not even remotely in her electorate.
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Gordon Campbell's final column before te election carries on the rugby analogy.
Thanks to the abysmal standard of the refereeing, John Key – the Richie McCaw of New Zealand politics – was allowed to trap the ball and get away with murder. On (a) asset sales, (b) the Epsom tape and (c) the employment (non) effects of raising the minimum wage, the Key government did not release information – including Treasury advice and research paid for by the taxpayer – highly relevant to the main issues of trust and substance in this campaign, and yet no-one penalised them for doing so.
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I will be spending the entire day knocking on doors and asking people politely if they have voted and whether they would like a lift to the polling booth. Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it?
I will be voting for Team Red. I like the Greens, and I think a Labour/Greens government would do wonders for the country. But I still see Labour as the main party of the left, and once they’ve sorted some of their shit out I think they will return stronger than before.
I’m also motivated by the fact that where I live in Te Atatu the National candidate is worse than useless, and the Labour one Phil Twyford is excellent. Twyford’s in danger of losing his list seat if Labour bombs badly and if he doesn’t win the electorate, so there will be a big contingent in Te Atatu fighting hard on the day.
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Gee, it has been a while since I posted here. I can attach stuff to my comment now.
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Sacha, in reply to
once they’ve sorted some of their shit out
Wonder if that's more or less likely with a significant Greens vote?
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Sacha, in reply to
(tip with attachments - you need to type some text as well, and the graphic will appear above the text)
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3410,
This is my eighth election as a voter.
For the first time, I'm still undecided at this late stage. -
Hebe, in reply to
I will be voting for Team Red. I like the Greens, and I think a Labour/Greens government would do wonders for the country.
Labour's attitude to the Greens when brokering past MMP government deals takes a lot of forgetting. I don't.
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Taling to a couple of older Maori Truck drivers last night at about 11.00pm, working late . They commented that they felt the Maori Party had lost it. So for them it was Labour, Mana .They like Hone and didn't mind Minto or Sue. I felt like giving them a hug. Jus' sayin'
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Kyhwana, in reply to
Sadly, I think it's illegal to do that. You can't try to get people to vote or even tell them NOT to vote! (For anyone!)
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Danyl has a no-punches-pulled wrap-up at Dimpost.
That National might drop below 50% and Peters might get returned to Parliament is testament to Steven Joyce’s hubris. He thought he was a master of the universe moving chess pieces around on a board – but Peters isn’t a pawn. Loathsome though he may be, he is also the most talented politician of his generation, and tens of thousands of National voters still trust him. Giving him media oxygen was a stupid, pointless move.
Still, they’ll be government for three more years – partly because there was simply no credible alternative. I think many voters are still optimistic that Key has a plan, or a vision – that his financial genius will kick in and save us all. But there is no vision – or rather, Key’s vision is simply of a country in which he is Prime Minister.
The gradual erosion of public services and transfer of wealth to the already wealthy will continue, because it’s what Key’s supporters and many of his Ministers want, and the Prime Minister will remain indifferent to these trends unless they directly threaten his popularity in a way his media team cannot manage.
...Labour:
Ran a surprisingly strong campaign. But who cares? Even now less than half of the people voting Labour want Goff as their Prime Minister. They’re facing a Massacre of the Innocents – the loss of many of their most gifting and promising new MPs due to public revulsion at the quality of the party leadership.
...Labour’s policies are more popular than National’s with the public (and with me). But I just don’t have any faith in these people to implement these policies effectively. Or, frankly, at all.
...Green:
Ran a low risk, policy-focused campaign, with their usual daft, media-friendly gimmicks (swimming with sharks) so the gallery could dust off their repertoire of puns. They were the most effective opposition party. I’m giving them my vote this election – the first time I’ve ever voted for the Greens. -
merc,
If you ever swim in the sea...it's got to be the Greens, just saying. This is the first year I have spoken out, and I thank Russell and PAS for the chance to do so. Plus I will be voting the same as Craig :-) If I was in central it would have been Jacinda Ardern, she would make a great leader.
Labour should have my vote but they need to learn to play with others, why rule out Mana? And yes you have made the Greens life hell in the past. And in Tamaki, where are you, the Nats are throwing people out of their homes as we speak. -
Conrad Lake, in reply to
That is how I've always liked to see electorate votes. And in my opinion I don't see why it couldn't be added further whereby PV could be added to the Party Vote as well. The threshold could remain at 5% in terms of the party vote but with PV parties that dip just below 5% as NZ First may well be, could be pushed up as preferences go to NZ First etc. I also think it would benefit very small parties that won't ever make the threshold so that their voters ultimately have a say in how their wasted vote will be influenced.
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James W, in reply to
My prediction:
Despite the lowest turnout in decades, National gets enough votes to govern alone. This gives them a 'mandate', 'political capital' and 'full-on boners' and they'll proceed to fuck the country for the next three years. However, it'll be long-term fuckage, like breeding a new generation of criminals because of welfare reform and low wages, so they'll be able to blame the resulting increase in crime on Labour in 2018. The economy continues doing sweet fuck all, National continues to blame the Worldwide Economic Crisis (c 2009), John Key reminds people he used to be a banker, and not one of his supporters makes the connection because they're all wondering what it'd be like to touch his flesh. They continue to ruin NZ's "clean, green" image so the reason people would contemplate moving here is because they want to live in a smaller, much less efficient China. Gerry Brownlee eats Tony Ryall and no one notices. The Maori Party, formed over one issue which they promptly sold out on, continues to fret over stuff like whether they can fly a flag over a bridge, while they carry on supporting whatever underclass-destroying policy National comes up with – just to fuck with them, National proposes "All Alphabets With Less Than 16 Letters In Them" tax. Maori Party backs it, under urgency. John Key threatens to kill Annette King's children, but on Parliament TV so no one sees it. ACC is "opened to competition", so finally those poor lawyers and private insurance companies can make some goddamn money in this country. After the media remembers what their job description is, they attack National's constant secrecy with the NZ Herald's condemning editorial written in red ink on its front page (under a banner teasing 'Sonny Bill William's Erect Cock' on page 3 – turns out he bought a very alert rooster). In response, National pledges not to suppress REDACTED unless it's because of "commercial sensitivity" and anyone who REDACTED will get a right REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED Umbrella Man REDACTED. Public Service Television will be a funny nostalgic concept that people think about and cock their heads to the side like, 'did anyone ever go for that?', sorta like jazz. The only thing remaining on free-to-air TV is Marcus Lush chatting to some unique Kiwi characters in Bulls. National places no less than four - FOUR - energy companies on the NZ Stock Market and blame the Worldwide Economic Crisis as to why they don't make $4 billion after all. By 2020 electricity prices will be so high there'll be a hipster trend towards hand-cranking. John Key steps down in 2013 so he can focus on converting his swimming pool of water into a swimming pool of jam. Petrol becomes so expensive that the only people able to afford running a car are National party members, leading to laws banning walking and standing without the aid of a motor vehicle. National comes to the homes of anyone who publicly disagrees with them and kneecap the women, but the public says it's still better than Labour's "nanny state where I couldn't choose my own lightbulbs." Stephen Joyce becomes the head of Telecom. National bans the colour red. 'Cannibal' becomes occupation option on census. There is no more sun, only ash.
Labour + Greens narrowly win the 2014 election.
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