Less than a week now and National retains a commanding lead. Short of adopting Fijian-style numbered ballots* they’re pretty much a lock. The Conservatives also look likely to break the 5 per cent threshold and thus qualify for list seats.
Kim.com has his big ‘Moment of Truth’ announcement tonight, which is expected to be Glenn Greenwald revealing details of mass surveillance of electronic communications by the security services. But I don’t think it’ll change many people’s minds - if Dirty Politics wasn’t enough to deter someone from voting for National I doubt this will.
National’s continued aversion to releasing detailed policies remained in place. And their awesomely cynical strategy of tripling the national debt** while in office and then criticising their opponent’s polices as being ‘unaffordable’ and ‘fiscally irresponsible’ seems to continue to be a winner as well.
After voting on Saturday I’m taking my kid to the rugby to forget about it all.
*Seriously check them out, Fijian voters are expected to memorise a 3-digit number for their favoured candidate and select them off a grid of over two hundred such numbers!
**National came into office in 2008, to be fair there was a bit of a global financial crisis going on as well I guess.
Sorry didn’t see your post yesterday, no real change since the start of the week.
We went down to the local school and voted at lunchtime, no queues at all, in and out in 5 minutes.
The polls closed two hours ago, and with 41% of the votes counted National look to get about 49% overall. The Conservatives look like they’re fall short of 5%, Colin Craig is on the TV all but conceding that point. But National’s position is such they’ll only need Peter Dunne and the Act guy to form a government.
And Internet Mana look in trouble, with Hone Harawira falling behind in Te Tai Tokerau.
Yep, 2011’s result of 27.48% was disastrous for Labour, here they look likely to be below 25%. Switching Leaders a year or so out looks to have lost them 5-6%, with much of those voters going to New Zealand First.
Yes. It’s interesting to see electorates where the individual Labour candidate has a clear lead but the party vote strongly favours National. The sentiment seems to be "I like my Labour member, but I’d rather Key than Cunliffe as PM.
Well this has been an astonishing election. The first time historically that the leading political party (National) has increased its votes for a third term. Normally third terms come at a very slim margin.
Whilst this pleases me, governments need to face a strong Opposition to keep them responsible so I take no joy in the Labour and Green collapse. They will spend the next few months licking their wounds and studying chicken entrails.
Actually we are now going to see some rather entertaining gnashing of teeth and deep political theorising as to why NZ has turned from centre right to even more centre right. I love this stuff, its about the only time we see considered academic discussion in the media.
And competent leadership. It will always win out over policy issues/positions. Key projects authority and competence in spades. Cunliffe and the Labour Party didn’t.
Fortunately the Civilian Party stepped up to the plate.
One primary policy plank: Establish a space program, and become the first nation in Australasia to send a man to the moon; not to explore it, just someone we don’t like.
I thought a party had to have 5% of the vote to have candidates selected from the list, yet the Maori Party got one with only 1.29%. What don’t I know?
I love this stuff, its about the only time we see considered academic discussion in the media.