Kumar, re NZ election. I am feeling very smug and self-satisfied. I put significant effort into getting Rodney Hide elected in Epsom because it was a pivotal electorate for act.org.nz
I am delighted to say that I achieved the main part of my aim, which was to get Act back into parliament and win at least a couple of seats as a result. The media managed to keep the party vote down by painting Act as failed and out of parliament. So the usual 5% support was not forthcoming as a result.
Universally, the pundits had written off Act as an irrelevancy. Now, not only is Act relevant, it is pivotal. Without the two seats we achieved, Labour and Helen Clark would now be the outright victors.
She is going to struggle to cobble together a coalition to rule the place.
What's more, there is a chance when the special votes are counted that the Green party will fall below the 5% threshold below which a party gets no representation unless they win a seat. In that case, Helen Clark is in BIG TROUBLE! The Green party is a primary support group for Labour.
Without the Green party, Act and National can solicit Winston Peter's support from New Zealand First and hey presto, the whole political scene will look completely different.
Greens are currently on 5.07% party vote, so they have not got a lot of room between 4.99% and and 5.07%. There are quite a lot of special votes to count. Maybe those votes will follow two previous trends and give Greens a slightly higher proportion. Maybe they won't.
Labour has not won the election. They got 1% more of the party vote than National did.
It is especially satisfying because Helen Clark during a tv debate was arrogant and saying "bye bye" to Rodney Hide while waving at him dismissively. The left-wing media used their pulpit to talk down Act's prospects for months - they were either lying or stupid. It is good to see arrogant people humbled.
Helen Clark even, laughably, but completely cynically, said she was "humbly asking for another term" in one interview.
Now, she is a little humbled, but that's like a crocodile having tears = it's not in her repertoire.
I am very much hoping that the Greens drop below 5% on special votes. That will be great.
Mqurice |
