If National wins ...

[777]

Actually if an independent did stand in that case they could win. Just a thought.

[artemis]

A chance for TOP to test some policies. And for the ALCP to sign up a few more supporters. .

[fungus pudding]

I know, isn,t democracy a nuisance

No, but in this instance it's expensive. We all know the outcome.

Now Julie Ann Genter is chasing the seat. That's a laugh. Labour and the Greens each making a hole in their piggy banks to get Aderne elected. Obviously someone has piddled on the joint master-plan.

[elZorro]

No, but in this instance it's expensive. We all know the outcome.

Now Julie Ann Genter is chasing the seat. That's a laugh. Labour and the Greens each making a hole in their piggy banks to get Aderne elected. Obviously someone has piddled on the joint master-plan.

Ardern, you mean. FP, if you can't get their surnames right, then you don't know as much about these MPs as you'd like us to believe.

Apparently the talkback shows are getting lots of comments about Bill English not hanging in there after the next election. And that Nick Smith, an older MP the Young Nats would quietly like to see gone, is a very old friend of Bill's (their families go on holiday together). Little wonder he emerged relatively unscathed in the shakeup. Unlike the position of a Housing Minister. It now no longer exists, ergo there was no problem with housing, it's going perfectly.

Some data suggests NZ is still a good place to invest in property, but of course the graphs apply to average house prices. These have been strongly linear on average, in other words they didn't rise faster under Labour than they did under National (National's trying to pin that one on Labour). But in Auckland, it might be different. When immigration is boosted strongly, as National are doing, it will hit Auckland prices.

http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/P.../Price-History

Longer term this should force people out of Auckland and into the Waikato areas, and anecdotal evidence and strong delayed price increases in Hamilton bear this out. Are the regions ready for this? The furniture shops and building tradespeople are doing fine out of it anyway. National would look a bit smarter if they were helping regional businesses and startups along.

Somehow I think their attention is elsewhere - the 2017 elections, and do they have a dog's show of getting back in?

[fungus pudding]

Ardern, you mean. FP, if you can't get their surnames right, then you don't know as much about these MPs as you'd like us to believe.

Au contraire. I do not care what you believe, but I know what I need to know.

http://moorwood.de/index.php/arderne...derne-etc.html

[elZorro]

Au contraire. I do not care what you believe, but I know what I need to know.

http://moorwood.de/index.php/arderne...derne-etc.html

None of those family names are Aderne, you made it up? Ah, close enough I suppose, details, details.. it's unfortunate that in some areas, like politics, that's important.

[fungus pudding]

None of those family names are Aderne, you made it up? Ah, close enough I suppose, details, details.. it's unfortunate that in some areas, like politics, that's important.

Indeed, but not in that case.

[elZorro]

Indeed, but not in that case.

What about this one?

National’s campaign manager Steven Joyce said the decision not to stand in Mt Albert was a tactical one.
“This is a very safe Labour seat, if you add the Labour and green votes together it’s hugely safe, our view is simply to conserve our resources and have the General Election at the end of the year.”
“They [Labour] made their own decision for example not to stand in Northland and that was fine for them,” Mr Joyce said.

When it was pointed to Mr Joyce that Labour did field a candidate in the Northland by-election he responded “oh they did, but they didn’t – they just said ‘you guys will vote for Winston’ [Peters] and they did.”
“When they said they stood I think that’s a relative term.

[fungus pudding]

What about this one?

What on earth are you on about now? Your concern should be the general election, not some meaningless by-election.. That paranoia is spreading to every single utterance of National. It's nearly Xmas. Take a holiday.

[elZorro]

What on earth are you on about now? Your concern should be the general election, not some meaningless by-election.. That paranoia is spreading to every single utterance of National. It's nearly Xmas. Take a holiday.

I'm sorry you're running out of ammo, FP. You did remind me of that meaningless Northland by-election, where National's hapless candidate was denied being elected in a National stronghold. Was John Key's attempt to help up there, a metaphor for his time in office? Missed - by that much. Failed to nail anything down despite/because of record popularity with voters.

http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/vide...ers-2015031117