If National wins ...

[Baa_Baa]

[snip]... Seems to me Greens are desperate for every 0.1% of the vote even if it means destroying the relationship with your potential partner.

Which only serves to confirm my prejudice that they are nothing but a bunch of snouts looking for a trough

You have a good point there minimoke, 2017 could be the end of the Greens in Parliament at this rate. They shat in their nest with a poorly thought out strategy that's gone bad on them, now their only hope is to shaft their coalition partner in some vain hope of getting above 5%. Not looking too good for them at this stage.

[Baa_Baa]

I am wondering if the Jacinda effect has meant that Labour has peaked too soon? They should have waited another few weeks....before replacing Little. After the election, if they lose, I think she would stay as leader of the opposition and have a good chance of winning the next one.

Wisdom of hindsight might suggest they made an incredibly insightful decision to get rid of Little who was dragging the party into unknown territory below even Cunliffe, however in as much as whether they're peaking too soon, I reckon you'll be right.

As the next few weeks unfold the Jacinda effect will shift towards the 'are Labours policies really for me' and given that they have kept their policy agenda to themselves, they better have something really appealing up their sleeves or they'll see their ratings having peaked on the Jacinta news only to fade a bit and then implode around the Leaders debate time and into the election.

Frankly I can't see Labour winning this but at least they've made a good fist of it and they'll be a stronger opposition and a realistic choice for the 2020 election.

[minimoke]

You have a good point there minimoke, 2017 could be the end of the Greens in Parliament at this rate. They shat in their nest with a poorly thought out strategy that's gone bad on them, now their only hope is to shaft their coalition partner in some vain hope of getting above 5%. Not looking too good for them at this stage.

I dont have the calculator. But Greens from memory got 15% of Party vote in Ohariu last time which is only a smidge of the overall NZ party vote. The Greens loony enough to vote for their guy on the party vote are also probably loony enough to vote fro him on the electoral seat as retribution for what Labour did to Meteria. Net winner is National - both electorate and party vote

[minimoke]

Frankly I can't see Labour winning this but at least they've made a good fist of it and they'll be a stronger opposition and a realistic choice for the 2020 election.

Its not about labour. I reckon the labour / national party vote wil now settle within cooee of the latest polls (future major surprises excepted)

Its about NZ First, and Greens second. Neither Labour nor national wil get enough to govern their own. National have just lost one seat with Dunne exiting stage right. If Greens get enough party vote it will be a the expense of labours part vote. In which case wil Labour want to work with them - after tonights announcement even less so. Which means they have to be more appealing to NZ First - which is much easier to do with no Greens hanging on to the coat tails.

[elZorro]

Wisdom of hindsight might suggest they made an incredibly insightful decision to get rid of Little who was dragging the party into unknown territory below even Cunliffe, however in as much as whether they're peaking too soon, I reckon you'll be right.

As the next few weeks unfold the Jacinda effect will shift towards the 'are Labours policies really for me' and given that they have kept their policy agenda to themselves, they better have something really appealing up their sleeves or they'll see their ratings having peaked on the Jacinta news only to fade a bit and then implode around the Leaders debate time and into the election.

Frankly I can't see Labour winning this but at least they've made a good fist of it and they'll be a stronger opposition and a realistic choice for the 2020 election.

Labour can easily win this - just consider that 50% of the voters are female, for a start. You might be surprised to know that people throughout the country are falling over themselves to offer Labour new sign spots, mainly for Jacinda signs. Plus they're donating money and time also.

As for Labour policy that you haven't found using Google, I know they're going to bring back the R&D tax credits, and there are many others here:

http://www.labour.org.nz/announced_policies

[Baa_Baa]

As for Labour policy that you haven't found using Google, I know they're going to bring back the R&D tax credits, and there are many others here:

http://www.labour.org.nz/announced_policies

Really EZ, Labour need to realise the voters don't go to google or anywhere else to 'find' their policies, Labour needs to put their policies out, top of and front of mind. The election won't be won on who has the broadest smile, it will be won on who bothers to vote and whether they know what they're voting for. Labour has a lot of ground to catch up on in this respect, at this stage in the build up to the election, imo.

[elZorro]

Really EZ, Labour need to realise the voters don't go to google or anywhere else to 'find' their policies, Labour needs to put their policies out, top of and front of mind. The election won't be won on who has the broadest smile, it will be won on who bothers to vote and whether they know what they're voting for. Labour has a lot of ground to catch up on in this respect, at this stage in the build up to the election, imo.

It's really up to the media like the Herald to do a spreadsheet comparing policies in different areas, and also the TV channels have something on voter preferences. A flyer to every voter is a very expensive exercise and can't cover it all, and the TV channels concentrate on just one or two policies with each interview, or just sound bites. I'm confident any sane, reasoned person will find a lot to like with Labour's policies.

These are policies that will grow the economy in a more sustainable way, and will lift every person.

[fungus pudding]

You have a good point there minimoke, 2017 could be the end of the Greens in Parliament at this rate. They shat in their nest with a poorly thought out strategy that's gone bad on them, now their only hope is to shaft their coalition partner in some vain hope of getting above 5%. Not looking too good for them at this stage.

But standing in the electorate will not, or should not, make any difference to their party vote. This is nuts and leaves them looking even sillier than they looked before. No logic in it whatsoever.

[dobby41]

It's really up to the media like the Herald to do a spreadsheet comparing policies in different areas,

Aren't they doing that each day - listing how the policies compare subject by subject?

[elZorro]

Aren't they doing that each day - listing how the policies compare subject by subject?

Yes, maybe for major parties, but it's very fragmented too. The VoteCompass site on TV1 is easy to use and produces interesting results.

https://votecompass.tvnz.co.nz/

However, you can't look behind the questions to see what the various policies of each party are, because they're more interested in gathering data. But over 100,000 people have used the site so far.