If National wins ...

[Cuzzie]

You mean like Robin Hood?

No, I mean like a loonie left criminal who is hell bent in destroying National, but in his failure will implode Left Wing parties for at least 5 to 10 years. Maybe he is Robin Hood - for National.

[Cuzzie]

LOL ... One notes the abject silence of the Sharetrader National Support's club. ... Note doubt we'll see them doing the right thing and declaring they had "no idea" and National must be removed. I hope they choose to vote for the Greens or NZ First as only these parties, thus far, have been adamant in their demands for honest politics.

Time for a change

You are so deluded!!!

[Cuzzie]

This afternoon the @WhaleDump Twitter account linked to a zipfile on the Mega.co.nz - Fatmans Mega website which contained 12 files that appear to be screengrabs of emails sent to and from Slater's gmail account. How close does one have to go to let everybody know that you (Dot Com) is the hacker. He is skating on thin ice and a little rumbling suggests there could be an arrest very soon. Hager next?????????????

[Snapper]

I have just been on I Predict, there seems to be a dramatic change with a 50% chance of a Labour coalition. If this all plays out to that end we are now witnessing a self immolation by the National Government in a monumental proportion, from an unassailable lead to the precipice of defeat. There is a reasonable probability of John Key snatching defeat from the Jaws of victory. Should this happen Nationals greatest political asset will become a liability. The party and the caucus will not hesitate to turn on him. The likelihood of the untainted and popular Paula Bennett being National Party leader and leader of the opposition in the next Parliament is rapidly on the cusp of reality. The only thing John Key can do is dispense with Judith Collins, Wayne Eagleson and Jason Ede ASAP, stop defending the indefensible, and hope for the best. Whether he will see the light and rise to this challenge remains to be seen. How strong his self preservation instinct is remains an open question. However these are desperate times and demand drastic measures, if not he is yesterdays man.

Yes, looks like it could be a cliffhanger all right. At some stage, though, it will come back to policies and people. On the policy front there's not a hell of a lot of difference between Labour and National, although preferring National I could live with Labour. The trouble is, who knows what sort of policy concessions they'll have to make to the Greens, NZ First and IMP to be able to cobble together some sort of govt?

Regarding people, National have a far superior lineup of potential ministers (all right, apart from Judith Collins who should have got the boot long ago). All the competent ones in Labour are ABCs and there's only one person in the Greens, Kevin Hague, who I would like to see as a minister. Russel Norman as Minister of Finance, anyone?

Labour needs to get some decent people into parliament if it's going to have a chance of being a competent government, it should have been renewing like National has been but too late now. David Cunliffe has risen to his level of incompetence, he probably would have made a decent minister but no way a PM.

[Snapper]

"Really? Are you serious? No, I mean, are you really serious?

Both Labour and the Greens are the parties for full employment. So are the Greens! That means getting people off the dole and working. If that means training them work in today's world, then good! Collectively both Labour and the Greens are also parties for open R&D. National wants to spend R&D their supporters only (i.e. the National party gets to choose where it gets spent!)

Snapper ... People who say such things are either National Party supporters or haven't studied the policies. Which are you?"

Labour have stated that they will be removing the 90 day trial period if they get in. Absolutely the worst thing they could do for unemployment. Labour/Greens or is it Greens/Labour might say they going to have full employment but easier said than done. Raising the minimum wage? unsure if that will raise unemployment or not but unlikely to be positive. MSD has started making real gains in shifting long-term unemployed and trying to break the cycle of intergenerational welfare so I think National are doing something right. I agree with you that there's a lot of stuff that National could be doing better and I'm certainly not a dyed-in-the-wool National voter but they've got my vote this time. Probably more of an anti Cunliffe/Norman/Harre/Dotcom than pro National but same result.

[fungus pudding]

Probably more of an anti Cunliffe/Norman/Harre/Dotcom than pro National but same result.

That's always the best reason to vote. Very few could ever say they like every policy of any party, but they all have something to hate.
You left Minto off the above list. He's a big enough fright all by himself.

[Snapper]

That's always the best reason to vote. Very few could ever say they like every policy of any party, but they all have something to hate.
You left Minto off the above list. He's a big enough fright all by himself.

Very true

[elZorro]

"Really? Are you serious? No, I mean, are you really serious?

Both Labour and the Greens are the parties for full employment. So are the Greens! That means getting people off the dole and working. If that means training them work in today's world, then good! Collectively both Labour and the Greens are also parties for open R&D. National wants to spend R&D their supporters only (i.e. the National party gets to choose where it gets spent!)

Snapper ... People who say such things are either National Party supporters or haven't studied the policies. Which are you?"

Labour have stated that they will be removing the 90 day trial period if they get in. Absolutely the worst thing they could do for unemployment. Labour/Greens or is it Greens/Labour might say they going to have full employment but easier said than done. Raising the minimum wage? unsure if that will raise unemployment or not but unlikely to be positive. MSD has started making real gains in shifting long-term unemployed and trying to break the cycle of intergenerational welfare so I think National are doing something right. I agree with you that there's a lot of stuff that National could be doing better and I'm certainly not a dyed-in-the-wool National voter but they've got my vote this time. Probably more of an anti Cunliffe/Norman/Harre/Dotcom than pro National but same result.

Who says Dotcom or Harre will have any say in a Labour coalition? They'd only need the Greens and NZFirst. By the time all the dirty politics has been aired, Winston won't side with National.

Have you met any of these MPs you're so worried about, Snapper? Or are you just going on the press, and pro-National blogs?

[Snapper]

God no, haven't met any any of them, the same as 99% of the rest of the population (though I did go to school with Kevin Hague, very smart guy). Re the dirty politics, if I was famous and had the choice of Nicky Hagar reading my emails or the GCSB I think I'd choose the GCSB!

[GTM 3442]

No, I mean like a loonie left criminal who is hell bent in destroying National, but in his failure will implode Left Wing parties for at least 5 to 10 years. Maybe he is Robin Hood - for National.

That would not be a good result. No country deserves to have the same clique in power for more than a decade - the potential for cronyism and corruption is far too great.