The whole column is well worth a read; it's an honest assessment of Act's election trainwreck. But this comment stood out:
Other than political junkies, no one ponders these points. Voters are far simpler than that. This election more than any they voted on the front person of the Party. And ours was somewhere in the popularity region between a parking warden and a receiver.
Cactus nails it. The coup to replace Rodney Hide as leader was clumsy, but nowhere near as clumsy as what followed. Don Brash failed to get traction, and Act is exceedingly lucky to have a place in the 50th Parliament.
It's just a shame that someone as forthright as Cathy Odgers didn't put their name forward.
9 comments:
Odgers says nothing new nor enlightening and I doubt a Hong Kong based Lawyer would have made the slightest difference to ACT's collapse.
Act's slide started with the appointment of Hide who's "perk buster" antics of his early parliamentary career meant he was always going to struggle to be taken seriously by the electorate and accelerated when Hide did not have the guts to stand up and say "I earned it, it was my right so go get fucked!" to the slime over his holiday abroad.
At this point it was only time until ACT sank so low it was fair game for a perennial loser like Brash to come in with promises that could never be kept.
Odgers does however get one thing correct, Brash was seen as a joke, a nonentity unable even to command his party's prime electorate.
Of course you are a leading commentator in the political arena Tinman with excellent insider knowledge and have 35 years of experience in the field who here makes a brilliant contribution to general election debate in 2011.
Yeah, didn't think so.
Peters won’t rule out release of tea tape
NZ First leader Winston Peters is refusing to rule out reading a transcript of the teapot tape in Parliament – and experts say there is little to stop him.
The secret recording has been credited for Mr Peters’ return to Parliament. But he was tight-lipped yesterday on speculation he would raise the matter in the new term.
He is legally allowed to read out what was said in the House of Representatives. I think I might even start to enjoy parliamentary debates. Game on.
Would that be the same Winston Peters who said this on Monday 14 November?
"Look; there are laws about this, and I'm astonished that so many minutes are being taken to discuss what should be very clear to the New Zealand media; that sort of behaviour is illegal; that's News of the World stuff.
Now I've got no reason to defend the particpants in what was an absolute sham and making a mockery of the voters as well, but the behaviour's illegal; that's the end of it.
What happened between Monday 14 November when Peters declared the behaviour to be "illegal", and Thursday 17 November when he released excerpts from the "illegal" transcript to a meeting in Invercargill? Only Winston Peters will know that, but one thing is clear; three years away from Parliament hasn't made him any less of a hypocrite.
http://soundcloud.com/whaleoil/winston-peters-on-the-tea-tape
And too many years of blogging has done the same for you despite hiding behind a fake and false identity much like David garret did.
Oh dear.
Key's most lethal enemy is back in the House and he's not forgotten what Key did to him 3 years ago.
Not only that, he's armed with damning material from the teapot tapes and will use it to make a fool of Key.
Oh dear.
Brilliant reply Ms Odgers.
Once again nothing new nor enlightening just typical attack the writer stuff.
Anything about the tapes that Peters might release is now history.
Peters is an excellent opposition MP and if he can show some maturity and statesmanlike speeches then his party may have a future in Parliament. His petty Points of Order under Speaker Margaret Wilson lowered Parliament to a disgraceful level. Lockwood Smith has restored dignity to the Chamber, and Peters would be unwise to flout that (flout and you're out). He will have enough genuine material to be the most effective Opposition spokesman without the infantile behaviour of his Labour coalition days.
The Greens, too, have an excellent chance to cement their place in Parliament with more acedemic, less-far-left MPs. Labour MPs are looking decidedly inferior across the board, and Greens with their articulate, youthful, mostly presentable looking team have a brilliant opportunity this term, especially if they can shed their "veto" mentality.
The odd-bods with a Green tinge who lurk destructively amongst the comments on this blog suggest that that might be beyond the party.
Keeping Stock would do the Greens a very big favour by deleting the mindless sniping that detracts from any message they might legitimately have. The Greens need a positive image to maintain their Election gains, and they would be wise to rein in their snarky muppets.
One thing is for sure, the voting public was turned of by the negative nastiness, that Labour could not resist bringing to the fore, in a fruitless attempt to undermine John Key's popularity . The image of Phil Goff calling John Key a liar on national TV was straight out of Helen Clark's playbook.
It will be an interesting three years, or possibly fewer.
Pot kettle tinman
Steven is that your real name or that of your boyfriend?
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