A Labour voter writes
I have been sent this e-mail, which speaks for itself. It was sent on Tuesday night. I have met the author once or twice (but not for some years) and can testify that he is absolutely who he says he is – this is not some National voter pretending to be a Labour supporter. I suspect he is not alone with his thoughts:
Dear Prime Minister,
Never in 43 years as a registered voter have I ever voted other than for Labour as I suspect was true of my father before me. However, the events of recent weeks in respect of Mr Peters have finally disillusioned me, and I shall not vote Labour again until the passage of time has cleansed the party of those members who are (in my opinion corruptly) responsible for the failure to act on deceit which was obvious to all. I have read and followed closely every piece of news I could find throughout this silly mess, and I have to say that the Labour Party’s position lacks all credibility.
You called for an election based on trust. I am sorry I can no longer extend that to you.
Even the wisest and most sober of media commentators have all but laughed out loud at the preposterous and self-serving rationalisations that have come from senior members of the party.
The hardest political decision of my life will be to vote National for the first time, but you have left me no choice. They now seem to me to be the least of a very poor bunch of evils.
yours in deep sorrow
xxxxx xxxxxx
Maybe National’s campaign slogan should be “Vote for the lesser evil” 
More seriously, the e-mail gives an idea of how tough this decision must have been. The writer voted Labour in 1966, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2005. That is a party loyalty few could match. But the condoning of Winston’s lies is just too much to ignore.
UPDATE: Deborah, who has voted for Labour in every election except her first, says she will not vote for Labour this time unless they rule out Peters:
I can’t vote for Labour knowing that might lead to the champion of hair splitting hypocrisy returning to government. …
I’ve been thinking more about this over lunch, and I think that what is upsetting me so much is that Labour is inviting me to be complicit in their “courageous corruption.” We all know pollies lie, but rarely is it so obvious, and so self-serving, as has been in the case of Winston Peters. It all stinks to high heaven, and then some. By not ruling him out, and still asking me to vote for them, at best Helen Clark and Labour are asking me to block my nose, to pretend that the stench isn’t there. But more realistically, they are asking me to buy the stink in order to have a Labour government. “That’s just what it costs,” they are telling me.
Quite simply, I refuse to pay the price. I will not collude in returning Winston Peters to influence in any government.
Hat Tip: Homepaddock
September 24th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
He’s not alone. As well consider all those who will refuse to even vote for a party which is tainted by association with this present bunch of gravy-sucking pigs.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
No choice? There are at least 6 parties in parliament that aren’t Labour or New Zealand First. Stuff like this stops me from voting Labour too, but there are options other than that nice man Mr Key.
[DPF: I think he wants to change the Government and vote Labour out of office. The only two parliamentary parties you can vote for knowing they will not support Labour are National and ACT]
September 24th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
How very interesting.. I am also in this position, and I have been struggling to find a way to express myself.
Thanks for posting this , I am pleased I am not the only one in this position.
I am in my mid 50′s and also voted every election and always Labour. I have held office in the Labour party at an LEC level.
I part own a company with over 20 employees and we run it with a sense of social responsibility toward our loyal and hardworking staff.
Where is the present administrations loyalty to the likes of me and obviously your corresspondent?
(“The hardest political decision of my life will be to vote National for the first time, but you have left me no choice. They now seem to me to be the least of a very poor bunch of evils.”)
I to am in this position it’s actually tough, but this lot of labour imposters must go.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
He doesn’t need to vote National. He could do what a lot of other Labour voters are doing – vote ACT.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Gooner..
There is no way I would ever, ever, ever, vote for a party that included the original LABOUR BASTARD aka Douglas.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
It is a great irony that Labour have pandered to people who have never voted Labour (Winston Peters’ voters), and lost touch with their own heart and soul.
I suspect many Labour voters will vent their disgust at how much Labour has ignored its roots and decency by not turning up at all. Others will break the habit of a lifetime, and vote for National. Voting for parties that are going to support Labour anyway, like Labour’s lapdog, the Greens, isn’t going to be a punishment at all to Labour.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Sadly for the letter writer and other genuine labour supporters the current lot are poles apart from the Labour movement that for years spoke for the “working man”.
These modern socialists are power hungry headonists who have been insulated from the real world for too long.
Shame is that Helen has stopped listening, she isn’t reading SFO reports about her ministers so she’s not going to read what an ex-voter thinks
September 24th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
mike12 (34) Vote: 0 0 Says:
September 24th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Sadly for the letter writer and other genuine labour supporters the current lot are poles apart from the Labour movement that for years spoke for the “working man”.
These modern socialists are power hungry headonists who have been insulated from the real world for too long.
Shame is that Helen has stopped listening, she isn’t reading SFO reports about her ministers so she’s not going to read what an ex-voter thinks
Thats true Mike .. she certainly would not admit to reading this blog anyway… maybe she secretly does… Hi Helen, you traitor to the Labour movement, thanks for dragging MY party into the gutter, thanks for ignoring your own supporters in favour of the NZ1st bullshitter, the sooner you are toast the better.
Mike at least blogging gives people like me a chance to voice our opinions and to let off a bit of steam.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
That correspondent isn’t the only one who can no longer vote Labour because of this: http://homepaddock.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/why-is-she-doing-it/
September 24th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Pete notes that there are six other parties. True enough, though few of them have any real credibility. And you could reasonably assume that many of them are far from the writer’s own natural political alignment than National, and that a lifelong Labour voter is even more unlikely to vote for ACT (as Gooner suggests).
September 24th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
If the negativity towards Labour continues (and the way they throw dirt it is likely to) Mr Commonsense (aka the Head Prefect Peter Perfect) may start to pick up some of these votes. As you say the only guaranteed way to ensure a change of govt is National/ACT but for disaffected Labour supporters who cannot vote National or those who want to try and keep National to the centre (the 2002 effect in reverse) they may look to United. Feedback like that must be of real concern to Labour. It will be interesting if there is any polling on what Labour supporters think should happen to Winston.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I’m sorry but this kind of thing just outright flummoxes me.
What is the rational behind being a blind supporter of a political party? I could understand if they held true to principal and their policy and direction were consistently in line with your personal beliefs, but to be a dyed in the wool supporter of any faction is stupidity at best. Ably demonstrated by the number of Helen Kellers supporting the current administration.
It’s not sport, it’s not a blind loyalty to a team that represents your roots, no matter how shit they may be performing or how many World Cups they choke at.
People like this need to take some responsibility for the state of the nation and vote with their brains, not their fucking loyalties.
It should not be an emotive choice to have to make, to tick a different box on a ballot paper. Earth to voters, it’s not the 1920′s anymore and you don’t need mummy or daddy’s approval to cast a vote.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Well, I wonder if Clark saying that she’ll leave halfway through the next term would have an effect on this person…though I suspect not.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I’m not so worried about the mystery Labour voter as getting rid of that 5% of fuckheads who think Winston First is a good thing…run over an elderly pedestrian today and help get rid of Winnie!
September 24th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
The writer voted Labour through the 80′s Labour-led economic reforms, which remain significantly to the Right of anything that Key is proposing. That was fine, but voting National now is hard? Come on… as pleased as I am to see the writer ‘see the light’ how many other voters continue to back a party because their parents did?
September 24th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Buggerlugs, isn’t it interesting how successive generations blame ‘the young’ for declining standards, laziness (‘back in my day…’ yada yada) when on this occasion Winston’s die-hard elderly have an the power, and worse, the inclination to re-instate him and in doing so perpetuate the most corrupt government this country has ever seen!
September 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
There is a huge amount of resentment towards Labour, and their support is falling towards the hard bedrock. they are losing votes with alacrity but we should also consider that these votes do not vanish, but go to another party. The question is which party?
I do not see NZ First gaining any votes. United Future support remains solid and their future is reliant on Peter Dunne. Act will not take votes from Labour, so their future relies on Epsom, and perhaps a well timed bounce in the polls. The progressives are a non entity outside Wigram, and the other recent additions, such as the Kiwi Party may not figure in the grand scheme.
I would think that support for Labour is eroding from both the left and right wing labour vote. The 2 obvious beneficiaries are the other major centre party, the Nats, and the other large left wing party, the Greens. Russell Norman has taken steps to place the greens closer to the centre than Fitzsimons has, and it’s performance in recent days will be causing those who might be sympathetic to the Greens to take a closer look. I would expect them to make some gains on Nov 8, and at the expense of Labour.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Look, it shows just how blindly loyal these longtime Labour Voters are, seeing it is obvious that the Labour Government of 1966, the one of 1984, and the one of 1999-present, bear almost no resemblance to each other. Want to get free market reforms? Do it through the vehicle of the Labour Party(Roger Douglas). Want radical Feminism and the demise of “patriarchy” and the traditional family? Do it through the vehicle of the Labour Party(Helen Clark).
Bob Jones was right when he said recently that the social decline would need to be arrested by a reformed Labour Party, as the Nats just plain don’t get the blind loyalty from the greater number of Kiwis that would allow them to make any radical changes to anything. The “Family Party” types and the “Kiwi Party” and so on, need to change their longterm tactics. If the feminazis and the gays can do it, so can you – infiltrate and take over the Labour Party. It’s not just your best hope, its your only hope. And you will never have a better opportunity than in the immediately “post-Helen” era. Time to take Labour back to representing the WORKING, Mum-and-Dad family…….
September 24th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
For the record, THIS Labour voter would still prefer to suffer Winston lurking in the background than:
Asset sales that create private monopolies;
The degradations of the welfare state;
ACC profitably brought to you by Merrill Lynch;
And nuclear warships in the harbour.
So there!
September 24th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
As I posted earlier today I had a soem long time friends over on Saturday. All labour supporters through thick and thin (yes, even when labour were right wing and national left wing), but at least one of them will not vote labour because of the curruption within their ranks.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
We’ve already established you’re a fucking idiot RRM.
No need to telegraph it again.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
RRM – to live in fear like that must be quite stressful. it brings on poor health you know and, well, your socialist masters have the health system flat-lining just now. perhaps you can go private. hope so.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Such Eloquence! I have so much to learn…
September 24th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
RRM You poor misguided fool Read what the person said It wasnt about your ramblings he was genuinely expressing a deep and forceful disappointment for being betrayed by Clark and her cronies.
this is at the heart of the email An emotion that you and other Socialists just dont get because your ethics and morals are so poor that you cant see.
Like Clark you have no empathy She is a cold calculating manipulating excuse for a human being.
She is bereft of any noraml human emotion.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Nefarious,
“I’m sorry but this kind of thing just outright flummoxes me.
What is the rational behind being a blind supporter of a political party? I could understand if they held true to principal and their policy and direction were consistently in line with your personal beliefs, but to be a dyed in the wool supporter of any faction is stupidity at best. Ably demonstrated by the number of Helen Kellers supporting the current administration.
It’s not sport, it’s not a blind loyalty to a team that represents your roots, no matter how shit they may be performing or how many World Cups they choke at.
People like this need to take some responsibility for the state of the nation and vote with their brains, not their fucking loyalties.”
I agree 100%, people should be voting on policies that promotes the NZ that they want. Not who they voted for. In politics loyalty has no place.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
In order to learn you need to shut your mouth and open your ears, your eyes and most of all your mind.
From a previous comment of yours I’m picking your an architect, all style and fuck all substance.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
gd and nefarious:
Since the topic was the viewpoint of one long-term Labour voter, on how the Winston saga affects his/her voting, I thought it might add something to the whole thing to offer another Labour voter’s honest opinion on the same thing.
If you can’t take this in the spirit that it was given, and find you just have to hurl abuse, then you are idiots. You won’t find many other Labour voters in a nasty, bitchy arena like this who will offer you anything upfront like this.
(PS: And yl why do you assume that it IS loyalty at work, not the policies, when someone votes one way time and again?)
(PPS: “I’m picking your an architect”. WRONG.)
September 24th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I’m sorry RRM, would you like a tissue?
September 24th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Then, there are the others who think the winnie thing is a beat up and will vote for him.
I suspect, generally younger people vote labour (as I did when younger).
As people grow brains , they swing right.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
musthafabuck – given the comments in your earlier posts you supported Roger Douglas in 1987. He started the country down the road to being a better place. Most of his reforms remain in place, even after 9 years of the current government, so why not give him the chance to have some influence in finishing the job. I am sure you, your business and your staff wiould all benefit from:
Tax at 20c in the $$$ and possibly lower over time..
Cheaper ACC costs, including no claims reductions on premiums, plus faster treatment of injuries and therefore earlier return to work.
Lower interest rates.
and those are only some of the economic benefits.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
What fucking policies?
September 24th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
RRM (1090) Vote: Add rating 0 Subtract rating12 Says:
September 24th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
“For the record, THIS Labour voter would still prefer to suffer Winston lurking in the background than:
Asset sales that create private monopolies;
The degradations of the welfare state;
ACC profitably brought to you by Merrill Lynch;
And nuclear warships in the harbour…..”
Typical lefty, unable to see the evil of State monopolies, or that competitive markets are the best option; unable to see the degradations brought about in society BY the welfare state taken too far; unable to see the evil of the ACC, (see “State Monopoly”), unable to bear the thought of coming into the post-fossil-fuel modern age……..meet Kyoto requirements by going nuclear?…..hell, no, we must go back to cave dwelling in preference to that…….
DUH.
September 24th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
“other viewpoints are all stupid”…
“The left this…”
“The left that…”
“The greenies want us to live in caves…”
Typical know-it-all. DUH
September 24th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
RRM has already confessed to being a cocksucker for expedience sake, the only use he’d have for a tissue would be to wipe his chin with.
[DPF: And this little thread can stop now]
September 24th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
No, I’ll have you know I enjoy what I do, and I have never needed the tissue for that purpose.
(Enlightening to see the abuse has now strayed far, far away from the actual topic though…)
September 24th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I am another Labour Party member and supporter who will be resigning and taking my vote elsewhere. I joined after “Mad Max” Bradford introduced the crazy electricity reforms; I was not a member of the National Party. Now we have a government that will do anything to cling to power. Goodbye Labour – get back to your roots
September 24th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
pdm, thanks for your comments, i really appreciate the time you took to use thought out persuasion.
Makes a pleasant change from some of the commentators on this site.
I am workng through issues this election, and trying to take a more reasoned approach to this election, than perhaps I have in the past.
BUT>>> Douglas…Prebble (Immoral party highjackers) stick in my craw. Sorry Rodney you have shown some kind of courage over tha last few weeks, and I have huge respect for you over that…BUT>>>
September 24th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
So you think the country is a better place now? Genuine question, many commenters here seem to think it’s gone to hell in a proverbial.
September 24th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I think labour voters (well liberal labour voters) should feel a lot more comfortable with voting for ACT than the born to rule tories in the National Party.
And if Douglas is so evil to the Labour voters, why isn’t labour proposing to roll back the country to the near bankrupt state it was prior to his reforms..
… wait a second.
September 24th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Llew..nice.
September 24th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Well I always think you can’t have it both ways
September 24th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
MikeE… it’s not so much about Douglas & Co. policys to me, it is about credibility, and TRUST….
He and his cronies hijacked a political party and rammed through his own policies, ( remember the threat of resignation if Lange did not do what he wanted?) maybe you are to young?
He should have been in the National party right from the get go eh. Pushed his barrow from a true position.
Wouldn’t trust him as far as I could boot him.
Thats the way i see it anyway.
OK have a crack at me now.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I’ve been a Labour voter all my life since I was first able to vote in 1975, and in my early years I was active in two branches of the Party until 1980. I remember attending meetings of the Party’s “Young Socialists” at Victoria University in the 70′s when Helen Clark was President of the group.
About four weeks ago I made my mind up to vote National in the forthcoming election, not just because of the Winston Peters saga (but that confirmed my decision), but because of the increasing unease I was feeling about the arrogance that has crept into amongst Labour’s politicans after three terms in power. They have had a fair term in Government, to achieve what they said they wanted for the country, but enough is enough and it’s time for a fresh change.
I installed “Freeview” in the weekend and so yesterday I decided to watch the Parliamentary channel to follow the report back of the Priviledges Committee. I had never watch the televised proceedings before. I was disgusted watching Helen Clark’s nasty venomous attacks on John Key during Question Time. Key was asking questions of Clark about the Winston Peter’s matter but each time she stood up supposedly to reply, she instead screeched abuse at Key over his TranzRail shares. Watching her behaviour yesterday confirmed I have made the correct decision to vote National this election, for the first time ever.
National also deserve a strong mandate to be able to govern alone. I would be very distressed if it fell short of a majority and went into coalition with the maori party – that would be a worse outcome than having Labour back.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Never has the choice between National and Labour been so starkly clear. The swinging voter has an easier task this time around than I can ever remember (I’m 55 now and voted mostly National but have also voted Labour and ACT for party vote).
The middle ground swinging voter will swing strongly towards National. Many traditional Labour voters will vote National (evidence clearly presented herein).
Only die-hard Labour voters will vote Labour – and bear testimony to the death of their party in Clark-form, and then the re-birth of Labour along traditional lines. It will happen eventually, but will take at least 2 terms of a National government.
Then and only then will Labour be a force to be reckoned with again.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
You say he Douglas should have been a Nat from the get go?
The nats at that stage were Muldoon and friends.. they have more in common with Clark than they ever will Douglas.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
If anyone wants to see “the other side” of the political landscape at present drop over to thestandard.org.nz – it’s truly mindboggling how many threads there are on the Key share issue and how little there is on the PC handling and parliamentary censure of one WP!
But then they would be like that wouldn’t they.
The party spin machine in full flight in the blogosphere – but then who’s listening? And how many trip on over there and leave without cracking up and saying “what f’ing planet are they ON!”
September 24th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
musthafabuck: in fact the cabinet all agreed to the reforms of Douglas – that is how he managed to get them through. He did not threaten Lange to get what he wanted – he proposed the best economic solutions at the time. If you read one of his early books (written whilst he was still in cabinet) you can see that he genuinely was concerned for the welfare of the low income earners in the country as well – but things needed doing to save the economy.
People seem to have forgotten what really happened – even Helen Clark has slated Douglas in parliament and she signed off on all of his reforms! Furthermore, she, nor any leader of the labour party since, has made a move to change them. That is because they worked. There is still room for more improvement – but we are in a much better condition now than we would have been had the Fourth Labour Government not agreed to put in place Douglas’ reforms.
Let us look at each of the reforms – you tell me what is wrong with them:
1. Devalue the dollar to stop the Foreign Exchange disaster
2. Float the dollar
3. Removal of farming subsidies which were causing farms to be run in to the ground
4. Cut of marginal tax from 66% to 33% (reducing tax evasion and avoidance)
5. Deregulation of financial markets
6. Introduction of GST (to offset further costs of marginal tax reduction)
Wikipedia says this: “There was a structural change in the economy from industry to services, which, along with the arrival of trans-Tasman retail chains and an increasingly cosmopolitan hospitality industry, led to a new ‘café culture’ enjoyed by more affluent New Zealanders.”
I can think we can all safely say that we all enjoy the cafe culture that we have – it is not something for the affluent. Such large reforms take a long time to work – and they can cause suffering of some at the outset, but ultimately everyone benefits. A perfect example of this is the textile industry of the UK. When the industrial revolution put the majority of textile workers out of work there were outcries and groups such as the luddites arose. But consequently those people put out of work ended up in other industries. People need to look further than one or two years – short term pain for a few is worth long term benefits for all.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
“MikeE (284) Vote: 2 0 Says:
September 24th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
You say he Douglas should have been a Nat from the get go?
The nats at that stage were Muldoon and friends.. they have more in common with Clark than they ever will Douglas.”
Forget the topic at hand. I want to know what the significance of you posting a comment at 4.20 is MikeE.
September 24th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Are there plans to – at least momentarily – ease the pain on those who feel it from future reforms?
September 24th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Very interesting reading this thread. Personally, I’ve never voted for Labour. But I had a coffee this afternoon with someone who’s voted for Labour in each election since 1978. And they said that this time they can’t vote for Labour again, and specifically cited (i) the current shenanigans with Winston Peters and (ii) the “playing the man” with John Key. This same Labour-stalwart also had some very nice things to say about John Key, based on first hand experiences of people he trusted, and bemoaned the fact that Labour’s leadership had no positiveness (positivity?).
This guy is still a leftie at heart, and he can’t bring himself to vote National. He’s in the Ohariu-Belmont electorate though so Peter Dunne is getting both his ticks this time around. I joked with him that he’d taken all leave of his senses, but I can see where he’s coming from.
I suspect there’s a lot more Labour voters hanging up the phone on Helen at the moment. If I was anywhere past about position 25 on Labour’s list I’d be ropeable at the way Helen is running things at the moment.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
H.P. Lovecraft was right: Why settle for the lesser evil?
That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange æons even death may die.
Vote for Cthulhu! The secret priests will take great Cthulhu from His tomb to revive His subjects and resume His rule of earth. Then humanity will have become as the Great Old Ones; free and wild and beyond good and evil, with laws and morals thrown aside and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy. Then the liberated Old Ones will teach us new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy ourselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom.
Actually, Lovecraft’s writings seem to be coming true… Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn!
September 24th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
I should have said that Our Dear Leader seems to be making Lovecraft’s writings come true- especially the idea of teaching us new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy ourselves, and having all the earth flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom.
Lovecraft, Howard P. [1928] (1999). “The Call of Cthulhu”, in S. T. Joshi (ed.): The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories. London: Penguin Books, p. 141.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Stephen said: “Are there plans to – at least momentarily – ease the pain on those who feel it from future reforms?”
Stephen: more government intervention does not help when attempting to reduce government intervention. Nothing is gained without some pain to someone. So no – I don’t believe it is right to try to intervene when intervention is the cause of the problem in the first place.
September 24th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
You are of course right WraithX the hallmark of this Liarbour government is intervention, they live for intervention, intervention is their bread and butter. From whats in our kids lunch boxs to how we are to support the party of our choice, it’s about intervention. Alot of people are quick to praise the Dear Leader as a strong leader, I have always seen her as a slow working cancer, slowly crippling the will of the people. Slowly taking their futures and their souls for state indulgences, handed out by a corrupt, increasingly obesse government who devours more and more of the countrys resouces. In short I’m totaly sick of the bastards and so are hundreds of thousands of other Kiwis as they have already voted with their feet.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
llew 2.39pm – you missed my part about giving Douglas a chance to assist in finishing the job.
He laid the foundation which Lange wouldn’t let him finish and Bolger wouldn’t let Ruth Richardson finish. However a foundation was laid which has helped us survive 9 years of an incompetent Labour government. Without that foundation NZ could have been a basket case by now – we need someone with the nous and commitment to get us back on track,
Douglas in combination with John Key could make a very very good team, despite Key’s protestations that he wouldn’t have him in cabinet.
Musthafabuck – thank you for the compliment.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Good for you long term Labour voter. Now instead of going from Labour to Labour-Lite, why not go to the only honest party and give your party vote to ACT? Also to those of you who think the National will govern alone-it aint gonna happen so get real. However, National will win-with or without a large number of your party votes, so give your party vote to ACT. ACT is the natural coalition partner for National. And we need a solid coalition of change to face the harshe economic conditions that are coming. Without a strong ACT Party, Key will be forced to woo the Greens and/or Maori Party. And if you think he won’t go Green, think again because he told me personally in his own caucus room that he would!!
September 24th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Klark said you have to believe in fairies to think support for National is above 50%.
I think she is in for a big surprise. I know of large groups who probably aren’t polled that are moving in droves to the right.
In particular Indians have traditionally been Labour votes (especially Fijian Indians). The guys at work have said all of their friends have always voted Labour, but have now switched on mass to National.
They are not anti-Labour just anti-Klark and co.
Bringing on Mr Bakshi as a high ranked MP has also been a great move by National to show support to the Indian community.
I expect the Korean vote will go the same way.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
From the Times in the UK, a comment from a blogger about the demise of the UK Liarbour:
“I think Labour’s greatest crime is to entrench in our institutions and in education a loathing for our Western culture, steeped in politically correct nonsense, all the while trying to appease an ideology that actually wishes to destroy us. Time for change. Labour MP’s – dust off your CV’s!! ”
A.N, London , UK
Enough said……..roll on Nov 8th
September 24th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
I hope he considers voting for the only true Liberal party in NZ, the party that actually believes in freedom and choice, instead of the liberal lefty version…”freedom and choice on our terms only”. ACT already has many ex Labour supporters as members and supporters. The only party with policies specifically designed to ensure that (among other things) decent healthcare and education will be available to everyone, not just the wealthy.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
this theme is repeating throughout NZ. Just before the Winston fiasco broke I was asked by a colleague which way I was going to vote (reply was Act). I didn’t ask him as I knew he had been a union treasurer and had voted Labour for approximately 40 years.
He volunteered that for the first time in his cloth capped life he could not vote for Helen. He said he was probably going to vote Winston cos he had done such a good job with the Winebox. (my reaction was an inward tee hee hee) He could not bring himself to cross to National or Act.
After the last few weeks he openly admits he’s screwed and probably will go fishing (if he can find a place which isn’t a marine reserve). He can’t vote greens cos he thinks they’re single issue nutters and doesn’t trust Possum Head Peter Dunne.
You gotta laugh ……well you would if it wasn’t so bloody sad that a ‘rational’ highly qualified individual is so single tracked!
September 24th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Simo thats why it was great to read a new school opening in ChCh in February is going to encourage bull rush.
I still remember when the fun police banned it in the late 80′s.
Kiwi kids need to harden the fuck up.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
I think what will happen is that a lot of normally loyal Labour voters will simply stay home on election day.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
There are two places where Labour supporters will feel at home… with Andertons Party or with ACT. It depends on what the Labour supporters position is on transparent Government and freedom.
So many Labourites came to ACT because of Douglas and Prebble. In my local branch many years ago, all members were ex Labour voters, all who woke up during the 80′s and saw the progress that was led by Sir Roger. I invite all Labour voters who are lost in the wilderness to contact their local ACT candidate and see ACT up close at our meetings, or email Rodney who will give you honest answers to your questions.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
A labour voter should vote on trust – of course!!!!
i.e. who you trust the most- you obviously have to make a call and who do you trust the most KEY or Clark !!
A vote for Winston = a vote for Labour = a vote for corruption.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:05 am
A text book example of the evolutionary process.
There is hope for New Zealand.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:25 am
I think what will happen is that a lot of normally loyal Labour voters will simply stay home on election day.
I’ll be voting, but as I said in the post which DPF linked to, it won’t be for Labour. I had been very, very uncertain about casting another vote for them in any case, and already contemplating a vote for a different party, but the whole sorry affair with Winston has made it very clear that it simply is not possible for me to vote for Labour this time around.
There are many things I find distressing about Labour’s continued support for Peters, and among them is the way that they have tried to undermine the integrity of our institutions: in particular, the Privileges Committee, and also the Serious Fraud Office.
Why on earth are they doing this? It just doesn’t make sense, and it leaves me feeling betrayed, and sullied.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:44 am
musthafabuck Here are three things you could do. Go to a National Party event in your electorate. Then go to an ACT event. Talk to both sets of people. Then download ACTs 20 point plan. If you can find two or three points you agree with, give them your party vote. By all means vote National in the electorate.
I cannot imagine ever being as disgusted with ACT as you evidently are with Labour. You have plenty of reason to be.
September 25th, 2008 at 6:14 am
To make sure we kill any hope of a Labour-First coalition you vote for your local National candidate, unless you live in Epsom. And give your party vote to ACT. The above commenter is bang on the money…. how many people disagree with all of the 20 point plan??
September 25th, 2008 at 8:36 am
mmmm… thanks to all for your input, some good stuff here to give the swinging voter some options.
Food for thought, even the tossers who reside here on this blog,…It is ok you are still allowed to be a tosser in NZ… this week anyway.
I will consider all statements and gushes of froth, then take your valued advice and think for myself in preperation for election day.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:23 am
-I think what will happen is that a lot of normally loyal Labour voters will simply stay home on election day.-
Add another to the list, I did the abstention thing last time. I wrote a long letter to Helen about my disillusionment with where they were taking the Party and how everything they did seemed to be smoke and mirrors and perception of doing things when they were not. I am self-employed trades and probably get affected as much if not more than most by Labour policy. I got a reply to this letter from Trevor Mallard berating me and telling me how, for example, their recent policy to abolish interest on student loans could hardly be called “smoke and mirrors”. As I had a student loan myself I wrote back and agreed wholeheartedly but couldn’t help pointing out to Mr Mallard that the timing of the release of that policy (a few weeks before the election) smacked a little of bribery to me and therefore I couldn’t bring myself to vote Labour. Needless to say I did not get a reply to that correspondence. The final straw for me was a reply I received a year ago from Judith Tizard re an email I sent her concerning Auckland’s traffic problems. I had found a good website from a city in the US which had made great inroads with their traffic issues using a variety of approaches. I saw that Ms Tizard was not only Minister for Auckland but also Associate Minister of Transport and thought she would be a very appropriate person to send this information to. I did so in a very polite email. I got a terse, one paragraph reply which stated that when and if I addressed her with issues which were relevant to her current portfolios she would look into them. To say I was flabbergasted is the understatement of the decade.
I dribble on my own blog and looking back at what I have written over the last year or 2 it is interesting to note that I still hold socialist values (or what I call values of fairness and equity, I hate labels) but also have no problem in hammering some of the decisions of Labour. I have been accused of being a National Party hack by some on other sites which is hilarious when you look at some of my entries on the blog!!
http://ramblingsofanulstermanabroad.blogspot.com/
When I see some of the one-eyed comments from the hardcore Labour supporters it makes me cringe and don’t even start me about the hysterics of the Winston disciples!! (The only word to describe Winnieites adequately).