Espiner endorses Super Saturday
August 17th, 2010 at 1:00 pm by David FarrarColin Espiner blogs:
I reckon we should have a mini general election later this year.
Just think, why wait for next year? And why should those Aussie have all the fun? With the decision by Winnie Laban to head for a nice safe post in academia, the way is open for Chris Carter and Jim Anderton to call by-elections in their own electorates, too.
We could have a Super Tuesday-style tri-series, with three by-elections all on the same day. That would save the taxpayer money, and spark a lot of interest in politics leading up to the general election. It’d also be a sort of dry run for Phil Goff, too, and would allow his colleagues a better chance to assess his chances of winning – or in the immortal words of Don Brash, to lose less badly – the general election.
There’s other advantages to a Super Saturday. With Carter being an Auckland MP, Laban a Wellingtonian and Anderton from Christchurch, we’ve got the majority of the country covered, so there’d be interest from national media across the board.
Add on George Hawkins also, for four by-elections in one day.
I think Labour should go for it.
Related posts:
- Espiner on the Air NZ fiasco
- Colin Espiner eating his blog
- A very insightful Espiner piece
- Espiner says Goff is playing the race card
August 17th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Espiner is a journalist isn’t he?
Its a journos job to endorse things now?
Vote:August 17th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Oh great – free Labour party advertising…..
Vote:August 17th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
To be fair he’s only endorsing an imaginary fancy. For a better idea of his range, try some of his fairy tales. Very instructive.
Vote:August 17th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Well what sort of shampo does he use then since he’s into useless endorsments.
Vote:August 17th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Labour would lose the lot
Vote:August 17th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
There’s mutterings of another three possible Labour safe-seat by-elections, at what point would JK up the ante to a snap election?
Vote:August 17th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
So now elections are just a media event?
Vote:And we’d have weeks of his and others’ inane so-called analysis, polls, worms, graphs and graphics.
In Oz they even have analysis of body language. What next? Phrenology?
August 17th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
One issue is that while there is a saving to the public purse in running this, there is a huge financial cost to Anderton. I can’t see him wanting to do this.
Vote:August 17th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
that is a shit load of sausage sizzles for Andrew Little to arrange
Vote:August 17th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Espiner’s blog is just a rip off of hooten’s nbr column on friday: http://whaleoil.gotcha.co.nz/2010/08/13/could-it-be-7-by-elections/
Vote:As usual, hooten probably just took dictation from kevin tailor
August 17th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Liarbour are so confident yet won’t put the theory to the test.
But on the other hand, neither will National.
Was Muldoons snap the last early election?
Vote: