More political predictions

Chris Trotter and Matthew Hooton in the SST make their predictions.

Trotter predicts:

The Labour-led government will maintain the current economic settings throughout this year – even if this causes them to suffer short-term political damage. The need to maintain international confidence in the nation’s economic management must continue to over-ride all other considerations.

I think there are more predictions than that, but the article appears to be terminated prematurely.

Hooton makes five predictions:

* Labour will end 2007 with a more comprehensive tax-cut policy than National, while National will end the year with a more comprehensive climate-change policy than Labour.

* Labour’s latest attempt to develop any sort of climate-change policy will completely fail.

* At least one Labour figure will be charged with serious criminal offences before the end of the year.

* The Maori Party will suffer a few stumbles as scrutiny intensifies on the party likely to choose the next prime minister.

* Phil Goff will emerge as heir-apparent to Cullen and Clark.