No Tea With Key Planned: Dunne

No Tea With Key Planned: Dunne

http://www.electionresults.co.nz/

Wellington – United Future Leader Peter Dunne says he is not planning on a public cup of tea with National Leader John Key to ensure he holds on to the seat of Ohariu.

Dunne is currently hotly picked to win Ohariu, well ahead of Labour’s Charles Chauvel after National stopped campaigning for the electorate vote in the Wellington suburban electorate.

Today Key had a symbolic cup of tea with ACT’s candidate in Epsom John Banks, with many cameras in tow, to shore up Bank’s chances in the Auckland electorate of Epsom.

On iPredict Election 2011 broadcast on Stratos Television tonight Dunne was asked whether he would be seeking a similar ``tea date’’ with Key.

Dunne said he could have cup of tea with Key anytime, but was not looking at a similar public engagement to Banks.

If Key called and said they should do it then Dunne said he probably would, but he was not planning on it or expecting it.

In 2008 the seat was a three way race with Dunne’s 12,303 electorate votes comparing to Chauvel’s 11,297 and Shanks 10,009.

Chauvel has been working hard to portray Dunne as past his use by date, though the flipside of this is that Dunne is a legendary electorate MP and he has been working these suburbs for decades.

The Green MP contesting Ohariu, Gareth Hughes, has said he would only contest for the party vote and endorsed Chauvel saying `` "I like Charles and I think Dunne is done".

At the last election more than 2000 in Ohariu gave their electorate vote to Hughes, balancing this 10,000 voted for National’s candidate Katrina Shanks.

Dunne said on iPredict Election 2011 that the combined United Future National electorate vote exceeded the combined Labour/Green vote and he was telling voters if they wanted the current government arrangements to continue they should vote from him.

On the streets he was not picking up anger about civil service cuts, despite his electorate housing a large proportion of public servants.

Dunne said he told the electorate that if they wanted the current Government to continue it was best to vote for him with their electorate vote.

United Future has been polling below one percent in polls and around that mark on iPredict.

United Future will need about 1.2 percent to bring in a second MP and around 2.1 percent to get three.

Dunne said his party would rise because voters would realise they needed a moderate pragmatic party to balance ACT’s mad ideas.

``We need sufficient numbers to be that bulwark,’’ Dunne said.

http://www.electionresults.co.nz/

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