Free Press. ACT’s regular bulletin
/
Free Press
ACT’s regular bulletin
A Big Thank You
This
fortnight we are touring the country. Our members,
supporters, candidates and donors who put so much into
ACT’s campaign deserve thanks. By the numbers, we stood 41
candidates, delivered 580,000 addressed direct mail letters
to the letterbox, raised over $850,000 and reached 400,000
people per week on social media. ACT now remains one of only
five parties in parliament.
So, What
Happened?
Even opponents accept that we ran a
technically good campaign. There were no scandals or obvious
mistakes, yet we did not get the party votes. A partial
explanation is that all smaller parties suffered. Minor
party support went from 28 per cent down to 17 per cent, not
a good time to grow a small party. United Future, gone.
Maori Party, gone. Greens, halved. New Zealand First lost
their only electorate seat and a quarter of their support.
Too many people (wrongly) thought that they had to vote
National to keep Labour out.
So, What Happens
Next?
We must accept that, while we got some
things right, ACT’s approach has not worked. After our
national tour the ACT Board will be surveying the membership
and formulating a plan for the next three years that builds
on the things we’ve got right and changes the things
we’ve got wrong. If you are not a member and would like a
stake in this project, you can join here: http://www.act.org.nz/join
Why
Not Government?
Innumerate journalists have
reported that ACT will not be in Government because Bill
English/Winston Peters do not want ACT in Government. They
are even reporting that Bill English ‘told’ David
Seymour he would not be in Government. No such thing
happened. It was obvious on election night that no possible
coalition would require ACT for a majority. No coalition
that already has a majority has ever shared power and
resources just for the hell of it, so ACT is out of
Government due to simple arithmetic and laws of politics.
Sadly, with only a few exceptions, this is the state of New
Zealand journalism.
What About
Epsom?
Various predictions have been made, but
the following facts remain true: 1) Epsom voters on the left
and right regard David Seymour as a good local MP. 2) His
majority increased by a healthy 1300 votes this election. 3)
Epsom voters get the logic: electing a National MP would
mean one more National electorate MP, one fewer National
list MPs, and only one centre-right party in under a system
that always requires coalitions. With that in mind David
Seymour will now be working even harder to increase his
majority again in 2020.
Career Defining
Decision
James Shaw is a nice guy. He needs 75
per cent of the Green membership to ratify a deal with
National. Shaw should write to his membership and say: “I
have spoken to Bill English, he is prepared to make me
Minister of Climate Change with a mandate to pass a carbon
neutral 2050 Act like they have in the UK (the wets in
National would love this). This will be our first
achievement after 20 years in parliament. It will also
position us as the real power broker in parliament, able to
break left or right. If you don’t want to ratify this
deal, don’t call me, because I’ll be back in London with
a different number, and you guys will have another 20 years
to think it over.”
A Credible
Threat
The first thing students learn about Game
Theory is that threats must be credible. Shaw’s threat
would be credible. He is a talented guy with better options
than sitting on the sidelines with angry former communists
in colour-clashed rainbow anoraks who hate National more
than they care about the environment. Sadly for him, we all
know where nice guys finish. He has missed a big
chance.
Winston's Number One
Enemy
ACT is Winston's number one enemy. We
intend to continue to oppose Winston's reckless populism and
predict that while Winston may be our enemy we are about to
gain many new friends. Every other party is courting
Winston so it falls on us to let you know what is really
going on. This is the latest.
What Winston
Wants
The only thing Winston has never had is to
be immortalised, and that requires being PM. Most Free
Press readers can tell you that Norman Kirk was Prime
Minister, but who was his Deputy? (Hint, not Bill Rowling
who is known because he became PM). The coalition that
offers him the Prime Ministership will form the government.
It Makes Sense
Winston will drop
all his bottom lines for the baubles of the ninth floor.
Nearly half of his bizarre manifesto, more promises than any
other party, were for Northland. For some reason Winston no
longer cares whether Northland ever gets another
bridge.
What is the Prime
Ministership?
Actually the position of Prime
Minister carries very little power. The Prime Minister's
office is tiny, the Prime Minister is in charge of the
Cabinet Office which just handles the paperwork for the
cabinet and has no power. The PM is usually in charge of
the SIS and The GCSB but the truth is we have no secrets.
You learn more watching CNN. The Minister of Internal
Affairs has a bigger budget and more real power. The PM
chairs Cabinet and the power comes from allocating
portfolios. Under a coalition the parties would agree on
the portfolios. This would mean the Prime Minister would
really be just the front man for the
government.
A Show Boater
David
Lange was a show captain. The real power was with ACT
co-founder Roger Douglas. Winston has always just been a
show.
It Makes Sense
Press
conferences by Prime Minister Winston Peters would be a hit.
Jacinda has no experience. Her Captain’s Call on tax has
shaken her colleagues. Winston has over forty years’
experience. Her front bench who would do anything for a
ministerial car are willing to trade her for the Beehive.
National will do Anything
The
only thing that holds National together is the belief that
they were born to rule. While Bill is raising objections
that he won the election the rest of the Cabinet thinks to
keep office Bill should become Foreign Minister. National
now needs Minister of Maori Affairs and who better than
Shane Jones? Steven Joyce would run the Government like he
does now, so where is the problem?
A Slight
Problem
Winston is showing his age. He filled
out no fewer than nine false declarations when claiming his
super. The Ministry of Social Development tries to make the
forms easy for the elderly so it cannot have been easy to
get it wrong. As his departing MP has revealed, Winston's
behavior is increasingly odd.
ends