Posts by Idiot Savant
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The last by-election in NZ was Taranaki-King Country in 1998
I guess Te Tai Hauauru just doesn't count then...
(though it is hardly comparable - there was really only one candidate, the major parties didn't run, and so turnout was an appalling 28%...)
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Well yeah, but I'd wager that the support bases of Alliance and Labour intersected a lot more closely in 1999 than those of the Greens and Labour in 2009.
Primarily because the Alliance was built around people who felt abandoned by Labour during the 80's...
There are some fundamental aspects of the Greens (marijuana policy and Sue Kedgley, for instance) that just aren't that attractive to a lot of Labour supporters.
Yeah, and Phil Goff and pandering to the "hang 'em high" brigade probably aren't that attractive to the average Green. But despite those differences, there is still tremendous common ground they can work together on. And maybe one day they'll get the chance.
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It probably make senses for Labour to help gift the Greens an electorate to try and get the latter an insurance policy akin to Act's Epsom. Perhaps Rongotai when Annette King retires?
Or they could let the voters decide...
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I don't agree with I/S though that campaigning is somehow seperate from governing. I thought Labour and the Alliance proved the advantages of sympathetic campaigning to win in 1999.
There's nothing wrong with sympathetic campaigning and highlighting your ability to work closely with another party in coalition. But note that in 1999 this did not extend tot he alliance meekly bowing out and clearing the field for Labour 'so the left could win".
That's what Ihave a problem with, and its what some labour supporters seem to be implicitly demanding.
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Good lord, I'm not trying to be a spokesman for anyone.
I'm sorry - I wasn't taking you as one. It was a general comment, stronly-worded because I have some quite strong views on political competition, large-party arrogance, and "solidarity" / "united front" bullshit.
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I/S, aren't you ordinarily an advocate of consensus politics?
In coalition-making, yes. Not in elections. In those I favour strong political competition, and the people seeing a variety of alternatives so they can choose between them. You fight your corner, then you do your best to work together on the areas of common ground (and the Greens and Labour have plenty of that).
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If Norman was to poll well enough to let National through the middle, it would damage relations between the parties, at least in the short term and at the grassroots level. I would imagine the local Labour people would feel carpetbagged.
Fuck 'em. It's an election; you fight your corner and let the people decide. This recurring attitude from Labour that everyone else should shut up and get out of the way so that they can win (in the name of "solidarity", of course) is simply arrogant.
And if Labour is so concerned about vote splitting, they can always push for preferential voting in electorate votes, rather than clinging to an outdated plurality model.
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In the past, the UN has tried to arrange peacekeeping forces by raising troops from national armies. New Zealand occassionally provides soldiers to these efforts. If instead of sending our army in the future we were to send cash which was used to purchase private military services, I'd have no problem with calling this privatisation.
You'd be wrong. The correct term is "scutage".
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Parliament is debating swine flu at the moment...
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Survivors it's time to start stockpiling food and munitions.
So I wasn't the only one seeing passports being stamped then?
Actually, those opening credits are a nasty reminder of how fast a serious disease can spread round the world - and that was in 1976! Since then, globalisation and the massive increase in international travel will have only made it worse, while the importance of tourism and trade makes governments incapable of a proper response until it is too late.