Votes not polls will decide the next government

Votes not polls will decide the next government!

I really get a buzz out of the reactions of rabid rightwing National Party supporters whenever National has one of their extended periods of popularity as they have enjoyed in recent times. A lead of just on 15%, get real! Labour is still enjoying its successful election night percentage. National has just cannibalised most of the third party potential vote.

This is now an MMP political scenario - no party, including the Labour Party will ever enjoy such a percentage in the real vote. It is simply a protest poll result that will not change the present Government one iota. The only poll that matters is the one on election day. And that is nearly 15 months away!

That is not to say that Labour has not taken any cognicance of the situation. They will be fully aware of the potential public reaction to such results over an extended period. Labour's job is to govern the country to the best of their ability; that's exactly what has been happening. National should be opposing the government - that's their role. What is different is that there has been a distinct lack of real opposition to government policies and the Governmet for most of the last eight years. The media just can't handle the situation; they and the Government aren't used to it.

John Key thinks he's the one in charge, but there are no role models in the National Party anymore to show him. Bill English can't, and Don Brash as useless as he was is not around anymore. So John Key performs as though he knows what alternatives there are to the Labour led administration. The simple fact of the matter is that National doesn't really have any alternative policies that haven't already been discredited.

There are tax reductions and tax reductions, which would not kick in until a second term of an imaginery National Government in any case. Didn't you know that?

They also claim that the total privatisation of state assets will not begin until the second term - things like Kiwi Bank, NZ Post, Air New Zealand, all of the state housing stock, hospitals, schools and whatever else is left; according to National the state has no business being in business. Yeah right! Just what would they do? Attack beneficiaries, workers and National superannuants like the last time, but with a greater vengeance! Do you really want a pack of political shysters like National?