National Party climbs closer to record high in latest NZ opinion poll...

National Party climbs closer to record high in NZ opinion poll...

PM John Key

Prime Minister John Key. Photo / Mark MitchellThe National Government's support has risen to near record levels while Labour's polling has fallen below the 30 per cent mark in a 3News poll reported last night.



According to the Reid Research poll, National's support was up 2.9 percentage points to 57.5 per cent, not far off the record 60 per cent it hit in the same poll two years ago.



Labour was down 3.8 percentage points to 27.1 per cent.



The Greens were down half a point to 7.7 per cent, NZ First down half a point to 2.8 per cent.



The Maori Party was up marginally at 2.5, and Act picked itself up off the floor, rising 1.1 points to 1.7 per cent, while United Future remained the cellar dweller at 0.2 per cent.



Labour also fared poorly by the preferred prime minister measure. As Prime Minister John Key rose a touch to 52.4 per cent, Phil Goff remained at 6.8 per cent.



Commenting on the result, Mr Key told 3News National was "very focused on the issues that matter to New Zealanders - they are in relation to the economy, the earthquake, law and order".



"The contrast between us and Labour is that Labour are focused on themselves."



Mr Goff, who in the past month has had to contend with the Darren Hughes affair, rumours of a leadership coup, and Damien O'Connor's criticism of the party's list selection process, acknowledged it had been "a couple of hard weeks in politics".



The poll questions 1000 voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 per cent.



Acknowledgements: Adam Bennett/ MSN News

Was Chris Carter right - Phil Goff is not the right man to lead Labour...

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One has to really feel for Labour MP Chris Carter. What a stupid thing he did writing eo rgw mwsia in a self addressed envelope which revealed his identity.

Now about the comments he made about Labour leader, Phil Goff. Was Chris right about Goff's ability as leader and an alternative prime minister to lead New Zealand? At this stage I would have to agree with Chris Carter, Phil Goff is not the right man - but who else? David Cunliffe? With some leadership experience I would say yes.

David told me on Facebook that Labour's leadership was all decided and supported by the caucus through to the next election. Mmmmm! But things and times change!

We know what National intends to do after the elections, sort of. There will be some form of privatisation of state assets or government departments. Some PPP's, most likely in education.

What we need is a leader who will come out and state that all privatisation will be reversed; only compensation will be at original cost! The old fashioned re-nationalisation! If Key and his cronies know this, they will be very careful setting up PPP's and other privatisation programs.

So we will finish the way we started - was Chris Carter right about Phil Goff not being the right man to lead Labour? And I would have to agree with him at this stage.

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• PRESS DIGEST-New Zealand newspapers - June 14 (reuters.com)
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National is a one term government but...

National is - should be a one term government. It has renegued on its only real policy - tax cuts! It is making a hash of everything else as this inexperienced and inept group of politicians blunders from one crisis to the next.

Its only saving grace is that the opposition Labour Party lacks leadership since Helen Clark and Michael Cullen gave Labour and the country the flick.

If there is an alternative to blundering 'FIll In' Phil Goff it needs to come forward now, because National has signalled it will return to privatisation in a new and real way in its second term.

New Zealand needs that leadership now! It will have enough time to gain experience and public exposure. If it leaves it too late, National may be tempted to call an early election to stymie any future Labour plans!

NZ the way you want it...

David Shearer will win the MT Albert by-election tomorrow by the proverbial country mile from one of the most stupid women in politics, Melissa Lee.

Richard Worth has no value within the National Government any more. Not worth the worry!

National's policies are a dogs breakfast in any case. Nine day fortnights, cycle tracks from the North Cape to the Bluff. Boot camps for the biggest and baddest young crims. Privatising ACC. Scrapping adult training programs. Yeah right!

Starting to sound like Rob Muldoon's "NZ the way you want it." Yeah right again! A national disgrace and disaster. Have you noticed we no longer have regular political polls? I wonder why?

David Bain is not guilty. But is he really innocent? Who shot Robin Bain? Was O.J. Simpson innocent?

John Key wants to be prime minister of New Zealand - harden up John...

John Key wants to be prime minister of New Zealand - harden up John!

John Key claims Labour is seeking to smear him and the National Party over the H-Fee Scam: Re Equitcorp and the infamous H-Fee money transfer scheme which ranks as New Zealand's most notorious white-collar crime. This landed Allan Hawkins and Elders executive, Ken Jarret in jail - it was alleged to have been devised as a method of covering up payments to Equitcorp for helping Elders in a takeover bid for BHP.

Questions have been asked about John Key's possible involvement with the scammy scheme. Key worked at Elders Finance in the 80's, and had some questionable workmates? Key claimed he left Elders in 1988. The dirty deeds actually occurred two years earlier, and Key was still employed by the company at that time.

John Key is upset that Labour is trying to smear him less than a couple of weeks from the election.

What does John Key think that he and National and the media have been doing to Winston Peters for the last year or so?

Harden up John! You do want to be prime minister of New Zealand, don't you?

Same old, same old discredited Tory party - don't deserve to govern...

Nats accused of bringing back failed policy - the same old discredited policies of the 1990's. They didn't work then and they will not work now!


A Rotorua social agency says National would be doing itself no favours if it brings back failed social policies. Bring in policies that would ENCOURAGE mothers of young children to return or go out to work. National is still stuck in the time warp of the 1990's. Their policies will encourage employers to pay low wages because women would be forced out, not encouraged to go to work. A win-win for employers and the National Party who are still want low wages for those who will never vote for them!


The party is expected to announce today that if it wins the election, it wants solo parents on the domestic purposes benefit to work or undertake training when their children reach school age.

Paul Blair from the People's Advocacy Centre spokesman says the only ones who would benefit from the scheme are employers prepared to pay low wages to solo parents.

Prime Minster Helen Clark also believes National is dragging out old policies. She says such a move amounts to beating up on solo parents.

"It's the hoary old work for the dole, when actually, we've focussed on getting people into real jobs and that's why even in a year of slow down, we've just had employment figures come in which are still under four percent. It's a complete waste of time trying to enforce work for the dole."

Miss Clark says the people behind Mr Key are people who were responsible for disastrous policies in the 90s and led to the party being booted out in 1999.

However, former Act MP Muriel Newman, who now works for the Centre for Political Research, supports the policy. She says there is currently a lot of talk about child poverty, without any focus on parents.

"The real way to help children out of poverty is to help their parents get a good job and move up the employment ladder. That helps them and the children as well."

Ms Newman says research shows that children living in poverty have parents on benefits.

National still haven't learned from their disasterous nine years in office during the 1990's - they still haven't earned the right to govern. Don't vote for th discredited right wing Tory party!