General 2008 Election

[LordGnome_old]

She's just been goosed!

 

[Jesbass_old]

Actually, just looking at that 1983 photo, who is that at top left? Goff is top right, Clark is bottom left, and I'd bet Skinny's pay packet that Bob Tizard is bottom right.

 

[Northern_Union]

Question, does anyone think the MMP system is fair when NZ First got 4.6% of the vote but no electorate seats, yet ACT and United future with 3.2 and 0.9 percent of the vote BUT with one electorate seat each get 4 cabanet positions (ACT) and 1 cabanet postion (United Future). Something just seems totally wrong with that.

 

[Jesbass_old]

Question, does anyone think the MMP system is fair when NZ First got 4.6% of the vote but no electorate seats, yet ACT and United future with 3.2 and 0.9 percent of the vote BUT with one electorate seat each get 4 cabanet positions (ACT) and 1 cabanet postion (United Future). Something just seems totally wrong with that.

Of course. As much as I like the result, it doesn't reflect the way people actually voted. It's one of the shortcomings of MMP.

 

[Northern_Union]

Did anyone notice how dignified the Maori party people(Peter Sharples and Tarian Turia) were in there talks Nations when compared to the poisonus dwarf pairing of Peter Dunn and Rodney Hide? Hide and Dunn looked like greedy amatures grabbing at what ever they could get there hands on while fighting amoung each other.....on the flip side of that you the Maori party leaders.....take a bow Peter and Tarian you've shown NZ that there is still grace and professionalism in New Zealand politics.

 

[Jesbass_old]

What do you base that view on, NU? (Hide and Dunne - not Turia and Sharples.)

 

[Northern_Union]

Hide was playing games with Key early in the week by keeping him waiting for 15 odd minutes, making demands on cabinet seats and both Hide and Dunn taking pot shots at each others. One of the down falls of MMP, Labour and National having to deal with children to make a government.

 

[Jesbass_old]

Hide was playing games with Key early in the week by keeping him waiting for 15 odd minutes, making demands on cabinet seats and both Hide and Dunn taking pot shots at each others. One of the down falls of MMP, Labour and National having to deal with children to make a government.

Are you talking about when Key was 15 minutes early? The only people I've heard about being late were the Maori Party co-leaders, when they bypassed the media and went through a back entrance to a meeting 20 minutes late, but I don't see that as a bad thing.

I'm not sure what the pot shots thing is about - I've seen a tiny bit in the media of Hide, and nothing of Dunne.

 

[PB_old]

It's one of the shortcomings of MMP.

Actually it's one of the shortcomings of having a threshold rather than MMP itself. If every vote counted there would be no threshold. Joke parties like Bill and Ben would not actually run if they stood a genuine chance of getting in. Defeats their purpose.

 

[PB_old]

Hide was playing games with Key early in the week by keeping him waiting for 15 odd minutes, making demands on cabinet seats and both Hide and Dunn taking pot shots at each others. One of the down falls of MMP, Labour and National having to deal with children to make a government.

Dunne is maleable. Where the trough goeth, etc. Hide's just being a demanding so and so because that's his nature and he'll overplay his hand.

If Key plays his cards right and shores up loose agreements with the Maori party and Act - Dunne is an easy buy and so a fait accompli - then he has the basis to get his legislation through. Left or centrist he can find support across the house. He only needs ACT for right wing policies and ACT is not likely to vote against them anyway. They are best kept at arms length if they continue to make threats.

I have a lot of time for Pita Sharples. Not so much for Tariana Turia. A chip on both shoulders that one. Hope they get what they're after with the Nats.