Act will be mindful of the fact that it's toppled from a high of 18 per cent in one poll to the TVNZ poll the other night, at just 10 per cent.
What's led to this drop in the opinion of the Act leader, David Seymour, in particular?
In my view, he's become a little too cocky, a bit too big for his boots. What he's saying now is, and has indicated pretty strongly, that if there is a coalition between National and Act, what may happen is that he will give them support on confidence, but not on supply.
That would mean basically an ungovernable government. It's ridiculous, really. David Seymour has backed away a bit and saying he wants a full coalition with the National Party.
But just consider it if there was no support on supply it would mean that National would have to go cap in hand to Act on every piece of legislation.
Now it's different when they're sitting around the Cabinet table because there's collective Cabinet responsibility. That means that any decision that's signed off has the full support of Cabinet.
But in the absence of Act, that'll certainly complicate matters.
I don't think it'll come to that. I think David Seymour has made that pretty clear in subsequent statements he's made. But I think he overplayed his hand and that's why people are looking a bit askance at him and maybe looking towards New Zealand First and Winston Peters.
The polls now are tracking at around 5 percent and for Winston Peters, a month out from the election, a 5 per cent rating is pretty good because it means on election day he'll probably be quite a bit above the 5 per cent threshold.
The bitching between David Seymour and Winston Peters, though, continues with Seymour saying that he wouldn't sit around a Cabinet table with Peters.
Barry Soper is a New Zealand political journalist, and has been featured regularly on radio and television since the 1970s. Currently, Soper's main role is political editor at Newstalk ZB, a radio network in New Zealand.
4 comments:
Snide comments about fellow opposition parties and not wishing to work with them must be music to Labour's ears. National is just as guilty of such imprudent statements. Not clever. People don't like an arrogant smart-arse and some/many undecideds just may stay with Labour as a result. If I was a bookie I'd be lengthening the odds on a right-wing win next month.
Barry, if Luxon had the guts to get off the woke fence and promise New Zealanders a referendum on the preferred name of our Country and getting rid of the maori crap we are bombarded with he would get our Party votes. My wife and I are old National members but after Luxon kowtowed to the PC brigade promising to learn te reo we decided not to renew and put our faith in Seymour. Our electoral vote goes to National because our local MP does a good job but the Party is getting too lefty and gutless. Kiwialan.
Maybe Barry Soper, being a journalist of the past, your domain having been the Press Gallery within Parliament, you need to sit and talk to David Seymour and ask him - "why he will not work with Winston Peters".
At a ACT Political meeting, David was asked "that question" - his reply left the audience in no doubt as to "his objections", which was met with applause from the audience.
Therefore I take the "comments within this article, as being a negative toward ACT and it begs the question, when in Wellington - "How cozy did you get with Winston"?
I agree with David Seymour plus Act has great policies. NZ needs real change if we are to restore the morals, values, and sense of positive purpose and direction that existed before Labour came to power. Luxon doesn’t inspire any confidence any real change will be achieved. Sitting on the cross benches Act can ensure positive change.
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