TV3 and TV1 Polls shows public don't like Labour's arrogance
According to the latest polls, National has enough support to govern alone, with more than half the vote and 70 seats. Helen Clark is no longer the preferred Prime Minister and her party can't even rely on the Greens to govern.
And the Maori Party has the third most support in terms of seats on the House, and in my view the National Party should be taking them more seriously.
One telling factor is the Electoral Finance Bill. Labour and friends who support this bill should be worried. The Greens, United Future and the Progessives are relying on getting an electoral seat to remain in Parliament. On this poll Labour's friend's 65 seats will be reduced to 48 seats.
Lets look at the minor parties individually.
Labour is on 36 percent, and 35 percent on the TV1 poll, its lowest since 1999. The Greens have polled lower than 5 percent three times in a row. If they do get more than 5 percent at the election, they will most certainly lose some MPs.
Three minor parties are really latch-ons to their leaders, who are all ministers.
NZ First is hovering at 2 percent and its support for the Electoral Finance bill should kill them off.
United Future and the Progressives are relying on their leaders to regain their seats to remain in Parliament. Here's hoping their vote falls drastically.
No wonder Winston Peters and Helen Clark are so angry with the NZ Herald. It's not because of journalism, its because it's editorials on the Electoral Finance Bill exposed the truth and appropriate coverage to ordinary New Zelanders - that those inside the beltway were aware of for some time. And this bill could cost Labour the election and NZ First its place in Parliament.
But why is the poll so bad against Labour. Apart from Trevor Mallard's physical assault on Tau Henare, his verbal assault on Erin Leigh, and the Electoral Finance bill, there are also other issues. Ther appears to be a feeling in the electorate that Labour's intolerance of any criticism of the Government and the public service is unwelcome. But in my view that intolerance extends to Dunne and Anderton whose existence in Parliament is due to the constituent vote - and these MPs dont give two hoots about constituents who oppose the Government line. Like Winston Peters, their motivation for being in parliament is the baubles of office, as opposed to representing constituents. All three are as bad as each other.
There are several models of how elected representatives carry our their functions. When you look at the leaders of the elected minor parties in terms of the Electoral
Finance Bill, (save the Maori Party and Act), they dont pass judgement on behalf of electors when making decisions (the trustee model), they are not being guided by constituents (the delegate model) or pursuing preelection manifestos (the mandate model),their leaders are seeking advice outside their constituency and ignoring constituents views.
And when any MP does this, let alone party leaders, they do not deserve to be constituent MP's. Meaning Anderton and Dunne's parties don't deserve to be in Parliament. Yet it looks like NZ First is more likely to lose representation after the election, with the Greens reducing in numbers all because it wants to suck up to Labour for illogical political reasons that have nothing to do with its support base.