2017 NZ General Election

[Bahnz]

Winston on top form today:

Re David Seymour: "the most expensive beneficiary in the country".

As much as I hate that man, you've gotta love him.

 

[_Ed_]

That is amazing.

 

[_Ed_]

Special vote results pretty much as expected:

National -2
Labour +1
Greens +1

The Greens bringing in NZ's first ever refugee MP is a pretty cool story.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

What's her back story? Iran is pretty messed up (admittedly no more messed up than most cricketing nations), but one of the most fascinating countries on earth. Were her parents supporters of the Shah, protestors against the ayatollah, Sunni, Shia, Zoroastrian, Bahai, Kurds, Christian, communists, academics, anti-Iraq war, supporters of D-grade comedians (like their daughter) or other?

 

[Fuller Pilch]

JK (love him or hate him) was our first child of a refugee PM

 

[straw man]

So is this going to be announced today or what

 

[Zinzan]

Bugger, clapping heard from labour's office. Writing on the wall?

 

[Spikey]

It'll end in tears anyway

 

[straw man]

Good luck to Ardern and Labour, it could be tough holding that coalition together.

 

[Athlai]

Athlai wins!

 

[_Ed_]

 

[Athlai]

I'm thinking this one would be perfect for Smudges new avatar

 

[Athlai]

Jacinda our new prime minister ladies and gents

Yeah...in 2020.

Winston isn't going to be able to resist making as big a splash as possible. He also will never forget National betraying him. He's going to red wedding those guys.

He also won't work with the Greens. So a Labour/NZF combo will fall short.

I think he'd accept them eating his table scraps

Fancy a wager?

Avaaaatar betttttt

You're on. One month of an avatar of the winner's choice once the Government is formed. You have any form of Government featuring Labour and I have any form of Government featuring National. Deal?

Deal.

The bet

 

[Spikey]

He did the deal!

 

[Burgey]

Will now watch NZ politics pretty closely.

 

[Dan]

Clearly this is all a play for Winston to take the PMship. Jacinda gets in trouble, opinion polls turn, Winston leaves the options of a snap election or collapsing the coalition to shift back to National. He uses this for leverage to take over the top job, probably saying something rather sexist and patronising to Adern as he knifes her.

#WinnieRed is all about that 4D chess.

 

[Bahnz]

Heh, and on the flip side John Campell couldn't quite keep the ring of triumph out of his voice last night on National Radio.

The NBR reported last night that Winston made an offer to National seeking 4 Cabinet posts, and when the Nat backbenchers balked at the proposal, NZF turned around and offered the same deal to Labour who duly snapped it up. It's hard to believe that Bill English would let the whole deal crumble over 1 or 2 extra Cabinet posts, and its shocking political mismanagement if true. Maybe some in the National caucus think it's better to bank on a Greabournz coalition coming apart over the next 3 years than to submit to an inevitable heavy defeat for a 4th term National government followed by a lengthy stay in opposition. But that's just dumb as well - all new Governments get a honeymoon effect and they're almost always sufficient to carry them into a 2nd term in office. The worst day in government is better than the best day out of it and all that.

Well done to Ardern. Her campaign slogan was naff af and she showed a degree of political naivety with the will-she-won't-she approach on tax, but otherwise she ran a near flawless campaign. Here's hoping she can translate it into a strong and succesful government over the next 3 years.

 

[hendrix]

I mean I'm from a traditional Labour background but it's hard o be enthralled with MMP when Winston gets to wield that type of power.

 

[Athlai]

What type of power? To be the combining piece of a centrist coalition between a moderately more socially/economically centre-left cadre?

That it took us a few weeks to form a government before the legal deadline of 23rd November?

I haven't seen anything so far to suggest anything that Winston had any kind of unwieldy power, the only reason the Greens weren't in the same boat is their own unwillingness to work with National. Compromise when representing a nation's interests is a good thing IMO. Obviously it's not going to be perfect but when I look at our system compared to all the other shambles around the world we've seen recently, this feels fairer.

 

[hendrix]

I can only hope that he's given up policy in exchange for cabinet positions because he panders to the lowest common denominator and you know exactly who they are Athlai.

Labour have done the exact same thing in the build up to this election. This is real dangerous territory.