There are lots of questions we could ask about the news that Lazarus is about to crawl out of the political crypt.
But I’ll stick to the $158,000 one.
When is New Zealand First going to repay the public money it used to pay for its campaign in the 2005 election?
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Homepaddock 
You are so right – that is the only question that needs to be asked HP.
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My question is the $5.60 one……the one about the value the National Govt puts on Carbon while it flatlines at 10 centsUS on the Chicargo exchange.
Winstons destiny is largely in Nationals hands. Bury the ETS which disadvantages us relative to our top trading partners and pass ACTS amendment to Section 59 and you will reduce any favourable winds Winston is seeking to harness.
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He
scares
you!
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Lazarus is about to crawl out of the political crypt
Beautiful phrase, Ele.
If this happens, and depending on what the opinion polls are looking like, I might have to grit my teeth and change my vote to the other centre party, to make sure that NZ First don’t end up around the cabinet table.
Dim said it: That’s gotta be 100,000 centre-left votes right there.
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FBB – I don’t follow the logic of voting on only one issue and then for someone who, if successful, would almost certainly help Labour which has a far worse version of the ETS. If you are are going to vote on only this issue wouldn’t it make more sense to vote for Act?
Robert – he is responsible for a lot of the damage caused by poor policy, particularly in the 20005-08 term. I’m not sure about scares but the thought he might have a chance to continue the damage concerns me.
Deborah – I think Dim’s right, especially if polls suggest National is likely to get the greater share of votes. I wouldn’t call voting National a lesser evil – 🙂 – but allowing the bauble king back into parliament, let alone cabinet, would be a greater evil.
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He’ll be gunning for Key.
He’ll have lots of support from disenchanted ex-believers in the ‘Key Dream’.
Lots.
He should scare you!
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Can’t get excited about this – voting for me is always an exercise of holding my nose and voting for the least unpalatable of a an unsavory bunch of self absorbed prats.
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Robert – he’s the one who refused to go into a coalition if the Greens were part of it. Does he concern/scare you?
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homepaddock – I dislike him intensely. I’ve met him personally and our dislike was mutual and immediate. His manouverings around excluding the Greens from government were infuriating.
Laws, I’d not bother to discuss, other than to say I like him less than Peters.
However, I believe it’s National who stand to lose the most through his rise from the dead, hence my claim.
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Robert, if he does stand how well he’ll do will depend on which parties he’d take votes from and how many people would hold their noses/grit their teeth (see Deobrah and Andrei’s comments above) and vote for a party they regard as the lesser evil to keep him out.
Every party needs every vote it can get and given the reasoning some people use when they vote it’s not impossible that someone might vote NZ First rather than Green.
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Lovely description, although I have to say when I read the story this morning my first thought was: “And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Wellington to be born?”
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Whats Winnie’s platform, and where is his constituency?
Bear in mind that Key has *not* changed Super (except for the better), and has promised to resign if its worsened. Perhaps more importantly Key has allowed the country to change at a decorous pace, has been sufficiently firm on lawn’order and generally allowed Winston’s flock to get used to him, even like him.
I don’t think Winnies got the traction left to do more than 2-3% at the polls.
JC
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Bearhunter – that’s funny – I remember the same expression being used by Trotter to describe the Brash-led National Party (which of course is scarcely different from the present Government)
Homepaddock – Winston Peters, poaching Green voters?
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Nice one.
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HP, you are jumping to conclusions.There was nothing in my post indicating what I was doing with my 2 votes. I was simply talking about a couple of ways National could hinder Winstons reentry. It is true that while John Key chooses to leave the Bradford/Clark/Key Section 59 in place and also direct authorities to, in effect,ignore light smacking, my party vote will not go to National.
Not only has John Key ignored a decisive referendum result. He has also brought about a situation where enforcement of Section 59 is subject to political whim.
A situation that could have been avoided by supporting John Boscawen’s amendment to Section 59. Of course that is still an option.
As far the ETS is concerned I see that battle as on going and yet to be decided. A battle that has just become a little bit more interesting.
I do have some time for Micheal Laws though I know he is not perfect. As far as Winston is concerned my thoughts are probably not too different to yours.
The Election campaign probably started with conservation estate mining issue so whatever Winston does it’s going to be a long one. Plenty of time to decide where my votes are going. Yes, I (and others of the same mind)could party vote Act. But it would be a mistake to take that for granted.
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RG. – a Brash led National Government would be getting the things that need to be done to improve the country done. Not being Labour lite like the present extremely disappointing lot
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pdm – indeed, such a Brash-led government would likely be acting like Act, Brash being an honorary (?) member of the Yellow Jacket Party.
I met Brash at a National Party ‘breakfast’. He eats poorly, that is, chooses nutritionless foods, though in his defence, that was all that was on offer. Green Party catering, on the other hand and from my eperience, is vastly better and leads to better decision making. This may to some extent, explain the poor performance from Key and Co. that you describe.
I certainly agree with your description. I’d go further.
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