Richard Harman has a very good article on Politik reviewing the NZ First Party Conference. It would appear from reading it there is something of a disconnect happening between Winston and his party.
The party appears to be attracting a broad-based demographic including the younger age group. These people represent the first generation to have grown up under MMP and do not identify with first past the post. They do not vote according to brand National or brand Labour but according to what a party stands for. They vote on a party’s values, principles and how their vision for society is articulated. I might add there was no mention of the economy from which everything else they might want will flow. However, they did mention there were another 111 globalist MP’s in Parliament holding things up. Music to my ears!
According to Richard Harman, many of the remits, of which there were 43, would not have looked out of place at a National Party Conference. These included increasing expenditure on defence, semi-privatise building inspection services, and investigate alternatives to land-based rating as a source of revenue for local Government. There was a call to look at trialling GE ryegrass as this could cut cattle methane emissions by up to 30 per cent. The gravity of the challenges facing farmers was pointed out and farmers had to have the tools. Sounds more farmer-friendly than Damien O’Connor! A remit was also passed allowing a revisiting of the West Coast hydro scheme and there was also support for oil and gas exploration.
A lot of that sounds more National than Labour to me. Yet in his speech at the end of proceedings, Winston chose to look backwards rather than forwards concentrating on bagging National. He made 15 references to National, all negative, then said he would negotiate with them after the election. What does this man take us for? My advice to National is to say no thanks NOW! The man needs to know he has NO bargaining power after the election. A vote for him is a vote for three more years of total ineptitude.
It seems to me the way to solve the current impasse between National and NZ First is to lance the boil on NZ First’s backside…..Winston.
