Friday, October 13, 2006

Remembering Waterloo...

I am not a person who begs or offers compromise. There is no such thing as half-sin. I admit that I can be occasionally dogmatic. Occasionally, some might say that I take an unreasonably intractable stance. I loathe socialists. I dislike liberals. I hold the entire Labour Party in contempt. There’s just far too much tolerance for the kind of dishonest, incompetent shits who will preside over $25 billion in fiscal surpluses over the last three years and look you in the eye and say there has been no money for tax cuts.

Fuckers. That’s what they are. There is no room for justification for that kind of dogmatic incompetence that is starving the New Zealand economy of productive growth.

Labour is now wriggling and writhing with anything but contrition for stealing $800k of taxpayer’s money to outspend everybody else during the election campaign. Their hastily-compiled thebigwhiparound will show them just how much support they have lost from their own voters. Labour has fewer than 5,000 members—less than a quarter of National’s membership. Political parties generally find it notoriously difficult to fund-raise outside an election year at the best of times. Labour has no financial reserves: they spent their entire war chest at the last election, and dipped into public funds to outspend everybody else, because they didn’t have any cash of their own left. Labour is very lucky that the Auditor-General did not have the power to require parties to pay back the overspending: if they had, Labour would be looking down the barrel of insolvency as a political party.

Labour is now in Government due to the choices of 22,753 voters who swung to Labour instead of National. That’s less than 1% of the vote. Labour also misused some $800,000 of public funds to outspend everybody else during the election campaign by the same amount. It is all very well for slimy pinko activists to say that the pledge card had little effect on the result—except that Labour’s own strategists claimed before the election that its pledge card was the key plank of Labour’s campaign. It’s also clear that Labour’s massive publicly-funded electioneering—which amounted to a 40% publicity boost over National, particularly in the critical last few days of the campaign—must have had some effect. Just how effective it was can be disputed, but the effect of Labour’s taxpayer-funded spend-up has put the 2005 election result as a whole in doubt.

Ordinary Labour members aren’t going to cough up $200 each to fund the corrupt actions of Labour’s caucus. Labour’s leadership is in a state of delusion if it believes that Labour’s members will front up with cash.

Of course, Helen Clark and Mike Williams need to put up the pretense of exploring all avenues possible before hitting up Labour’s own caucus for the balance of what it owes. $20,000 per MP will hit them hard in the pocket, and will cause serious rumblings within caucus. That won’t be soothed by Labour’s slide in the polls, and the prospect that many sitting MPs will be turfed out will make them even more anxious and unhappy.

The three options for Labour are:

  1. Limit third-party funding of attack campaigns. Big consequences on freedom of speech, this is Labour’s Exclusive Brethren cause. Labour thinks it’s harming National, allegedly on the basis of Exclusive Brethren political activities in the last election. The National Party doesn’t need the Exclusive Brethren. They were a pain in the arse last election, and an embarrassment to National because of their political naivety. The EBs spent fairly large amounts of cash last election, with no positive return to National. Really, banning the Exclusive Brethren from campaigning is a blessing for Don Brash.What also occurred during the campaign was massive amounts of spending and activity by trade unions supporting the Labour Party by attacking National. They will also be covered by this clause, and limited in their campaigning.
  2. Limit anonymous donations to political parties. Labour is convinced it’s onto a winner here, despite the fact that Labour has received more in anonymous and corporate donations than National in all but one of the last seven years. Labour will also taunt National with the prospect of lowering the threshold for declaration of anonymous donations, from $10,000 to $500. That action is likely to publicly disclose the identities of more than 1,000 National Party members. There is no public policy reason for this. Labour’s sole purpose is to allow Labour Party retribution against individual National Party members who do no more than express their democratic right to support a political party that isn’t Labour. Except the political landscape has changed since the last election. For far too long the socialists have done their utmost to effectively communally outlaw any non-PC agenda. Just weeks ago, Pete Hodgson issued eight press releases in seven days calling on Don Brash to resign. His sole argument was that Don Brash doesn’t share Labour Party values. In an hysterical flurry of interviews that shrieked of Labour’s desperate last gasp towards totalitarianism, Hodgson proclaimed: “It is a fact that Don Brash cannot be Prime Minister. He must go. [Because we say so.]” Labour has now put itself in the position of having no chance of winning the next election. There will be no retribution from Helen Clark if somebody chooses to give $1,000 to National. My response to National members is go ahead and give all you like to the National Party. Do it publicly. Stand up and be counted. Don’t cower at Helen Clark’s threats of bullying.
  3. Public funding of political parties. Labour is already appealing to members to fund last year’s election. Their only means of evening the playing field, as they see it, is to penalize National by as much as possible, and provide for public funds for themselves. Voters will not support Labour’s argument for state funding: they may have done so before the overspending fiasco, but not now. Even Donna Awatere Huata, who faced the consequences of misappropriating Pipi Foundation resources for her private benefit, turned down a bonus payment from Pipi. Helen Clark is showing just how shameless she is by proposing a public funding bonus for taking taxpayer’s money she wasn’t entitled to.

There is nothing that Labour can now do to prevent a massive hemorrhaging of voter support between now and the next election. Labour is careening towards a long period in opposition. As with National from 1998 onwards, Labour has to start thinking about first principles, renewal, new leadership, and revival. The sooner it starts acting on it—and it can only do so while it is not desperately trying to hold onto the Government benches they obtained illegitimately—the sooner Labour will become a political force again.

National, on the other hand, has become the defacto Government-in-exile. Don Brash has to continue acting as the Prime Minister in waiting, with only the next election and a massive endorsement from a public sick and tired of Labour’s ineptitude, incompetence, socialist mind-control and corruption, standing between New Zealand voters and responsible government.

My advice to Labour is to do whatever you like to punish the National Party for Labour’s own disgraceful lying, cheating, and theft. Whatever vindictive actions you take now, you will not succeed in cheating voters out of responsible Government next time. Change the rules to make it easier for you steal money again, and the public will thump you harder at the polls.

My advice to Don Brash is to start talking about his first acts as Prime Minister, once voters have turfed out this torrid, awful government. Announce that his first move will be to cut any proposed state funding of political parties, and get parliamentary noses out of public troughs. Whatever Labour do to feather their own nests, Don Brash will reverse. Don Brash’s rules—no public funding of promotion of any parliamentary activities in the three months prior to an election—will eliminate electioneering rorts from Labour happening again. A full commission of inquiry by an independent and respected High Court judge, examining all of the allegations of misdeeds by all political parties and their associates, will take the self-serving interests of MPs out of their hands, and do much more to restore credibility in New Zealand’s parliamentary democracy.

I expect in the next week or so, Don Brash and Judy Kirk will announce an important National fundraising campaign to prepare National for the next election. They believe it will be sooner, rather than later. Unlike Labour supporters, aggrieved at being asked to pay for Labour MPs' wrongdoings, National supporters will be paying for a genuine cause of change.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

This Labour-led debacle, will be seen by all the new crop of National back benchers' as a great and long to be remembered, lesson on what is "correct behaviour".
And I haven't even mentioned "Tiler Field".. well, until this very last moment.

Anonymous said...

again IP you are displaying a level of insight which is enlightening. It is indeed time for Don to start acting like the PM in waiting and making statements as to his first activities as PM. This issue has galvanised National, and allowed them to start showing themselves as worthy of the treasury benches. Even Brownlee who I have never personally liked is stepping up to the plate with succesful attacks, and thereby gaining kudos.
I see that Farrar is now campaigning for a new fund to advertise those party's who have refused to repay their misappropriation of taxpayer funds. How do you see this panning out, as it might lead to a few problems with coalition partners, should National fail to get to 50%? I suppose they only need to get to 48% and the treasury benches are theirs

Anonymous said...

Nice post!

sagenz said...

The trouble is that combined poll numbers for the left have barely budged since the election despite everything. Victory for National is not a given. Otherwise I completely agree with your post and have just blogged similar thoughts.

Anonymous said...

Whatever you do - don't forget the Maorimander

National needs more than 48% because there will be 7 or 8 maori seats next time around, pushing up a much bigger overhang.

That's why we need to fix the rules first
--- eligibility, funding, campainging, get rid of RadioSocialism and TVHelen - BEFORE we can have any kind of "free or fair" election.

If an election is held under rules Labour puts in place then the result will be another Labour government.

Labour, their lickspittle unions, and hangdog Greens and NZF must sinply all be abolished
before any kind of democracy can be returned.

Don Braash knowsh this, and come the hour, comes the man.

Anonymous said...

What a great post. I would agree with all you have written except for one fact.
This is NZ.
The voters have shown that all will be forgiven and forgotten if there is enough loot in it for them.
Nobody wants this shower of shit put out more than me, but i cannot see how it will happen. working for families has made benficiaries out of a huge number of voters, and I can see mallard/ cullen and co screaming about nationals secret plans to remove it if elected. Who cares if it is the truth or not. They will scream and shout, get more than their share of media while saying it and nobody in the MSM will question it.
As for their urgent need for cash they should visit Bob Jones. A less kind person than me might suggest he has the most to gain with the continuation of a socialist govt. Just look at the the rents for wellington CBD office space. and who owns a good chunk of it.

Anonymous said...

Good blog but there's something this young Nat is missing. An "independant and respected High Court judge". What the hell is that? They refuse to look at constitutional issues at all. We'd do better getting a Liberterian to do it - at least these crooks would have to start looking over their shoulders. National may be the lesser of two evils but its not much of a choice really. Communist weirdos or randy bankers? Surely there has to be something better? Whether we deserve better is another issue though.

Insolent Prick said...

sean:

Those are fair points. I really don't want to start a squabble between different elements of the centre-right, but what we are beginning to see is the right making inroads into core centre-left support. As for coalition partners--frankly, I don't see Winston being there beyond the next election; If Dunne is around--and that's less of a certainty--he will go with whichever party has the largest number of seats.

As for Rodney, I think he has a useful contribution to make in a National-led government. I think he could make a bold contribution as Minister of Revenue. As for what needs to be done to keep him on board--I think giving him an easy run in Epsom would be as good a move as any. Putting Richard Worth up as the candidate again would probably achieve that outcome.

The major risk is the Maori Party and the likely overhang if it cleans up all Maori seats. National does have to be prepared to make concessions to the Maori Party; at least get a commitment from them to agree to negotiate with the largest political party first.

Anonymous said...

Yes the hard decision on strategy is still come...

Whether or not to go all out for >>>50% of the vote (needed to form a government under MMP due to Maori seats, NZ First, United Future, etc) by going all soft and gooey and making all sorts of promises (a la Jim Bolger in 1990 promising to get rid of the super surtax) which can't be kept.

I would still say with MMP and coalitions, that it is still 50:50 as to whether the Nats will get up or whether we see another Labour-led government (blerk).

AA

Anonymous said...

You must be living in cuckoo land.
where are your brains.
Kiwis are stupid they vote for an ideal not on issues or results.
why do you think Labour have lasted for 3 shafting terms.
because the kiwi doesn't think nor do they have asense of right or wrong.
they are an apathetic bunch.
oops I'm one too.
silly billy.
MikeNZ

Anonymous said...

Don Brash now tarnished by undenied allegation of affair with Diane Forman - of Business Roundtable / ACT background.

A further allegation is that she assisted Don to take over from Bill - if the email on TV was in fact genuine.

Why are we waiting everybody?

Insolent Prick said...

Anonymous:

You are now tarnished by an allegation that you have an inverted penis, which you are yet to deny.

In other news, Helen Clark is tarnished by allegations that she is a socialist, and has received help from the CTU's Ross Wilson, also of socialist background, to retain her leadership of the Labour Party.

Anonymous said...

The Trade Unions have been affiliated to the Labour Party since earliest days. Any news that Ross Wilson has been helping Helen Clark would be totally unremarkable.

The ACT Party and discredited Business Round Table are some distance to the right of National Party. [Romps around Parliament Buildings with Roger K anyone?] Roger + Diane = some frivolity it would seem! NZ's answer to UK upper class and royalty perhaps?

If that were not the case, why would you need an ACT Party at all?

Unless of course you argue that the entire National Party has moved to the far right with Diane Forman and Don Brash. That will be the day.

At the last election National's policies were further to the right that in previous years - with the Tax Cuts being the only one that Don Brash either talked about or could remember! [Of course now we learn from Don that the cuts would not have been sustainable .. too bad!]

But this would certainly not be the pragmatic National Party that has always been in the past. Maybe that is what Winston Peters means when he talks about their internal divisions!

You may have noticed that only the Maori Party has looked close to National in recent parliamentary times - and didn't they lead them up the garden path with 3-month trial employment! Hide/ACT bitterly disappointed with Don's news on Tax Cuts we might have got for 12 months of course!

Insolent Prick said...

Anonymous,

If you actually bothered reading anything I write, you would observe that I too am well to the right of most people in the National Party.

Go take your socialist bile somewhere else, shit-head. North Korea would be a good start.

Anonymous said...

IP ..

Not too many people are admitting to being that way out to the right these days! Just too embarrassing for words.

Apparently Nicky Hagar's new book has more to say about that. A short term obstacle with Don's injunction, but hopefully we will see it on the Newstands for our Xmas Shopping.

According to Radio NZ news at noon - it may contain evidence of much stronger links between National Party hierarchy and Exclusive Brethren. I can't figure out in that case why they have let Don Brash hang out to dry on this one - unless they know his days are numbered anyway.

I can't think of the relevance of your reference to N Korea. Extremes of the far left and far right (i.e. dictatorships) are of no interest to me. Interesting (but unsurprising) to see that one of the two is attractive to you!!!