Poll: Who's going to win on Saturday?

**MacD** · 18th September 2005, 17:29

Originally Posted by Fish

Nice!

Can I keep you around to lend depth and meaning to my posts on a regular basis, then?

We'll see!

**MSTRS:Me** · 18th September 2005, 17:30

Originally Posted by Fish

Now there's a proper political party for you. If I had the balls to do it (metaphorically speaking, as I don't have any to start with) I'd change my name to Tarquin Fin-tim-lim-bim-lim-bin-bim-bin-bim Bus Stop F'tang F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel and get it up and running again.

Tarquin Fin-tim-lim-bim-lim-bin-bim-bin-bim Bus Stop F'tang F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel THE THIRD. Jeez, can't you get anything right??

**Oscar** · 18th September 2005, 17:34

Originally Posted by Fish

Mâoris

If yer gonna parade your pathetic PCness, get it right.

That's the wrong accent on Māori, and the plural is Māori.

**Jamezo** · 18th September 2005, 17:35

We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children!

**Milky** · 18th September 2005, 21:42

Originally Posted by Fish

The Mâoris won't have a bar of supporting or entering coalition with a party that went into the election promising to abolish the Mâori seats. Their constituency may leech off the hardworking Pakeha and form 50% of the jail population, but it ain't stupid.

Turia and Sharples will mumble a bit to Helen about the foreshore and seabed stuff for a couple of days, and end up realising that they'll do better to let that go and get on with achieving what they can in the next term, which will be more if they're in coalition.

I agree, the maori party probably will get more done if they are in government, but I think that they will be better off on the cross benches, looking at the state of Alliance/Progressives/United. Greatly disparate numbers in coalitions have lead to the smaller parties being swallowed in the past, and as the maori party is relatively new, in my view, it would be better to consolidate its structure and figure out how to be a political party, not a racial party. Ironically, the creation and future success of the maori party may be the beginning of the end for the maori seats - one of the things they hold so dear. It may prove to the rest of the country, and maori themselves, that they can be a political force WITHOUT those special seats.

**MacD** · 18th September 2005, 22:01

Originally Posted by Milky

Ironically, the creation and future success of the maori party may be the beginning of the end for the maori seats - one of the things they hold so dear. It may prove to the rest of the country, and maori themselves, that they can be a political force WITHOUT those special seats.

You may be right, but not quite in the way you say. In his victory speech, Hone Harawira stated that his primary aim is to (re)establish a separate Maori parliament.

**Milky** · 18th September 2005, 22:36

Originally Posted by MacD

You may be right, but not quite in the way you say. In his victory speech, Hone Harawira stated that his primary aim is to (re)establish a separate Maori parliament.

uhhhh *shudders*

**Ixion** · 18th September 2005, 22:54

Originally Posted by Fish

What's te reo for 'Sieg Heil'?

*Invokes Godwin's Law*

Get thee gone.

**Pixie** · 19th September 2005, 11:49

Originally Posted by Gremlin

hubby?? I think. The one that thought she was hot wearing leather and riding scooter

Has anyone noticed how similar her "husband" and girlfriend look?

**Pixie** · 19th September 2005, 12:04

Originally Posted by Jackrat

According to the Mongrel mob it's "Sieg Heil"

It's always amused me that a group that would be the first to be trucked off to the gas chambers, use "sieg Heil" as a salute

**kerryg** · 19th September 2005, 12:20

Originally Posted by Pixie

It's always amused me that a group that would be the first to be trucked off to the gas chambers, use "sieg Heil" as a salute

Bring back the Third Reich I say.....

**Lou Girardin** · 19th September 2005, 12:27

Originally Posted by Milky

Ironically, the creation and future success of the maori party may be the beginning of the end for the maori seats - one of the things they hold so dear. It may prove to the rest of the country, and maori themselves, that they can be a political force WITHOUT those special seats.

How do you figure this?
They won 4 Maori seats, no others.

**Lou Girardin** · 19th September 2005, 12:29

Originally Posted by kerryg

Bring back the Third Reich I say.....

Fourth Reich aka Destiny Party. But they've a long way to go.
.55% of the vote

**Hitcher** · 19th September 2005, 12:40

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

Fourth Reich aka Destiny Party. But they've a long way to go.
.55% of the vote

What this tells us, gentle readers, is that most Destiny Church members don't vote for their party either. One word: Irrelevant.

**Phurrball** · 19th September 2005, 13:06

Originally Posted by MacD

I wouldn't rule out the Maori Party supporting a National-based coalition government. Here's an alternate view.

In many ways the Maori Party could be considered to be a brown version of ACT. It was formed as a response to a perceived alienation of individual (albeit at the iwi level) property rights, it strongly supports intellectual property rights, self-determination (ie. less government interference) and its manifesto included tax cuts.

Maori trusts and corporations are quite friendly with the business sector with whom they have to work closely, particularly in the areas of fisheries and forestry.

While the stereotype of Maori still seems to be of dole bludgers the reality is that there are many successful small and large Maori business groups operating in the community.

The Maori Party could also claim to hold greater sway over a National Government than a Labour Government. They could claim that they turned around the National Party plan to abolish Maori seats (which was probably always a hollow promise anyway) as a means of demonstrating their political power. What would being a member of a Labour government give them? Nothing more than the status quo.

Finally I suspect Tariana Turia would join a National coalition just to spite Helen Clark and the Labour party.

I guess we will see.

See we shall...

I wonder what the 'mainstream' New Zealanders would make of such a move from that Nats? It's open as a possibility...but oh the irony...

I'm sure that the Maori party would be just as popular in the Maori seats (should they exist at that juncture) as NZ first was in those seats after a term in coalition with National.

If the words of Hone Harawira on National Radio on the night were anything to go by, it isn't a likely scenario.

Labour hasn't lost any share of the vote, but the Nats seem to have pushed the the right spin buttons successfully. Perhaps by the next election the Nats might actually be ready to govern. Did anyone go through their policy documents and count how many things they were going to 'review'? Or check out their 82-word communications policy? Any party with such a paucity of well-defined policy isn't ready to govern. The Nats have proven you can almost win on hollow rhetoric and spin...but I'm thankful they aren't likely to be demonstrating what flavour of government can come to pass from such vague and ill-defined policy statements.

I'm just pleased that the government is likely to have a left-ish lean. Doesn't look likely that the Greens will have the influence on Labour I'd like...but never mind. It'll be interesting times, sit back and enjoy the show.