NBR: ‘Hide sees possibility of returning to parliament’ + my comment:

www.nbr.co.nz/article/hide-sees-possibility-returning-parliament-nn-92598#comment-119570

Former ACT Party leader Rodney Hide isn’t shutting the door on his political career — although the man who rolled him could slam it.

New leader Don Brash doesn’t want Mr Hide to stand for re-election in the Epsom seat, and has indicated he doesn’t want him in Parliament at all.

But Mr Hide said on TV One’s Q&A programme that didn’t mean he was out of politics for good.

“I’ve got until November 26 to be the best that I can be as a minister and as the MP for Epsom. I’m going to do that, I’m not making any hasty decisions,” he said.

“I’m his (Dr Brash’s) best adviser and supporter…you learn a bit as leader of a small party in government, and also I know how hard the job is.”

Mr Hide almost certainly won’t stand in Epsom because Dr Brash wants former Auckland mayor John Banks to contest the seat, but Mr Hide could return to Parliament as a list MP if the party gives him one of the top slots.

He appears to intend trying to persuade Dr Brash to agree to that.

Dr Brash took over the leadership two weeks ago after Mr Hide stood down in the face of caucus pressure from MPs who didn’t believe the party could survive the election without a change.

At the time, Dr Brash wasn’t even a member of ACT and Mr Hide said today the change had been “rather unorthodox”.

He said he stood down because he didn’t think ACT or the Government, which ACT supports through an agreement, could handle the sort of fight that would have ensued if he hadn’t.

“I reconciled myself to that and I worked assiduously to get a smooth transition,” he said.

Dr Brash is hoping ACT can gain up to 15 percent of the party vote in the election, which would give it more than 20 MPs.

But Prime Minister John Key has told The Economist magazine he believes it will appeal to only “a very narrow slice of the voting population”.

Mr Key was interviewed while he was in London for the royal wedding, and The Economist has posted a video on its website.

Mr Key said he didn’t think the change of leadership would mean a great deal.

“ACT has always had an extreme right-wing doctrine as the founding philosophy of that party,” he said.

“It typically had an appeal to quite a narrow audience in New Zealand and, in my view, that will continue.”

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Comments and questions

Penny Bright | Monday, May 9, 2011 – 10:40am

“ACT has always had an extreme right-wing doctrine as the founding philosophy of that party,” he said.

“It typically had an appeal to quite a narrow audience in New Zealand and, in my view, that will continue.”

So – how come the policies and personnel of the National and ACT parties are so readily interchangeable?

Isn’t the reality that IN PRACTICE there is very little difference between the policies of National and ACT – when one looks at the legislation which has been passed by this National/ACT Government?

Take the Auckland $upercity.

National PROMISED to ‘consult with Aucklanders once the findings of the Royal Commission were known’.

www.national.org.nz/files/2008/local_government_policy.pdf

National LIED – on ‘shonky’ Prime Minister John Key’s ‘watch’.

Roger Douglas didn’t need to be a ‘Minister’.

The Local Government (Tamaki Makarau Reorganisation) Act 2009 which set up the underpinning Auckland $upercity (corporate takeover) framework was railroaded through Parliament under urgency in another ‘Rogernomic$’ blitzkrieg.

www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2009/0013/latest/DLM2044508.html

Of course – in order to get those extra MPs to make up the numbers needed for a centre-right coalition government – the ‘perception’ deception that somehow National and ACT are politically different creatures, must be maintained.

It is however – just ‘spin’.

The reality is that National and ACT are politically joined at the hip (pocket) – with big busine$$ backing to serve a big busine$$ – pro-privatisation agenda.

I totally agree with Hone Harawira’s analysis in his Sunday Star Times article
“Mana crosses the divide to fight for the marginalised” (Sunday 8 May – Pg 8)

“And while I’m talking about Brash, let me just say that while I ain’t no great fan of Rodney Hide, the way he got shafted was an example of the corporate style of democracy and government that should send a shiver down the spine of every Kiwi.

No reference to the voters, not even any discussion with the membership of Act, just a backroom deal with a bunch of rich boys, and Rodney gets dumped to make way for a 70-year-old whose claim to fame is that he lost a safe National seat back in the 80s, lost an election in 2005, and then lost the leadership of his party in 2006.

Don Brash is polite and pleasant but his political views make Attila the Hun look like a Socialist. ………….”

National and ACT are the pro-corporate “A” team and “B” team.

I agree with Bomber Bradbury – ‘A vote for John is a vote for Don’.

If the Botany by-election results for National (and ACT) are anything to go by – ‘shonky’ John Key’s masterful ‘Mr Popular’ spin-doctored ma$k is slipping.

In my considered opinion – once a ‘corporate raider’ – always a ‘corporate raider’…

NZ voting public – BEWARE!

Penny Bright
https://waterpressure.wordpress.com