ACT Conference

I have watched this proceed through the media lense little short of gasping for breath. How could two potential allies be making such a mickey of themselves, on such a public level?

• ACT President accusing National of leaving ACT feeling like a battered spouse
• ACT President accusing National's candidate for Deputy Prime Minister as being "not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree," and referring to the regrettable incident where he forcibly evicted someone from a National conference by throwing them down some stairs
• John Banks being brought back and demanding a high place on ACT's list

It just goes on and on. How bringing someone of John Banks' moral and social conservatism in as some sort of knight to the rescue of "ACT - the Liberal Party" is really beyond my comprehension.

National must be vastly looking forward to ACT's demise at this election. It is stunning that after six impotent years in opposition, the two parties of the centre-right are more concerned with beating their chests at each other than they are with getting on and convincing the public that they are actually capable of working together in the interests of New Zealand.

They should be utterly ashamed of themselves. And ACT people - hello? John Banks? Have you gone barking mad? John Banks is the kind of saviour New Zealand First would be looking for once Winston expires. Not the kind of person a liberal party of the centre-right is after - that is, not unless it has decided to desert its principles once and for all.

The shame of all this is that there are serious issues to be debated in the election. It would be a pity if that got lost in massive stories about centre-right infighting. Not that I'm really crying about it - but honestly, voters deserve better than this.

Comments

[looke]

Scared, are we? It produces that same gasping for breath effect. I would recommend putting your head between your legs the next time it happens.

[michael wood]

What's really funny to watch is the Rodney/Banks interplay.
A Banks win in Tamaki (which I frankly doubt) could well be ACT's salavation, but would at the same time would sound the death knell of Hide's leadership.

[Nigel Kearney]

Jordan sounds scared to me too. I'm sure he would much prefer a National party that won't change anything Labour has done.

At best, Banks is a necessary evil - and I'm not sure about the necessary part. I just hope they use a long spoon.

[James]

Yeah Banks is a worry and I think ACT is better off without him...Old dogs and new tricks etc....

[sagenz]

jordan. repeating falsehoods again are you. you are libelling Gerry Brownlee by suggesting he threw somebody down stairs. I was there and helped to escort the invaders out. They were handed over to security and no force was used. To repeat that lie is to repeat the libel. I suggest you take it down.

[Mike Collins]

As someone who was at the conference Jordan I can assure you Labour got more than its fair share of crititcism. However it does no harm to point out that the Nats are becoming another Labour type party and signing up to its stupid policies. New Zealanders deserve better than two very much identical parties.

Brash has said that he sees himself as an interim leader and was put there in order to lose less badly. The question New Zealanders need to ask themselves is do you want another term not only with Labour in government or worse a Labour government with a National lead by Geery Brownlee as the sole opposition?
Even people on the left will acknowledge that ACT has been the only real effective opposition.
I think one of the reasons that people support National is because of Don Brash (actually if it weren't for Don they might as well support Labour, unless they're voting out of identification with National).
If Don is taken away what do you have? The thing we need to get accross is that Don doesn't have control over the caucus or policy direction. So what New Zealanders think they are supporting when they indicate they would vote National is not what they will get. To get that they must vote for ACT.

[Millsy]

Well, imn my opinion, ACT are a bunch of nutters. I dont really see the resembalence that a center-left moderate social democratic government has with Stalinist Russia. Plus I dont see how a Labour-Green coalition is going to resemble Brezhnev's Moscow. (Brezhnev must be rolling in his grave).

It goes to show that ACT doesnt really give a damn about humanity.

[Mike Collins]

You flying on auto pilot again Millsy?

[dim]

It seems pretty obvious that ACT offered the Nats a carrot - coalition support in exchange for a party seat - and the Nats refused. ACT is now giving them the stick. Their refusal is almost certainly going to cost them the Tamaki seat which will probably go to Labour if Banks contests it for ACT.

[Jordan]

Why would I be scared? The entire left is utterly delighted with the farce you people are conducting on the other side of politics. We've been there, done that, and know precisely where it leads: to great activist satisfaction over standing one's ground against the 'corrupt centrist party' or similar, and also, inevitably, to electoral failure.

You're welcome to dig your own graves for this year's election. I'll just look on, amazed.

[Rich]

Maybe Labour should flick Act a seat - it'll be such a pity to lose them..

[Antarctic Lemur]

Maybe National and Act have to learn to avoid the TV news, as obviously both broadcasters are rather left-leaning. Can you get any more biased than presenting the two teenagers new party as a real political problem for Act? Was it really more important for the NZ public to hear than the message of the conference? I don't think so.

But then we are talking about a channel which takes Nicky Hagers word as The Truth, and another state-owned channel run by Labour appointees.

And Millsy - get back to us when you have some substantial statistics to suggest socialist policies produce long-term wealth for all citizens.

[kakariki]

Hey Jordan
Before you take down the bit about Brownlee throwing someone down stairs, you should read the court transcript. I have a copy, it's an entertaining read!

[Michael]

What was the outcome of that Court case? Wasn't National's deputy leader ordered to pay damages for assaulting an elderly member of the public who said that, but for the security guards, Brownlie would have thrown him down the stairs?
I'll happily apologise if I've got any of the above wrong.

[Jordan]

Lemur - sorry, but do you not recall the fuss when Nick Kelly resigned from Labour / protested outside Labour conference / waved a banner during Helen Clark's speech?

Bit of one sided view there mate.

The media are into sensationalist bollocks which is why they report such things. It's not a pro-left thing, it's a pro-stupid thing. They do it to both sides.

[Antarctic Lemur]

As a proportion of total media coverage given to Labour during their convention, im sure the coverage of Kelly was minimal.

It is what TV3 and TVNZ consider a 'sensation' that shows their leanings.

[sagenz]

michael, you are closer to the outcome in the court case. Jordan's lie is to say that Gerry Brownlee actually threw someone down stairs. He lost a civil (not a criminal) case on the basis a 60 year old greenie said he was scared of being thrown down stairs. Jordan - will you correct?

mike collins. you are not allowed to take the piss out of millsy here. it is not allowed for some reason. I have had comments deleted in the past for that.