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A Seat for Colin Craig?

by Whaleoil on May 8, 2012

If National want Colin Craig in Parliament, they will need to gift him a seat. Not cup of tea give, an outright gift, with no National candidate running. The public wont accept another cup of tea, and probably wont vote for Colin anyway.

John Armstrong suggests National may have to placate Mark Mitchell, in order to tank Rodney for Colin Craig.

Tanking a seat is a big call, but watch the desperation of National when they realise they made a horrible mistake by not doing a David Cameron on the electoral referendum. Steven Joyce will do a deal with the devil to preserve his own power, and if this means tanking a seat he will try. How the public react is another matter, as it looks shabby and shameless – because it is shabby and shameless.

Colin ran in Rodney last election, and he might ask for that. The problem for National is there is a strong local infrastructure and a new MP in Mark Mitchell who will see no reason why he should walk away from his seat to preserve John Key and Steven Joyce’s power.

The better bet will be East Coast Bays, where Murray McCully has no electorate infrastructure, no team and is far more likely to walk away for a safe list position and a senior portfolio or a major job overseas. Word on the street is Muzza is a big fan of the Folies Bergere, loves the refinement of the French or at the very least French crumpet, and would take a dive for a major job in Paris.

Colin wont be able to win a seat even if National withdraw from one totally unless he stops running his own campaigns, gets some experienced professionals in, and works for six months on the hustings.

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  • Guest

    Completely agree. The city impact church that runs the Consevative Party behind the scenes is stronger in Albany and East Coast Bays anyway

    • Dogboy

       eh where do you get that information from City Impact have nothing to do with the party.
      They are more likely to have there own party than support the Conservatives.

  • Rocky

    Shabby and shameless it may be, but that is because the MMP system is shabby and shameless, its also pragmatic, and the only possibility of survival for a third term for National. You were right in your assertion that National needed to campaign for change while they were strong an influential. 

    • Kosh103

      MMP = most democratic system.

      • Guest

        No, MMP=institutional communism.

        Geographically Proportional Taxpayer Franchise = firm, decisive government

      • Agent BallSack

        If you have a hundred people in a room 49% vote one way, 27% vote the other way and the other 24% vote in decreasing numbers, yet the 27% get the mandate – You call that democratic? Get the dictionary out Kosh. Party line ad infinitum.

      • STEVE AND MONIQUE

        Guess MMP is the only way Labour can get the numbers to run the place.And considering they are polling below 30% its going to be one hell of a mix/match.Geez cant wait to see the Greens,Mana,and Winston wagging the tail of that Dog.

      • Kosh103

        Oh Ballsack -  National didnt get enough seats to form a Govt – the right wing did. You will find that under MMP the House reflects the peoples will far far more than it ever did under FPP.

      • Kosh103

        Given John Key is being held to ransom by John Banks the right is in no position to blather on about the tail wagging the dog on the left.

      • @BoJangles

         MMP =  Most Monumental Phuckup

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OK7Y7PCSTJ27RCKZ2MGRSAYCTE NEIL

       M M P = Much More Patriarchal well so far it has been…..

  • kaykaybee

    As an Epsom voter I find it hard to imagine the average voter here ticking for an ultra   conservative
    Christian. That’s not who we are at all.  Weddings, funerals and Kings and Dio chapel are more our brand of church.  We happily voted for the cradle-snatching, reinvented Rodney,  we sucked it up and  ticked for Banskie even though many of us consider him a pillock and  ACT he is not. But,even for those of us who are card-carrying Nats through to our core who will do almost anything to help our team cross the line, I feel that a non-Nat compliant, “I have my vision” type like Craig might just be one rat too big to swallow.

    • Guest

      It’s a simple choice – either you vote for Craig, or you’re voting for a Labour/Green/NZF/Mana/Maori/Dunne Frankenstein that will be illegitimate and unable to govern.

      • Euan Rt

        You are correct in suggesting it is a simple choice – we will not support Colin Craig in Epsom.

  • David Garrett

    “Guest” indicates the major problem Craig has…the media are already referring to it as the “Christian Conservative Party” when that is not its name…which is even worse than “Colin Craig’s Conservative Party” and that is not its name either…

    Perhaps “Guest” might like to provide some evidence that the City Impact Church “runs the Conservative Party behind the scenes..” But then as an anonymous commenter, he probably won’t…perhaps because he can’t…

  • http://voakl.net/ Ben Ross

    Err Conservative Party would be the odd mix here. If National is made of Neo Liberals and Neo Conservatives that is traditionally (and in the old system) Right Wing, what does that make Colin and The Conservatives?

    If I were to take it strictly from The Political Compass [dot] [org] The Conservatives looking at their policies make them Social Conservatives not Neo Cons. Last time I looked the party or parties that dominated the Social Conservative Block was NZ First and gasp Labour (although Labour like to occupy all 4 points of the compass depending on who in Labour is wearing the pants at the time).

    Social Cons are typically and in the old system Left Wing. 

    So Nats with a actual “Left Wing” party as a partner? Err might be an interesting mix.

    Btw go wiki Social Conservative, Neo Conservative, Neo Liberal and Social Liberal, then go take the Political Compass Test http://www.politicalcompass.org/  
    [there’s abundant evidence for the need of it. The old one-dimensional categories of ‘right’ and ‘left’, established for the seating arrangement of the French National Assembly of 1789, are overly simplistic for today’s complex political landscape. For example, who are the ‘conservatives’ in today’s Russia? Are they the unreconstructed Stalinists, or the reformers who have adopted the right-wing views of conservatives like Margaret Thatcher ?
    On the standard left-right scale, how do you distinguish leftists like Stalin and Gandhi? It’s not sufficient to say that Stalin was simply more left than Gandhi. There are fundamental political differences between them that the old categories on their own can’t explain. Similarly, we generally describe social reactionaries as ‘right-wingers’, yet that leaves left-wing reactionaries like Robert Mugabe and Pol Pot off the hook.

      could give a few here an insight or a wake up

    -Just saying here-

    • http://votenz.blogspot.com/ Joel

      I think the conservatives have a truly conservative ideology. They opposed asset sales because that’s too liberal for them. I don’t think they occupy the left-wing of the economic spectrum whatsoever – Colin Craig has talked about reducing government spending, and only opposed National’s tax cuts (through hindsight-glasses) because they were at the wrong time. 

      They don’t believe in increasing state spending on welfare, and I don’t think they believe much in income redistribution. They also have conservative views on law and order, and justice which also makes them distinctly different from the centre-left and left parties. 
      Thus, by being socially conservative, they may infact be able to take back some votes from Labour, and use them to support a National Government. That government may never be forced into passing much socially conservative legislation, as it can pretty easily vote against, and assuming the Greens do the same, those measures can be blocked. 

      • AngryTory

        They don’t believe in increasing state spending on welfare, and I don’t think they believe much in income redistribution. 

        Hell yeah! of course they don’t. IN fact they believe in terminating welfare as quickly as possible.  Did ACT ever manage any of that? Nope!

         They also have conservative views on law and order, and justice which also makes them distinctly different from the centre-left and left parties

        Fully-armed police & bringing back hanging sounds pretty good to me, and pretty good to every crime victim in NZ.  

        Best of all: absolutely no tolerance for unions whatsoever.  I think I saw a Colin Craig quote: Why send the Special Tactics Group after Dotcom, when you should have sent them to finish the MUNZ Pickets?

  • Kosh103

    I still say, after listening to Colin on The Nation, he would be better suited with Labour than National given his views.

    • Apolonia

      So Labour will
      1) restore crown ownership of the foreshore and seabed
      2) Make prisoners work instead of doing nothing
      3) Ensure all beneficiaries are in training or in a make work scheme (no free money)
      4) restrict foreign ownership of NZ farmland
      5) allow more choice in education

      • AngryTory

        Na. They’ll just take more of our fucking money and flush it down the crapper on bludgers. 

      • Kosh103

        Thats not how he came across on Saturday morning.

      • Kosh103

        Oh Tory I love it when you spout your nonsese. It is so refreshing.

  • Euan Rt

    National don’t want Colin Craig. They would be more likely to do a deal with a NZ first after Winston lets go of the reigns. Why split the right vote more? Winstons’ days are numbered and the probability that he will contest 2014 must be less than 50%. Banks will last till then but Epsom are unlikely to give him another chance. If National keeps making the hard decisions and keep a lid on spending then the public can vote on the result in 2014. They will either be ‘rewarded’ (read public support) or public will go all France/Greece and say, “we want more”, and we will get rewarded with crap Navy ships, useless helicopters, and more ‘mummy knows best’ law.

    • Guest

      Banks will last until after the budget. After that… 

      Winston will be around until someone finds his coffin in the daytime and drives in a silver stake. 

      Epsom will do what they’re told.

      • Euan Rt

        You are an idiot and I guess you don’t vote in Epsom.

      • AngryTory

        Wow – you must really like the idea of a 50% tax rate, 40% corporate tax rate, 65% effective marginal individual tax rate, WFF for bludgers, $100 fags etc etc from the Frankenstein Labour/Green/Mana/Maori/Dunne government. 

        Last time it was “Epsom won’t vote for Banks”
        Next time it will be ”Epsom won’t vote for Craig”

        Hopefully the time after that it will be ”Epsom won’t vote for Whale”
        and after that, thank fuck, it won’t really matter how Epsom votes because with Taxpayer Franchise the bludgers & troughers & civil servants won’t get a fucking vote at all!

    • Apolonia

      There will be no NZ First after Winston. Just as there are no Progressives post Jim Anderton.

      • Euan Rt

        I remember saying that myself some time back and I still believe you are correct, but as we are in speculation country, it would be possible for Winston to put his party before himself (I hear you say not possible Winston is NZ First, but remember we are in speculation country), He could groom a leader to replace himself and and create some policy other than racist …… what a wonderful dream, but then I woke up. No NZ First, no Conservative Party.

      • Richard B.

        Euan, the problem is that there is no one else in Winston First who he could groom as a new leader.

      • Gazzaw

        Have to agree with you Ap. For a man of 66 he’s aged a hell of a lot over the last couple of years. The price of many years over-indulgence. Therein lies NZF’s major vulnerability. Have we even heard the mayor of Campbells Bay speak in the House yet? Who is the heir apparent?

    • AngryTory

      Winston isn’t on the fucking right. He’s a commie, in with Labour.  

      Why split the right vote more?

      Precisely. Which part of 2.65% did your state school education not equip you to  understand?  Crag is here to stay. National can either split the vote or make a deal that will ensure another two terms at least.

       National keeps making the hard decisions and keep a lid on spending

      What “hard decisions”?  What “lid on spending”?  Please.

      Name one substantial policy of Hellen’s that National have reversed.
      Name one substantial spending cut that National has implemented.(And no, a revenue neutral tax switch doesn’t count.) Name one union National has deregistered.  Name one bludger National has thrown into the gutter.  

      Just one will do. 

      • Euan Rt

        Your name really is appropriate. Winston came out of National under Bolger. That is why I consider him on the right. Maybe I am wrong but his policies around equality of NZ citizens and no preferential treatment, to me fit more closely with National than Labour. The Hard decisions and keeping the lid on spending referred to sticking to the Zero budget and not get caught out trying to appease and raise minimum wages too quickly.

        “Name one substantial policy of Hellen’s that National have reversed.Name one substantial spending cut that National has implemented.(And no, a revenue neutral tax switch doesn’t count.) Name one union National has deregistered.  Name onebludger National has thrown into the gutter.”

        I don’t know why you want me to comment on this, but what I would say, if you are a poster for Colin Craig, then I really don’t think you have a lot to offer National. You need National more than National needs you.

    • David Garrett

       sorry to be a pedant mate..but the word you want is “reins”…the other sort are the province of Kings..

  • AngryTory

    It’s not about what National wants. It’s what National can get.

    Craig got 2.5% the last election with basically zero MSM coverage.

    Drop the threshold to 3% and they’ll be in, absolutely no question.  At 4%, even without a seat Craig will have a good chance of making parliament. 

    More importantly, it’s also about what NZ needs.  Craig offers the smack of firm government to NZ’s bloated bludging culture – far more so that wishy-washy ACT, where Rodders implemented Hellen’s plan for redesigning Auckland and thinks we should be grateful he was “competent”. 

  • Dave

    Mr McCully likes his French tarts and pastries.   

    His electoral office in Browns Bay is a few hundred meters form a well loved French patisserie and Cafe, Le Tropezienne, friends have spotted him there.   It is owned by French speaking nationals, and the food and service is great.Given MFAT’s move to save costs, perhaps McCully can be our “Virtual Man” in Paris, but under his own cuts, run the French consulate office from his current office via Skype and other modern communication mediums.    The walk to the cafe for his daily Latte and Croissant would help his physique and he gets to keep his views of Rangitoto.Thats putting his money where his mouth is.    

  • Adamsmith1922

    Colin Craig, an appalling thought that this dreadful man might due to MMP have to be a partner with National. Aargh

    • Kosh103

      Dont panic too much. I do not see him getting in.

      • AngryTory

        In your dreams.  But you didn’t see Key getting in. 

      • Kosh103

        Wrong Tory. I saw National winning both the elections they have to date. Gosh you must get tired of being wrong so often.

        Anyway, as I said, I saw their wins, just as I see them losing in 2014.

  • Blair Mulholland

    He wouldn’t be so bad if he just dropped that awful xenophobic policy about foreign investment. 

  • Apolonia

    National already have a precedent, they didn’t stand against Dunne in the past. Also they don’t stand candidates against the Maori party.   

  • Dogboy

    Fact this is not a Christian based party, just because a
    person has a Christian belief in a party does not make it a Christian Party. If
    we used that logic both the National party and Labour party should be called
    Christian parties too as they have Christians who are actually in parliament
    ahh the world falls apart, think not. Get off the religious card and focus on
    the policy and what the Conservative Party stands for and want to do.

       

  • Craig

    I’m afraid the National Party may be cruising for a bruising over this one. Remember 1987, 1996 and 2005? National is a centre-right political party and the Cons have what can charitably describe as clipon additional policies outside its core religious social conservative obsessions. Yeah, it may be anti-welfare but it’s also opposed to asset sales and wants to hold endless citizens initiated referenda. Cam, I think at least one of you centre-right bloggers need to read Geoff Dunn’s excellent book about Sarah Palin and see what happens when you sup with the raving right devil (G.Dunn: The Lies of Sarah Palin: Scribe: 2011).

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