National Party

This weekend is the National Party CNI Regional Conference in Taupo. In terms of numbers CNI is 100% blue, with no red seats in the region. Other numbers worth bearing in mind are the outstanding electoral success of three members of the 2008 intake.

Jonathan Young increased his majority in New Plymouth, giving Andrew Little’s hopes of becoming Labour leader a big dent. Provincial MPs often get overlooked, but the word from New Plymouth is Jonathan is a bloody good campaigner and a well liked and well respected local MP.

In Taupo Louise Upston increased her majority from 6445 to a whopping 14115, cementing her reputation as a vote winner, and turning a formerly red seat blue.

Over in Rotorua Todd McClay was one of only three National MPs competing against a Labour List MP to increase his majority, with Tim McIndoe in Hamilton West doing slightly better than Todd in increasing his majority against a Labour List MP. Unlike Boris, Bluey had the huge good fortune of benefiting from the Moroney Effect.

So with no electorates in play the questions for the CNI delegates are more about how members get their voice heard in the party hierarchy. Are there enough remits and is the policy process working well enough that a good party member can have their ideas adopted as government policy? What plans do the party have to get more people between 30-40 involved, not just as members but actually contributing to the party? Should party members directly elect the president to get them more involved in the party rather than having the board appoint the president?

And finally, in what should not be seen as a slight on my long time friend in caucus, Scott Simpson, what is the party doing to ensure that good local people with good local connections win selection in seats in the CNI.

ᔥ NZ Herald

Judith Collins has done what she promised and filed her defamation suit in the High Court. Trevor Mallard is going to play hide and seek as he tries to avoid being served.

Justice Minister Judith Collins has initiated High Court defamation action against Trevor Mallard and Andrew Little but the two Labour MPs remain defiant, saying the case is unlikely to make it into the courthouse.

Ms Collins in March said she would sue the two MPs and Radio New Zealand for comments they made during an interview on the state broadcaster which linked her to the leak of a sensitive email to her from former National Party president Michelle Boag.

The High Court at Auckland yesterday confirmed proceedings against Mr Mallard and Mr Little had been filed on behalf of Ms Collins. However in a further sign Ms Collins has decided against suing Radio NZ, the broadcaster was not named in the papers.

Mr Mallard late yesterday confirmed he’d received a letter from Ms Collins’ lawyers Morrison Kent informing him proceedings had been filed and asking him to co-operate in allowing papers to be served on him.

“I see no reason to co-operate in what is clearly a vexatious action.”

He did not believe a full court hearing on the matter would eventuate.

He must be planning on settling then if it isn;t going to court…that is if he has the stones to allow himself to be served.

Recently, minutes of a National Party board meeting were leaked to the media.

It would appear that the minutes in question were stolen from the letterbox of one of the board members. Clearly there are risks with paper based board minutes that need to be resolved.

However – there is a solution to this problem, and it involves New Zealand technology which has delivered a great Kiwi business success story – Diligent Boardbooks.

Senior NZ businessman Mark Weldon has just joined the board of Diligent as well, he’s allegedly a friend of John Key so maybe he can arrange a discount.

If Greg Hamilton, National Party GM is reading this blog, I encourage him to pick up the phone and call Diligent Boardbooks right now, and ask how an iPad based board book solution can solve his security issues overnight.

The National Party has its LNI regional conference this weekend in Napier.  Delegates should ask the party hierarchy what they are doing about local government elections in 2013, especially since National opponents hold the mayoralties in the three major cities.

In Auckland Len Brown is vulnerable for numerous cock ups and generally looking like he is incompetent. He wants to spend all sorts of tax payers money on things National doesn’t want to spend money on, and has put rates up excessively in many National voting areas. He should be vulnerable but no one in National seems to be doing anything to run against him. Auckland based board members Alastair Bell and Peter Goodfellow seem to have done nothing to find a competent candidate to take on Len.

Wellington sees the Green Mayor Celia Wade-Brown facing a tough battle with Annette King. National have no potential candidate lined up to run against the two left wingers.

In Christchurch Bob Parker is not a National friend. Gerry Brownlee called him a clown, and probably wishes he could have said what he really thought. Lianne Dalziel will win and win easily against Bob. Internal polling show Bob has negatives that are absolutely unprecedented, so unprecedented that the poller suggested that Boober Fraggle would beat Bob by close to ten to one, and not even an earthquake would save Bob.

Does National have any good mayoral candidates?

ᔥ NZ Herald

In summary there are not a lot of good options for National in terms of post 2014 partners, just a variety of “less bad” options. The only consolation might be that a four or five way coalition on the left might be equally unpalatable.

Farrar highlights what was obvious to everyone who thought about it before the last election. National have no coalition partners in 2014 and John Key and Steven Joyce should have done what David Cameron did in the United Kingdom to get an electoral system they could actually win under.

The big question for delegates to ask board members and the regional chair is who is going to take one for the team and run in Palmerston North, Rimutaka, Hutt South and Wellington Central?

In 2014 National will be losing support, and will lose electorates. MPs who lose their electorates will be utterly convinced they are vital to National and demand safe list positions. So there will not be many new list MPs, especially if they parachute in a few people who do not stand in seats.

This makes it really difficult for National to get candidates to run for them, unless they have looked after the candidates over the previous few years. National are notorious for not looking after anyone, so they probably will do nothing for aspiring candidates, and will be shocked when candidates don’t want to take six months off work, spend a lot of their own money and get nothing back for it.

ᔥ NZ Herald

NZ First leader Winston Peters said the fact Mr Key was open to a potential coalition with someone who had such a belief only showed how desperate National was.

Christianists yes. Corruptionists no.

Young Nats used to have a reputation for challenging the shibboleths of the parent party. Sadly in recent years they became automatons to the party probably related to the fact that most Young Nats were soft cocks not prepared to stand up to the buggers muddle.

So it was with great pleasure that I read the following on a young Nat’s Facebook page:

Very excited to announce that the two remits that will be progressing to the Northern Region Convention on behalf of the Northern Region Young Nats are as follows:

1. That the National Party legalise adoption for those who have entered into a civil union partnership.

2. That the National Party repeal the legislation that makes it compulsory for employers to collect fees from their employees on behalf of their respective union

both of those remits should be passed, mainly because they are the right things to do. They should be actioned by the main party, and if they aren’t this is why we have the Young Nats, to shake trees that need shaking.

Well done Northern Region Young Nats.

National’s strategic stupidity meant that it faces an MMP environment with no real coalition partners in parliament. Instead of building a rapport with the leader of the only other party with any chance of getting into parliament they are being incredibly insulting.

Peter Goodfellow, who charitably could be considered the slightly impaired embarrassment of the Goodfellow clan, asks a reporter for Colin Craig’s phone number. A good reporter reports on Goodfellows stupidity and so Andrea Vance reports on it.

Goodfellow’s display of public stupidity shows Colin Craig what National think of him. They think Colin is a loser and an idiot. Given his past record of spending millions and always coming third or worse it is hard not to agree. He takes his own political advice and spends his own money, usually on failed campaign methodologies or dodgy polling…the up-shot is National think he is a loser and based on his results he is.

The problem is Colin Craig might be John Key and Steven Joyce’s only chance at clinging on to power. Instead of letting a fool like Goodfellow make this kind of stupid statement Key and Joyce need to be having regular face to face meetings with Colin so he knows no matter what goodfellow says they make all the decisions and he is just a figurehead who never makes any real decisions and Colin should ignore him.

ᔥ Sunday Star-Times

Peter Goodfellow seems blessed with a special kind of stupid.

The Sunday Star-Times can reveal that National Party president Peter Goodfellow is seeking out Conservative leader Colin Craig.

Goodfellow has never met the North Shore millionaire – and last week asked the Star-Times for his phone number. “Maybe I should [talk to him],” he said.