The wasted vote IMO is those where the younger voter (18 - 40 say) wastes their votes on the greens and labour....by voting TOP they could, nay...... WOULD, change the entire dynamic and see us boomers pushed out of the relentless unchanging messing around the edges. Time for our kids and their kids to make the change....otherwise more of the same ad infinitum.......
Opportunist party - lots of talk. No internal democracy. They will prop up a second term for National and will be too small to change the direction of travel.
That worries me too. I like Q, and much of what the party claim to believe sounds left of even Labour. Yet, under the pressure of governing, I can see any good being set aside as too 'complex', in favor of their blue economy "Hyde". They don't have the mongrel or the international thinktank backing of NZF or Act respectively, so they will be lost in a right coalition. I can only hope any electoral success for them comes with a realisation that their making an actual difference will require sharing benches with the kind of progressive economic and social thinking that (right now) only the Greens seem willing to consider.
Exactly the discussion I had with the young one yesterday. It was him who said that he would like to vote for them but worried they will go with the CoC.
Myself, I don't like any party that presents itself as centrist. Either you have the moral compass of the left or you have the greed of the right.
TOP's policies, apart from the flat tax rate sound like left wing to me so I don't understand why they insist on a) calling themselves centre and b) not rulling out working with the likes of ACT and NZF (let's pretend they think they can influence National).
Looks like they're taking cash from rich people who are interested in maintaining the status quo by splitting the Left vote. Remember what happened in Ilam.
I disagree. If you look at the policies everything is centred on system wide reform. Not the political theatre National and Labour perform, constantly fiddling around the edges without actually fixing any systemic problems.
National aren't fiddling around the edges, they are rampantly entrenching systemic problems, blatantly enacting policy written by big business at the expense of the worker. Labour at least tries but I agree Hipkins is a cautious incrementalist that panders to people who will never vote for him - when we really need a Mamdani.
TOP won't be in a position to enact any of the policies they espouse. They're taking cash from rich people who don't want material change, targeting the left vote, and will almost certainly go with National.
So much of their policy is, in some form or other, Green Party policy as well.
And disappointing that the donation limit discussion in the interview did not refer to the Independent Electoral Inquiry recommendations e.g. limiting donations to registered voters only.
Congratulations Q and TOP . Wow - all the cynicism this mini-hoon seems to have spawned - cant we just celebrate some fresh thinking? Imo this is not reheated greens!
These people who reject Opportunity because they don't rule out working with right wing parties may be forgetting the progress made by Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples co-operating with John Key in 2008. They achieved Whānau Ora, accelerated Treaty settlements and the abolition of the Foreshore and Seabed Act.
However, another option is to guarantee confidence and supply and sit on the cross benches, holding the government to account and negotiating gains as opportunities arise.
Refreshing. Thanks fir the introduction. JG
The wasted vote IMO is those where the younger voter (18 - 40 say) wastes their votes on the greens and labour....by voting TOP they could, nay...... WOULD, change the entire dynamic and see us boomers pushed out of the relentless unchanging messing around the edges. Time for our kids and their kids to make the change....otherwise more of the same ad infinitum.......
Opportunist party - lots of talk. No internal democracy. They will prop up a second term for National and will be too small to change the direction of travel.
That worries me too. I like Q, and much of what the party claim to believe sounds left of even Labour. Yet, under the pressure of governing, I can see any good being set aside as too 'complex', in favor of their blue economy "Hyde". They don't have the mongrel or the international thinktank backing of NZF or Act respectively, so they will be lost in a right coalition. I can only hope any electoral success for them comes with a realisation that their making an actual difference will require sharing benches with the kind of progressive economic and social thinking that (right now) only the Greens seem willing to consider.
I'm with Tim and David. I think they'd go with National and struggle to achieve anything meaningful.
The irony of her talking about democracy and donations when they've recently banked $450K makes me 😡
IMHO they're doing so well this time exactly because of the gloss and presentation of their comms.
Exactly the discussion I had with the young one yesterday. It was him who said that he would like to vote for them but worried they will go with the CoC.
Myself, I don't like any party that presents itself as centrist. Either you have the moral compass of the left or you have the greed of the right.
TOP's policies, apart from the flat tax rate sound like left wing to me so I don't understand why they insist on a) calling themselves centre and b) not rulling out working with the likes of ACT and NZF (let's pretend they think they can influence National).
Maybe this might jolt Labour into action? I do like their lobbying/donation and green energy ideas.
If only Labour would give us something to vote for. 3 free doctors visits is like GST off fruit and vegetables. Where is our Mamdani?
Looks like they're taking cash from rich people who are interested in maintaining the status quo by splitting the Left vote. Remember what happened in Ilam.
I disagree. If you look at the policies everything is centred on system wide reform. Not the political theatre National and Labour perform, constantly fiddling around the edges without actually fixing any systemic problems.
National aren't fiddling around the edges, they are rampantly entrenching systemic problems, blatantly enacting policy written by big business at the expense of the worker. Labour at least tries but I agree Hipkins is a cautious incrementalist that panders to people who will never vote for him - when we really need a Mamdani.
TOP won't be in a position to enact any of the policies they espouse. They're taking cash from rich people who don't want material change, targeting the left vote, and will almost certainly go with National.
So much of their policy is, in some form or other, Green Party policy as well.
And disappointing that the donation limit discussion in the interview did not refer to the Independent Electoral Inquiry recommendations e.g. limiting donations to registered voters only.
Congratulations Q and TOP . Wow - all the cynicism this mini-hoon seems to have spawned - cant we just celebrate some fresh thinking? Imo this is not reheated greens!
Thanks Bernard and Quilae.
These people who reject Opportunity because they don't rule out working with right wing parties may be forgetting the progress made by Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples co-operating with John Key in 2008. They achieved Whānau Ora, accelerated Treaty settlements and the abolition of the Foreshore and Seabed Act.
However, another option is to guarantee confidence and supply and sit on the cross benches, holding the government to account and negotiating gains as opportunities arise.