14 posts tagged “general election”

Voter turnout on Saturday was 78·69 per cent, according to the Chief Electoral Officer. Unlike Australia, voting is not compulsory, and the figure is roughly what we have had in the past.
   Apparently, there are still 240,000 special votes to be counted this week, but as I noted in an earlier post, this should not make any real difference.
   It appears both Helen Clark and Dr Michael Cullen have stepped down from their leadership positions in Labour, not just Helen Clark as I learned earlier. Both will remain in Parliament.
   John Campbell’s TV interview with John Key tonight was an easy walk in the park, with some specifics, including Mr Key’s assertion (for the time being) that he will not move to the far right despite traditionally teaming up with ACT. That could mean, if I understand correctly, no deals with the Architect of Doom, Sir Roger Douglas.
   But National has a tendency to have hidden agenda as the lead-up to the campaign has shown.
   Polls did show that five per cent more New Zealanders trusted Helen Clark (48·4 per cent) to John Key (43·6), just as more trusted John Major than Tony Blair in the UK in 1997.
   But elections, it seems, are not based on trustworthiness, and that is always a shame.

For those interested, here were our election results from last night. I don’t think all special votes have been counted (it says 208,001 have) but I doubt they will change the picture much. We didn’t do that well but considering the mainstream media totally ignored us, I am not surprised. Still, it was a great opportunity to do more than just vote, but actually put my name to something I believe in.

General Election 2008 results

And if you haven’t, get out now! Ninety minutes to go. Make that sixty if you have to get in your car to a polling booth.

Vote today!
   And remember, National voted for: the legalization of prostitution, the anti-satire rules in Parliament, the anti-smacking law, and the free-trade deal with China.
   A vote for National and ACT means the return of Sir Roger Douglas, the man whose free-market ideas saw to our drop in the OECD, the increase in food bank numbers, and the widening gap between rich and poor.
   Whomever you vote for, vote for real change today.
   Minor parties can be a moderating influence on the major ones, to keep them in check and to keep everyday New Zealanders like you and me at the top of their minds.
   Of course I am running for the Alliance but you need to make up your mind on who is best for your values. But I can bet you it won’t be a major party. And of the minors, I can bet you it won’t be ACT.

It’s Election Day! How was your voting experience?

Hold on! Still three days away!

Our TV networks here have run items about Sen. Obama’s grandmother and what a nice guy he is for suspending campaigning for a couple of days to see her in Hawai’i.
   I have had chats with folks here over the last few days and one noted: ‘We don’t hear much of McCain. There’s one soundbite, and then the rest of the item is on Obama.’ And this is in a country that leans liberal.
   That’s fairly true, based on my perception, but I was surprised that Sen. Obama’s grandmother would make our news this week. And when Sen. McCain said that the economy was more important than campaigning, he was ridiculed.
   I can see why some Americans, especially on the right, feel there is an MSM bias.
   Here, the main parties are well represented in our November 8 General Election—but our minor parties, which really should be permitted the same level of coverage as the two major ones, since we have a proportional system and any one of them could play “kingmaker”, are not.
   I’m not just saying this on behalf of the Alliance, but also on behalf of the others.
   I dare say we matter, too, especially those of us who are trying to create a real distinction between the major parties’ technocratic tendencies and our more social humanist principles. Watching a debate between Labour and National is really like reading two large corporations’ annual reports and noting how the projected figures differ plus or minus 10 per cent.

I know it’s more populist, but it is true. (The Alliance’s site is alliance.org.nz.)

Alliance-notbusinessrt-300x250

It’s been a while (a year?) since I gave a TV interview—the al-Jazeera spots don’t count because the question is prepared long beforehand and I have had a day (or days) to get ready.
   Yesterday, Nick Wang fired a few good questions my way, not just on the Republic of China’s anniversary but about my political candidacy, for both Sky TV and state television over in Taiwan.
   Folks, I must have done a few Sarah Palins: providing a single answer without taking intermediate breaths.
   It’s funny what happens when the camera goes on. And you feel compelled to give an answer because you have been taught that it’s courteous.
   I have to say that was the first time I was interviewed with my political hat on, and it was a bit weird.
   I think the last time I talked politics on TV I was making fun of Sen. John McCain in 2006.
   I can talk all I like about publishing, branding and typography (with or without breathing) but these were new waters for me. I know my patch, I know most of my party’s policies, I know what some voters are thinking in wanting a change from the one party called Labour–National, but I can’t tell you who the top 25 of each party’s list are.
   Eeriely, I am campaigning on being an outsider, a reformer, and not part of the Wellington establishment.
   And you know, I actually do have a record of being a maverick.