Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

John Key has reminded voters that his National Party has a very different tint to that of the party's last 17 years.

The National leader held a special press conference this afternoon to distance himself from potential coalition partner ACT, following the return of Sir Roger Douglas.
Key said National would not be able to work with ACT, if the party pursued the philosophies of (ACT co-founder) Sir Roger. Mr Key claimed National "was running a moderate and pragmatic agenda."

"We are not going to be held hostage running a radical right-wing agenda. That is not why I came into politics. It is not what I am campaigning for. It is not what I stand for."

Douglas announced a visionary plan which would allow the Government to slash $5 billion in spending. ACT would introduce education scholarships (or vouchers) for all children, dump the welfare-in-drag Working for Families scheme, and allow hospital wards to be rented out to private practice.
Tax cuts are another major push by the party... Under ACT, taxpayers would pay no tax on the first $20,000 of their income (increasing to $40,000?), while tax thresholds would be adjusted to take into account wage growth since 1999. Cullen's top tax rate of 39c would be also cut to 33c.

Sir Roger took the opportunity to comment on the performance of Michael Cullen, saying Labour's current Finance Minister will go down as "one of the poorer finance ministers in the past 50 years."

ACT leader Rodney Hide said the party was releasing policies early, because neither Labour nor National were promising any change...

"John Key's approach to the election is me-too, so what you get is more of the same."

Meanwhile, some enthusiastic junior members of ACT were frowned upon for their membership sign-up methods. The Auckland University branch of ACT on Campus sold party pills for $1 each last month, as part of an Orientation membership promotion. ;-)
Rodney Hide said he wasn't going to start telling adults how to live their lives (ACT was one of the parties that voted against Jim Anderton's Party Pill Ban). However, he did admit that it wasn't the most appropriate way to sign up new party members.

* Stuff: Nats say no to Sir Roger
* NZ Herald: Key dismisses Douglas' proposed national agenda
* NZ Herald: Douglas' plan to to rejuvenate NZ