Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

With yesterday's outbursts and faux scandals in Parliament, there can be little doubt this year's election campaign is going to a dirty one, with a focus on personalities over policy substance.

But if Labour's "strategists" have got anything right recently, it's that Jolly John Key is very much "King of the flip-floppers".

I don't understand why National Party people see John Key as their saviour. He is not a very good politician, he struggles under direct questioning, and seems sh*t-scared of disagreeing with any Government policy/position in case it instantly results in his election defeat.

When the shoe's on the other foot, the Labour Party moves very quickly to rewind the clock and undo any changes by a National-led administration.

ACC was opened up to competition by National Party in the late 90s, but Labour immediately repealed the change and returned ACC to a state-owned Monopoly. Where excessive Government spending was previously cut, Labour increased it ten-fold (Health, Welfare, Education), with abysmal results.

National's Employment Contracts Act was swiftly dumped in favour of Labour's pro-Union Employment Relations Act. When tax levelling began to show benefits, Labour introduced an arrogant "rich prick" top tax rate, which ended up hitting even middle-income earners.

Labour spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer's money opening up a new state-owned bank, and bought back the privatised rail and ferry company. Essentially, whatever your politics, you have to admit Labour Governments work much harder and faster when it comes to winding back reforms and implementing changes.

Key doesn't seem to get that well over 50% of the country is calling for a change in Government, and a change in direction. It seems the country's had enough of 9 years under a Labour-led administration, and are crying out for a new vision for New Zealand.

While shuffling Helen Clark and Michael Cullen to the other side of the house might make for slightly less annoying tv news bulletins, it's not much good if the new faces continue doing pretty much the same thing as the old crowd. It's enough to make me join the rapidly growing trans-Tasman drift.
Not PC is no fan of Mr Key, and recently pointed out just how many dead rats the National leader has been swallowing "to make himself look the way he thinks an electable politician should look."

Interest-free student loans to bribe university-age voters? Me too. KiwiSaver? Me too. Foreign policy? Me too. Welfare for Working families? Me too.

Waffling on about climate change and emissions trading? Me too. Privatisation? Cap on GP's fees? Bulk funding for schools? There's the faintest whiff of controversy? Oh, go on then, me too.

There is nothing National will not do for power, including abandoning whatever principles it ever had, and fooling every supporter it ever had about what it stands for and where it's really going.

I still reckon my conspiracy theory - that John Key is in fact a Labour Party plant - has legs.

By infiltrating the National Party and encouraging it to abandon the few principles it had left, the commies are ensuring they'll remain in control of the country's direction, no matter which party New Zealand voters go for at the election.

* Not PC: How many dead rats will John Key make *you* swallow?