David Whitburn

Labour have slumped in the latest TVNZ Colmar Brunton poll to just 27% support, a ten year low and a fall of 7% since the previous poll.  With their intentional leaks to the media, the introduction of a capital gains tax (“CGT”) was the biggest move.  This has long been thought to be political suicide and I didn’t think a Labour party struggling in the polls around 20% below National would try to introduce it.  They did and the voter backlash has been significant.

Labour Leadership Challenge Imminent?

Current Labour leader Phil Goff tried to brush it off saying “its too early” in the piece to introduce this.  I think this could be the nail in the coffin for Phil Goff with a whipping only 4 months away.  Some Labour party members think it is time for a new leader – someone hungry like Grant Robertson could put up his hand.  I don’t think that David Cunliffe will want to go into this election as Labour leader as the result is looking most damaging. No matter what left wing journalists write those that oppose CGT, they cannot change the fact that Labour is going to be decimated in the elections.  They are leaking votes to both the centre and the left (ie. Greens).

Most New Zealanders like being in a country where they can aspire to not be beneficiaries of the state, to be able to provide for their own retirements and not to be poor.  So having policies that act as a punishment for individual success and asset ownership, is not wanted by the electorate.  The true judgment day on this is Saturday 26 November 2011 in the NZ General Election.  Sadly the result will be masked somewhat by the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting system we have.

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