Should Act hand over the leadership to former National leader and RBNZ Governor Don Brash?
Former National Party leader and Reserve Bank Governor Don Brash has publicly stated his desire to lead the ACT Party into the November 26 general election, saying current leader Rodney Hide's deteriorating image has damaged the party's chances of re-entering Parliament.
Brash is asking to speak at an ACT Party board meeting on Saturday about the party's leadership, and has reportedly been phoning ACT MPs, whose support he needs for a leadership challenge.
However Brash is still a member of the National Party, which he led to a narrow election defeat in 2005, before stepping aside for current Prime Minister John Key.
There is speculation Brash will want former Auckland Mayor John Banks to stand in Epsom if he became leader, although Brash has not ruled out standing there himself.
If denied the ACT leadership, Brash would start his own right-wing party, which he says would bleed the ACT vote dry.
Coalition prospects
Prime Minister John Key would not rule out working with a Brash-led ACT or a new right-wing party formed by Brash. See more here at Stuff.
Key told Tracy Watkins National was not concerned about a splitting of the 'right' vote:
"From National's perspective we are in a different space. We very much see ourselves as a centre-right party. We are not a political party that follows an extreme right wing doctrine. Whether that's in the form of a new political party, that's a matter for whatever that party might be called and their leader."
"On a number of the issues we are in agreement in terms of tackling those issues. Where there is disagreement is in terms of the prescription and the extremity of the positions that are adopted.
"No-one is arguing that we don't need to address issues like, for instance, student loans. He would want to put interest back on student loans, I don't. I'm more than happy to address the eligibility rules.
"I don't think there is massive disagreement on the issue, and certainly there's agreement in that we want to lift the economic performance of New Zealand. My view is that you actually have to take the public with you and very extreme positions ultimately are more likely to disenfranchise the public. I'd rather build a consensus."
And in case anyone was wondering, the Labour Party would not work with Don Brash. A spokeswoman sent me this:
Yes Labour would rule out working with Don Brash whether it’s with ACT or another party of a similar form. Labour does not share his policy views and values.
I have also asked the Maori Party whether they would enter into a coalition with National again if National were to enter into a coalition with Brash as well. Both the Maori Party and Act have confidence and supply agreements with National currently. The Maori Party has in the past said it would work with anyone if they thought being in government would let them help their own people.
UPDATE: here is the response I received from the Maori Party:
"The Maori Party will go neither left or right, we are a party which is determined to go forward in the best interests of our people. Our votes are driven by our kaupapa – we assess whether the legislation defends Maori rights and advances Maori interests for the benefit of the nation. As always, any decisions to be made about coalition partners, are decisions that we would seek advice from our membership on."
Your views: Should Act give Brash the leadership?
Has Rodney Hide's image been ruined enough that ACT needs a leadership change?
Would Don Brash do any better for ACT's chances of re-entering Parliament?
Or should Brash set up his own party on the right to capture the ACT vote, and perhaps votes from a disatisfied right-wing of National?
And what effects would a Brash-led ACT have on National's chances of getting back into power if they can't govern alone? Would the Maori Party work with a National Party that was also working with an ACT Party led by Brash (...think Orewa speeches)?
iPredict reaction
Meanwhile, there have been some big movements in Don Brash and ACT related stocks on iPredict over the last few days - current chances are as at 11:45am on Tuesday morning.
The contract for a new right-wing party, of which Brash is a publicly-declared member, to be registered for the November 26 election has jumped from a 13% chance to 61% in one day (it went as high as 74%).
The contract for Rodney Hide to depart as ACT leader before the election jumped over the weekend from a 19% chance to as high as 63%, and now sits at 45%.
Meanwhile, the contract for neither National nor Rodney Hide (as a National or ACT candidate) to win Epsom jumped as well, with speculation either Brash or Banks might stand for a new right-wing party there. From around 4% before the weekend, that contract jumped to as high as 36% over the weekend, and currently sits around 26%.
(Updated with Maori Party reaction, Key quotes, iPredict movements, PM Key's stance, Labour comment, paragraph on Maori Party)
41 Comments
ACT has no future under Rodney Hide . He has not kept National fiscally honest . He has kept quiet whilst they borrow billions to prop up Michael Cullen's idiotic vote-buying bribes . Not a peep out of him when Wild Bill decided to bail out SCF , and to offer AMI a government guarantee .
..... Hide has failed to uphold the ACT party mandate .
Lest you forget , the property boom and finance company collapses occurred under Helen Clark's Labour Government . That caused the greatest unaffordibility of housing , and the greatest loss of personal wealth , that the country has ever endured ............. Hard left Labour ! ...OK ?
I don't see how you think Labour created the property boom. If anything it is Bollard that should have raised interest rates to stop it. What do you think Labour could have done to stop it? Almost every country in the world had a massive property boom regardless of how right or left wing they were and regardless of what property taxes they had.
Imagine if we had a National or Act govt during that 9 years - less taxes, govt borrowing because tax take is too low, even more property investment because incomes would be higher with less tax. We would have been completely screwed!!
It might have escaped you attention Jimbo but the RBNZ is about as independent of govt as the Beehive tealady...Bollard did what he was told and what he was allowed to do...same as today.
So the Labour fools were responsible for the bubble of madness. They sold the country out for another 3 years at the pig trough.
There was no massive property boom in Germany Jimbo.....
During that period we would have had some of the highest interest rates in the world I imagine - so even if Labour did have Bollard in their back pocket (a consipiricy theory at best), at least they kept the rates higher than other countries and higher than they are now!!
Germany couldn't have a bubble, their banks had lent all of their money to Ireland and Greece!! Also Germany doesn't have immigration and they had pretty high unemployment. I have a friend in Germany and she tells me house are not affordable for the average couple.
Aussie house prices will never crash! Its the Lucky Country which is immune to house price plunges!
just you wait, all sorts of things will be brought out of the woodwork to stop the plunge, starting with a drastic OCR cut. They might even pull out of the hat the old boost to the first home buyers grant, an "oldie but a goodie" to keep the ponzi scheme afloat
National would never have expanded the welfare state by creation of WFF . They would not have created interest-free-student loans . And they would not have entrenched the subjucation & sexualisation of Kiwi females by the legalisation of prostitution .
....... and they'd never have dreamt of attempting to mass medicate the population through folating all bread , nor to reduce shower head water emissions , nor the legalising of sex between consenting children as young as 13 ( Phil Goff's pet project , that one ) . ........ Luckily , Labour were stopped from foisting these social engineering disasters on the citizenry .
The only place house prices are rising is Auckland. The rest of the country they are static or falling.
The reason the introduction of the 39c tax bracket fueled property investment is that it created an incentive for people to buy investment property that was negatively geared. Part of the equation was the size of the tax rebate against the loss being larger in the 39c bracket.
They were a bunch who told a story of a flat world. A world where there was plenty for all. A world where a simple belief in a simple mantra was all that one required.
This was lucky, as one is required to be simple, to believe such 'unlimited growth forever on a finite planet' bulldust.
A lesser number of these folk know very well what they're about - sponging up 'wealth' from the mass, into a small, select group of 'themselves'. Bagsing the lifeboats as the Titanic goes down, while reassuring the gullible that all will be well aboard on the morrow.
They would'nt have to, of course, if the world was as unlimited as they claim - there'd be enough for all, and a'plenty left over. Sorry, that should read: 'right over'.
You'd have to be stupid to believe that nonsense now.
Intererestingly, 3 seeming supporters here are Chch-based: perhaps ACT should relocate to their natural home.........
Shaky Ground.
Hide is a silly little man that proved that once he could get his hands on taxpayer money he would jump in the trough sqealing with greed like the rest off them. While he is in the ACT Party they are doomed. Like it or not at least with Brash the man has a few principles unlike Hyde. Cheers.
For crying out loud, Brash has been effectively a full time employee of the national party/govt since the 2008 election having been on how many taskforces/working groups etc??..what ever gave anyone the idea that Brash and the ACT leadership bid is nothing less than a Nat takeover of the ACT party..Nats need those 5 seats and can't run the risk of anyone within the ACT party delivering that result..cause theres no one within ACT capable of it!!
Bernard - surely this question deserves a reader poll?
I for one am 100% behind Don Brash's bid for leadership of ACT. I can't stand that insincere smug prat Hyde and for that reason chose to vote National at the last election. This country does not currently have a credible right wing conservative option. We need ACT to be rejuvenated by somebody as credible as Don Brash, who ALMOST won the previous election for National.
And FYI here is Winston Peters' comment:
New Zealand First says it is obvious that Don Brash's move to take over the ACT party is a sneaky plan by National and ACT interests to form a new government that will asset strip the country, keep wages low and attack superannuation.
Rt. Hon Winston Peters pointed out today that the only reason for reviving a political corpse like ACT would be for National to use it as an expendable backstop for passing unpalatable social and economic legislation after the next election.
“The moves being made by former National leader Don Brash are about as subtle as a kango hammer on a piece of old concrete. Mr Hide is unelectable so National has put up its own man for Epsom, but under the ACT party flag”.
“When the takeover happens, ACT under Mr Brash will target topics such as racial issues where National does not go because of its deal with the Maori Party. We believe the “Kiwi not Iwi” billboards will be dusted off – as well as other inflammatory propaganda.”
Mr Peters said however, the most scary issue would be the harsh policies of the joint leadership of New Zealand by John Key and Don Brash.
“The economic revolution of Roger Douglas and Ruth Richardson would be revived with publicly owned assets flogged off and a complete takeover by foreign interests.
“As well, wages and conditions for workers would be slashed further and a full scale assault would be started on the welfare system and superannuation. There would be an exodus of Kiwis to Australia if they could afford the airfare.
“You only have to look at the interests standing behind Don Brash and their enormous financial resources to see what is going on,” said Mr Peters.
..... ooops ! ...... Sorry about that , Gareth ........... I shall pottle off , and help to get my fishing boat launched , today ....... I'll be too busy to mention the Royal Wedding in England , again ............
[...... I don't think Bernard noticed my accidental mention of the Royal Wedding in England , ..... he's too busy ruminating over our banana and our mango recipes . ]
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