Too close to call?

A new TV3/TNS poll puts the Labour party back in front...

Projected number of seats in the House on the basis of the latest poll results: *
Labour 57
National 45
NZ First 6
Green Party 8
Maori Party 2
United Future 2
Progressive 1
ACT -
Total seats 121
* These figures are based on Progressive, United Future and the Maori Party winning one electorate seat each

Also, RB notes some dodgy goings on in Auckland... Not content to just spend huge amounts of money abusing the Green Party, the Exclusive Bretheren's are now making (uninvited?) contributions to the campaign march of the National Party. Too weird.

The whole political spectrum still looks fairly blase, there is a serious lack of social vision from all parties on all fronts. I'm hanging out to see the formation of a new political party - we need to take advantage of MMP, and get some real diversity and representation into this parliament. Let's face it - New Zealand is a tiny country, and people like Brash and co. are dinosaurs, their ideas are just not relevant to the social and economic challenges of the 21st century. Even Helen Clark, the perpetual politico, has a reputation that is starting to wear a little thin.

Make me care about voting. I want to see a real leader, and a co-operative government that promotes excellence at all levels of society, not one that encourages the perpetuation of middle class mediocrity against all challenges.

I'm sick of being told what's best for my country by ignorant socially inept economists and beaureaucrats. I have certainly benefitted far more than most from increased funding of arts and culture from the present Labour Government, so yes, my view is totally distorted. But it's more distorted from close readings of Marx, Weber, Nietzsche, and Machiavelli. I'm definitely not a fan of the neo-liberal Nanny State, but it's nowhere near as abhorrent as the libertarian dog-eat-dog nightmare that would result from total privatization of the health and education systems. And in that respect, Brash has remained strangely silent on what exactly he would do if he got into power. If National's recent surge in popularity is anything to go by, it seems most New Zealanders have forgotten the hard lessons learned in the 1980s. The American, Chinese, even the Australian economies will crush us. We're tiny, we're worth nothing. So we should be very wary of busting open the shackles, letting the free market loose on a rampage through these beautiful pacific islands.

It's easy to laugh (or cry) at what a mess modern democracy has become. But this election should give all New Zealanders cause for thought... we are small, dynamic, flexible, a far more racially and culturally diverse society than a particular Anglo-Saxon "mainstream" wants to believe. And in MMP we really do have a more fair and balanced system of voting than most. But if you want to see a real change in New Zealand politics, you're not going to get it from any of the current runners. We need a new political party, and we need young, charismatic, and positive leaders that actually respect and fulfil the potential creative spirit from this crazy place, Aotearoa, Arcadia, the British Empire's (failed?) utopian political experiment. It's time to start realising this.