Summary
HELEN CLARK and her Finance Minister, Michael Cullen, have a 16- 2 advantage over Don Brash and John Key. This year's election will be the Labour pair's 17th in total, and the last three in tandem as prime minister and deputy. In contrast, Dr Brash and Mr Key have the experience of just one campaign each. The National duo might have had careers and success in the much-quoted real world, and perhaps a measure of public admiration for surrendering better-paid jobs to make their mark in politics, but it is a craft in which experience is invaluable. And triply so at election time. Mere connection with the mythical mainstream New Zealand will not be enough on its own for National. The Clark-Cullen team is on the brink of achieving what they only dreamed of in their early political lifetimes -- at the helm of legendary third consecutive Labour term -- and they are not going to give away the slightest advantage.
If that means playing with National -- and the New Zealand electorate -- over the upcoming election date, then so be it. Miss Clark has, however, narrowed the likely calendar options. The pundits' original July 30 has passed, because of insufficient notice. But the PM has confirmed her commitment to the traditional 40-day election campaign, and said that polling day would be announced after MPs returned from the current break, on July 25. There is a Tri-Nations finale rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies on September 3, so that can be ruled out. And the latest possible polling day, Saturday, September 24, marks the start of school holidays, when many voters will be travelling and little interested finding a voting booth. So it appears the day on which Labour will reach for the Holy Grail of politics can be only September 10 or 17.See the full content of this document
Extract
Labour Draws On Every Trick in the Polling Book
But still no one is saying. The opposing leaders are smugly pla...
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