Posted on 04/26/2004 8:35:19 PM PDT by shaggy eel
,,, while the NATIONAL Party was involved in it's own disintegration, Richard Prebble and his ACT Party were effectively Helen Clark's opposition. He performed that role very well. NATIONAL has risen from the ashes and taken ACT's direction and some of their policies. Under an MMP electoral environment the ACT Party and the NATIONAL Party would be able to form a government without much trouble at all.
From what I understand about your politics this would be good. Sorta like a merger of Libertarians and Rebublicans. Is this correct?
,,, until early this year, in effect, yes.
,,, Richard is a veteran. He knows how to play the game and he knows how Klark plays it. Nothing lasts forever and he has sensed that the time to step down is now. This far out from an election and with Labour juggling a range of disasters, he's responsibly gauged the situation and made the big exit statement. All is not lost. He will remain as an influential guiding hand who will still hit some major home runs.
Part of the dynamic beneath the surface with voters is an ongoing perception that he was Minister of Railways in the Labour government in the mid 1980s when he "hocked the family silver" - he privatised State owned assets such as TELECOM, Air New Zealand and TraNZrail, for what many thought to be firesale prices. This process wiped an amount of debt for the government of the day but outraged a good number of voters. What I liked about it was the government were saying "we have no place in running railroads and airlines etc."
With Richard Prebble's exit from the furthest right wing spotlight, it will disarm the naysayers who align his name to the baggage of the reform days.
Above all, I posted this article as a tribute to Prebble, a man who has carried the torch for the right wing in New Zealand with great conviction and confidence. Under his leadership people like Rodney Hide and Muriel Newman have emerged as competent, focused possibilities for his replacement.
,,, exactly. ACT is a cross between Republican and Libertarian - it's the Party I vote for. National equates to the most right wing of the US Democrats or the more moderate Republicans - that's a rough estimate and variation would occur on a number of issues.
,,, I spoke with Rodney a couple of months ago after a speech he delivered at a bar in a north Wellington suburb. He's a sharp guy. I left a full vodka on a table and had to move around to the side of the room as the crowd grew in numbers. During his speech he took a step back and looked backwards at the vodka... "is this for me?", he asked.
Could you imagine me saying "no" to Saint Rodney?
28/04/2004 09:35 AM - Source: NewstalkZB (radio network)
ACT MP Rodney Hide is adamant he has played no part in Richard Prebble's resignation as party leader.
[Fotopress]
The party's MPs are lining up for a hotly contested battle for the top job after an emotional Mr Prebble broke the news to reporters yesterday.
Mr Hide has always made it clear he wants the party's top job and will be one of several MPs putting their names forward but he claims Mr Prebble was not pushed into stepping down. He says ACT owes its very existence to the former leader and he hopes Mr Prebble will remain in Parliament. Another MP interested in the job is Stephen Franks, who is cutting short a North American trip following Mr Prebble's decision. Mr Franks has been at the International Parliamentary Union conference in Mexico and has also been talking with police officers, criminologists and city hall officials in the US.
Mr Franks is disappointed about Mr Prebble's decision, saying the next parliament needs his intellect, commitment and firepower.
He says Mr Prebble has always had courage in raising unpopular issues.
Deputy leader Ken Shirley has also confirmed he will stand for the position while Muriel Newman is also considered a possibility.
ACT has had a poor showing in recent polls, scoring 1.6 percent in the latest One News-Colmar Brunton survey.
The party will use an American primary system for electing its new leader. It involves canvassing all party members to see who they want to take them into the next election. The process is expected to take around a month to complete.
Meantime, National Party leader Don Brash describes Richard Prebble as having made an extremely significant contribution to politics.
Dr Brash says if his party needs a coalition partner, it will look to ACT but he will not be drawn on who he believes would be the best replacement for Mr Prebble.
I don't know anything about Rodney Hide other that what I have read above but he certainly looks like he'd be a colorful replacement.
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