The problem with New Zealand is that we are not only full of welfare benefitaries and ethnic special interests groups, but more fatally we are also full of well off (ethnically Euroepan) people who stubbornly believe intellectual leftism works. They are like the "feel good limousine liberals" or we call them chardonnay socialists back here. One example is this young lady living in central Auckland:
http://mariavontrapp.blogspot.com/2005/09/on-politics.html "I split my vote between the Greens and National. Very odd (especially as the last two times I've given two ticks to Labour), but there is method behind my madness:
* I actually quite like the Greens as I've become more of a leftie lately. The Greens are the only party who look at sustainability and a future that is more than 5 years away.
* In order for Labour to govern, they will need the Greens in some way, shape or form, so I felt it was critical for them to get 5%. If they failed to reach 5% then that would be wasted vote, and that would actually help the right - not something I wanted to see happen.
* The National vote is a bit harder to explain. I'm no longer a fan of Judith Tizard, and so I thought to myself "which electorate candidate deserves my vote the most?" The answer to that was relatively easy: Pansy Wong is articulate, hard working, and nice. She deserves to be in Parliament. She is also an Asian voice, and given the ever changing face of Auckland, I think it's important the Asian voice is heard in Parliament.
* Also, I knew that JT would rock on home, but wanted to send a message by slashing her majority. This did happen (I've been an uber geek, done the figures, and discovered that her majority slipped by a whopping 36%), although it looks like Wong picked off some votes from the ACT and Labour candidates, and then JT picked up some from Nandor."
God help us, because this is the types that in America that fill in places like the New York Times editorial board, Harvard University professors, Boston Chambers of Commerce, Hollywood celebrities, Seattle NGOs, and give us Michael Moore, Barbara Boxer, Dick Durbin.