G-Mans advice for National

G-Man has some advice for National on how to win the next election. A useful contribution.

His summary is:

1 Grow support in weak areas–cities, with women and with Pacific Islanders;
2 Get the money early;
3 Develop the infrastructure and plan early;
4 Maintain a consistent policy towards the Greens, New Zealand First and ACT;
5 Attack Labour in a prolonged negative campaign, rather than present itself as a ‘government in waiting’;
6 Neutralize media bias;
7 Go retail for the time being and;
8 Push the new blood forward sooner rather later, but keep Don Brash.

I agree for now National needs to be mainly negative. One has to paint the government as out of touch and unaccountable from the beginning. During 2007 one can start releasing policy, looking like the next Cabinet, but for now the focus has to be to highlight the Govt’s weaknesses.