Jacinda’s gift
Stuff reports:
Luck can come from unexpected places. No one in the Beehive can have possibly imagined a gift like Jami-Lee Ross.
Every office in the Beehive will have A0 posters up of JLR, saluting him as their saviour.
Labour supporters can clearly remember a series of unpleasant episodes when the leadership of Phil Goff, David Shearer, David Cunliffe and Andrew Little was unravelling.
None of that compare to what National, which has managed to stay so united for so long, now faces.
What makes this worse is that National in the public polls was still polling very well – mid 40s, and ahead of Labour. The infighting normally occurs when you are polling in say the 20s and it looks like no chance of winning.
National is not just the caucus. It is 40,000 members also. They feel betrayed by this. They’re the ones who door knock, who deliver, who donate, and all their hard work is undermined by what has happened.
National’s problems come just as it appeared to be gaining ground on the one kind of issue which can unite voters: those that impact our wallets.
Surging petrol prices have been dominating the news like never before and this week could have continued as the Government races to change the Commerce Act so it can instruct the Commerce Commission to investigate.
Official figures released on Tuesday showed that petrol is pushing up the cost of living, with some predicting inflation could push up to 2.5 per cent next year.
While this is low by historical standards, it would represent a seven-year high and a hit to households, especially those on fixed incomes.
I agree the cost of living and petrol price is an issue with real resonance. Why petrol prices are so potent is they are simple to understand. Your weekly shopping bill changes depending on what you buy. You often don’t know if things have gone up much. There are specials and discounts.
Even your power bill is variable. It changes a lot most months depending on the weather.
But your petrol bill is far easier to see price changes. You always get say around 50 litres to fill up the tank. You know you normally pay $90 but lately it costs $125.