John Key has finally put the kettle on for Act's John Banks in Epsom, in an attempt to give National a coalition insurance policy - although not much of one given Act's current polling. The minnow party, in turn, will be hoping that this will reassure voters who were scared off by the prospect of their vote being wasted should Banks have failed. Given that these votes would have almost certainly gone to National, it's hard to see much electoral advantage for National - at most, a seat or two in a really tight race. And so the political right are circling the wagons around Epsom. John Banks is talking up Winston Peters' chances in an attempt to terrify National voters into voting for him to save Key's government and David Farrar has a Herald column today clearly aimed at invoking National voters worst nightmares - see: What a Labour-led coalition might look like.
The big question is, of course, whether the National voters of Epsom will heed Key's directive and the Banks/Farrar scare tactics. If Act's polling remains low, many of them will wonder whether it's worth it. Matthew Hooton notes in today's NBR that National does not have the monopoly on tactical voting. As Hooton points out, around 30% of Epsom voters are Labour or Green, and if they back Goldsmith, it will take very few National voters to vote for Goldsmith to see Banks defeated. Expect, then, to see local Epsom candidates David Parker (Labour), David Hay (Greens) and Pat O'Dea (Mana) with a thermos desperately trying to locate Paul Goldsmith so they can offer him a cup of tea and their endorsement - see Isaac Davison's Goldsmith's invisible act all for the sake of Banks.
One of MMP's big advantages is the freedom to vote for parties and candidates we really support, rather than having to choose between 'the lesser of two evils'. In Epsom in 2011 it seems everyone except the dwindling number of Act supporters is being told to hold their nose when they vote on November 26.
National must be hoping that John Key's cup of tea with Don Brash will divert some media attention away from their asset sales policy, which is their Achilles heel in this campaign. There is no doubt the policy is unpopular across most of the political spectrum, and crucially with the swinging voters Labour needs to pull off National. If Labour is to make any headway, it will be on this issue.
National's addition of hospitals to the growing list of recipients of asset sales money smells a little of desperation - see Andrea Vance's Labour attacks Nats health promises. While they are accusing Labour of being fiscally irresponsible, the charge that National are spending the same money many times over is beginning to get traction.
