John Armstrong: Leaked emails give Labour the gift it was looking for

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Forget National's "tax-athon". It must have been more like a "gloat-athon" at Labour Party headquarters yesterday, despite the sobering effect of two polls registering a tax cut-induced recovery by National.

Whoever leaked the faxes and emails revealing Don Brash has received advice and help on political strategy from the Business Roundtable and senior Act figures has handed Labour an absolute gift.

Helen Clark has been keen to float the notion that Dr Brash will resurrect the so-called "new right agenda" if he becomes prime minister. Now she has something solid to put in front of voters so they can connect the dots for themselves.

The resulting picturing of Dr Brash as being in the pocket of Act and the Business Roundtable makes it all the more puzzling that the source of the leak to a Sunday newspaper was apparently someone from within National.

Was the leak fuelled by personal resentment towards Dr Brash? Or a fear he is too far to the right for National's own comfort despite his major policy compromises, such as the shelving of state asset sales?

Maybe someone wanted to make it impossible for Dr Brash to show any favour to Act, thus thwarting any last-minute endorsements if that party is nudging the 5 per cent threshold closer to election day.

Not surprisingly, the view in National is that someone from Act was out to punish National.

If the odds on a National victory lengthen, the greater the chance of some voters drifting back to Act, thus ensuring that party's parliamentary survival.

Ignoring conspiracy theories, the leak is another example of how much of a headache Act is becoming for National in this campaign, either by accident or design.

Unlike the Alliance at the last election, Rodney Hide's party is not one to go gently to the grave.

The measure of that was the hijacking of National's logo on to an Act billboard to misrepresent National's stance on the all-important party vote.

Like all the minor parties, Act is struggling to gain attention.

But it is the one in the most desperate straits.

And the more desperate it becomes in the remaining three weeks to election day, the more likely Act will resort to the easiest means of getting attention - attacking or undermining National. It is an irritant National could do without.

National is vowing it will not be distracted by the latest headlines.

It is punting that a major speech by Don Brash in Whangarei today putting some policy meat on the bones of his landmark Orewa address on race will blow the leak story right off the news agenda.

Even so, National might live to regret not stitching up a non-aggression pact with Act before the campaign. Or at least trying to.