KEY POINTS:
National has accused ACT of becoming a personality party with no future but ACT has hit back saying the bigger party is simply "Labour lite".
In a speech last month ACT leader Rodney Hide said his party would seize the right-wing gap left by National "cuddling up" to Labour policies.
Since John Key took over as National leader he has toned down some of previous leader Don Brash's more controversial stances and reintroduced the role of Women's Affairs spokesperson and made Maori MPs spokespeople on Maori issues.
National has been accused of becoming Labour lite -- which picks up on a phrase mentioned in Nicky Hager's book The Hollow Men where National insiders discuss the dangers of becoming 'Helen (Clark) lite'.
In Investigate magazine today Mr Key and deputy leader Bill English both emphasised the party's core values would not change despite the softer language.
Asked about MMP, Mr English said small parties faced the danger of being swallowed up by the bigger ones.
"And the second thing is that you have to have a strong clear brand that is about issues not personalities -- and that's where ACT have a challenge because ACT have lost their way on issues, they've become a personality party," Mr English said.
"And if they stay that way then they might get through a few more elections but they are not a permanent part of the system."
Mr Hide won Epsom at the last election to bring Heather Roy back into Parliament with him -- but the party did not achieve high enough on the party vote to bring back the other seven MPs.
Mr Hide achieved a high profile for his Epsom campaign and afterwards by participating in a popular television dance competition.
Mr Hide said ACT had and always would stand for individual freedom, personal responsibility, limited government and free market.
"And I'm buggered if I know what the Nats stand for other than doing whatever Labour does but promising to do it better," he told NZPA.
"The National Party has decided to become what we call the Labour lite party -- they are adopting the Labour Party's policies in total in order to try and win votes off Labour."
He said under Mr Key National was "doing a lot better" at MMP-style politics.
"I think Bill English's comments are sort of a throw back to when National thought it could rule on its own."
Meanwhile ACT is tagging its AGM onto a regional conference in Christchurch on March 17 rather than holding a stand-alone event.
"We're not dragging everyone down from Auckland to Christchurch unless they particularly want to do so," Mr Hide said.
He denied it was to save money -- ACT has struggled financially after returning from the last election seven MPs fewer with only Mr Hide and Heather Roy in Parliament.
"We want to rebuild our organisation in the South Island get it stronger and so put the energy into that," he said.
"One of the things that you find is if you make a big hullaballoo you end up all your time sort of organising the conference to make it look good -- we can actually concentrate on the organisational part."
- NZPA
