KEY POINTS:
The blogosphere has been quick to react to the move to the right and the demise of Helen Clark after the election?
The Standard takes the line that Key only has a small majority and will therefore operate a hamstrung coalition. If Key tries to pass any legislation that Act, who won five seats last night, don't like, things could get tricky for the new Prime Minister.
David Farrar on Kiwiblog had quite a night celebrating the result and was even lifted clean off the ground by the Young Nats' president. On a serious note though, Farrar looks at what effect the special declaration vote could have. If Labour get an extra 600 votes than National in the special declaration, vagaries in the St Lague formula mean that National could lose a seat and Labour (or maybe the Greens) could gain one.
Graeme Edgeler at publicaddress.net posts the results of the election if there was no 5% threshold. The result becomes a lot closer as Labour's voting bloc is enhanced by NZ First gaining five seats. Even the Bill and Ben party would get one seat.
This would be the revised result:
National, ACT, United Future, Kiwi Party - 61 seats
Labour, Progressives, Greens, New Zealand First, M ori Party - 60
It seems that without a threshold the Bill and Ben Party would be the difference between a small National majority and a hung parliament. An enviable position?
Roarprawn puts her money on Phil Goff or Annette King to be the next leader of the Labour Party.
Surprisingly, one of Helen Clark's greatest critics, Ian Wishart, is gracious in victory.
"Regardless of our differences, I recognise Clark's strengths as a leader. She has done many good things for New Zealand - it was the not so good things that polarised the country," he writes.
