KEY POINTS:
Enter, stage right, Sir Roger Douglas to rescue the Act Party, and not a moment too soon. Hard-core free-marketeers and anti-statists will open their arms and their chequebooks for this 70-year-old who, to judge from a recent interview on National Radio, still bristles with ideas. As David Lange once quipped, like rust, Douglas never sleeps.
The former finance minister is keynote speaker at Act's conference next weekend, telling the disciples how to close the wealth gap between New Zealand and Australia. There's talk he may stand at the next election, though he tells no fibs when he says he doesn't want to return to Parliament.
Pity. Recycled politicians are not a good look, but Douglas has credibility. There will always be about 7 per cent of voters for whom Rogernomics is not a profanity. They won't vote for Labour or National. They are voters without a home.
While John Key is wise to go for the middle ground to pinch votes off Labour, National's in danger of winning the election but losing the Government benches. Who believes the Greens will support National; and the Maori Party? Well, Labour will offer anything to stay in power.
National needs at least six Act MPs if it wants to oust the Labour Government.
And those Act MPs need to be far to the right (for want of a better term) of National. Rodney Hide, in his re-creation as a positive, constructive force for change, is the ideal leader. I tuned in to his talkback on Radio Live last week, and silly softie that I am, gave him a call when I sensed the lines weren't exactly jammed. I've attacked Hide for his show-pony antics, but his great strengths are his ability to communicate and explain policy, convincing people how a change might actually improve their lives. So no need for a new leader.
But new MPs definitely. Recycling the old caucus (including this writer, who has zip plans to return to politics) would be lazy and counter-productive. There are excellent potential candidates around. John Boscawen for starters. In the 1999 election when he stood on the party list, he got 22 per cent of the party vote, the highest ever from any Act candidate. Boscawen won't thank me for promoting him as a high list candidate because he's focused on overturning the Electoral Finance Act.
These are a few toughies who'd be resolute and unfazed about right-wing labelling. There's long-term supporter and spirited Rogernome, Christopher Dean in Auckland. Harvard educated Peter Te Matakahere Douglas, head of Te Ohu Kaimoana and former policy adviser for CYFs, is unsurpassed in his vision for ending welfare dependency. Christchurch's favourite boy, Dave Henderson, who took on the IRD and won, would think himself too libertarian for Act, but could be persuaded.
One of the mistakes Act made was to try to become the "liberal party". I supported this valiant attempt by past-president Catherine Judd, but I was wrong. It divided and confused members and Hide, to his credit, opposed the moniker because it wasn't true. He should get rid of it.
It's time for a hard-assed party. Last week a diehard Labour-supporting primary teacher told me the teacher unions are thrilled at National's Anne Tolley's promotion to education, so what does that say?
Act must fight for choice (after correcting the spelling and grammar on its website) for parents, teachers, and principals. If some schools want bulk funding, let them have it, but don't force all schools into it.
To do something about our shameful reading standards in 10-year-olds, get rid of the politically correct claptrap emanating from education bureaucracy and revive tried-and-true reading, spelling and arithmetic. Some schools don't give homework, despite parents begging for it, because it interrupts the life-work balance! No wonder the Y-generation is lazy and 14 per cent of kids leave school before they're 15 - they've had nine years of Labour policies.
Act could go hard on health. Instead of joining National's call for inquiries into Hawke's Bay health, for instance, Act should be demanding to know why government interferes to save the arse of a former health minister, but won't save the hip joints of the country's grannies. Out on struggle-street we don't care about alleged dodgy dealings in DHBs, we just want to get treatment when we need it, without leaving the country, and if that means using our taxes in a private hospital, so be it.
Suddenly the election campaign got a whole lot more interesting. And here's a slogan to rebrand the fading liberal party: "Act: Keeping Government Right."
