Lights, camera, but where's the action?

The National Party is good at putting on appearances. Witness Thursday's charade on the forecourt of Parliament.

Jenny Shipley gave her MPs a public pep-talk before they jumped on the campaign bus to journey a few hundred metres up the road to Premier House for a strategy meeting.

Never mind that walking would have been quicker. National wanted a morale-boosting photo-opportunity of the jolly troops applauding their confident leader.

This was psychological warfare to counter the polls, which all agree National is in the doldrums. It seems unable to boost its support, which is stuck about 33 per cent and trailing Labour by varying margins.

The narrowest gap is two percentage points in this week's New Zealand Herald-DigiPoll. National says its private polling puts it three to four points behind Labour, which, in turn, claims the lead is more like six to nine.

National believes Labour is talking up its lead to panic its rival into changing tactics. The Premier House meeting was about settling nerves and ensuring the campaign sticks to fundamentals - that Labour's tax, spending and industrial relations policies will kill growth and jobs.

National cites research suggesting that many voters wait until the last week to make up their minds.

Waikato University surveys show more than 25 per cent in this category. Given the apathy pervading this campaign, there may be many more this time.

National's strategists accept that the party must boost its support by at least 5 per cent for the centre-right to have any chance of forming the next government. They say there is still time.

National is about to beef up its "attack" advertising. Senior ministers talk of "sharpening" the message. There is also agreement that a rather laid-back Shipley should set the daily agenda - and perhaps become more aggressive.

Labour's lead poses another problem, however. National expects its opponent to run the seductive argument that only Labour can win enough votes to make a clean break with messy minority government.

In contrast, National is hostage to a range of incompatible allies. That perception was accentuated yesterday when Act made its stance on treaty settlements non-negotiable in coalition talks.

On National's other flank, New Zealand First's Tutekawa Wyllie warned that he would not prop up an Act-National coalition from the cross-benches if National kow-tows to Act. Tau Henare says the same.

This rhetoric should be viewed as campaign posturing. But Act's belligerence hardly helps National portray the centre-right as representing stability.