The Premium Debate: Subscribers weigh in on warning bells ringing for Labour

Labour candidate Georgie Dansey congratulates National's Tama Potaka on the byelection win. Photo / Mike Scott

OPINION

Claire Trevett: Make no mistake: no matter what Labour says now about the results of the Hamilton West byelection it will be – and should be – very worried about it. Because if that byelection does turn out to be a sign of what is to come in 2023, Labour is in line for a walloping. It does pay to be cautious about reading too much into a byelection, but it also pays not to brush off the lessons voters deliver in them. National’s Tama Potaka won by a 2285 vote majority over Labour’s Georgie Dansey. The immediate response from both sides to the result was instructive. Winners are grinners, and a jubilant Chris Bishop said the result showed “change is coming” (Leader Christopher Luxon later issued a clearly needed and timely warning against arrogance and complacency). Meanwhile, Labour’s Nanaia Mahuta was frantically hosing down any suggestion of a link between the byelection and the 2023 general election, arguing that the argument Hamilton West was a bellwether seat was flawed and byelections now did not reflect the mood of the people in a year’s time. (News, Monday)

Read the full story here: If Hamilton West byelection was Labour’s canary, it’s in line for a walloping

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Not such a big deal: Hamilton West was held by a National MP from 2008 to 2020. It was Labour from 1999 to 2008, and it’s swung regularly between the two since its establishment in 1969.

- Coryn S

Byelections are dodgy but the outcome here was pretty predictable. The Government has lost a seat but in so doing, from the look of it, National has introduced an MP to Parliament of genuine calibre, and that is welcome. He will likely retain the seat next year, and in that context, this result is as significantly positive for National as it is negative for Labour.

- Jess E

We had the ‘nine years of neglect’ hammered at us these past five years. Looking forward to the ‘six years of spin’ justified.

- Wayne T

However one looks at it, National turned a 6,000-plus Labour majority into a nearly 3,000 vote majority. I don’t think even Labour’s battalion of spin doctors can wrest a positive out of this electoral debacle, even with a disgracefully low turnout. Early general election, please.

- Andrew R

Sharma and Dansey were certainly gracious in defeat. A shame we can’t see the same degree of good, clean manners in the House.

- Rob K

Had Greens stood a candidate, the result for Labour would have been far worse.

- Murray K

Labour is going down, fast!

- Francois N

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