But while the differences between NZ First and Labour may be stark, over the past month or so, several issues have come to the fore on which there seems to be greater similarity between those two parties than NZ First and its current partners.
This faction believe it will be far easier to simply manage the economy alongside NZF rather than a far more radical agenda under Greens + Māori Party.
Doing a deal with NZF would be the easy, lazy way out for Labour, and never discount the reality many inside Labour would prefer the lazy easy way.
There are problems for the faction inside Labour who want a deal with NZF:
1 – NZF supporters are cracker conspiracy theorists who cheered banning puberty blockers and who don’t believe in vaccines or climate change. Allowing these knuckle dragging rednecks near power is an obligation to resist, not accomodate.
2 – NZF is corrupt as fuck. They take donations from industry and then deregulate that industry as part of a crony capitalism that is sickening.
3 – The Greens.
The third is the most important.
The Greens despise NZF as much as vegans hate meat eating carnivores (and vegetarians for being sell outs). They would rather allow Winston to cut a deal with National and ACT for a disastrous second term than allow Winston’s smug smirk.
Ensor is right, NZF and labour are cross pollinating policies, but that is because they are chasing the same voter, they are not wanting to work together.
Winston has stated Hipkins head as the price for working together, but Chippy is protected and supported by the Māori faction (Labour’s largest faction) and they are not leaving Chippy, so Winston is requiring Chippy AND the Māori faction are both defeated.
Ain’t going to happen.
As for the Greens agreeing to go along with being held prisoner by Winston for 3 years, there’s just no way in hell of that happening.
There is more chance of Chloe Swarbrick marrying David Seymour than the Green membership agreeing to work with a climate denying hate Lynch mob peddling culture war spite like NZ First does.
The Greens would be far more tactical and strategic to see if Māori Party can hold 4 electorates and see of that plus Greens + Labour = 51%.
If it did, the Greens would be shrewd to agree to a united negotiating team with Te Pati Māori and force Labour to choose them rather than NZF.
If only Ngāpuhi, Mariameno, Doc and Eru can just stop self mutilating the Party, we may be able to beat this terrible right wing Government who have strangled the common good for their donors with an anti-Māori, anti-Treaty, anti-beneficiary, anti-disabled, anti-worker, anti-renter and anti-environment agenda.
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No need to join forces with the old Potatoe Maori .That would be suicide and chippie will clearly remember what a hand brake he is .Then there is the lunatic Dr Pork who comes as hand lugage and the smoke promoter costello ,why would any one want that trash in government again .