The real reason we must move the election date to November
The best science is telling the Government that this latest outbreak is recent and that the track trace regime is capable of containing this cluster and cauterising it within the period of time announced.
The front line testing regime of workers in quarantine facilities is now mandatory, those working were checked daily for symptoms so the claim by National and their media trolls that this is an enormous border failure simply isn’t true, the border can only go so far, THAT’S WHY the MoH and Bloomfield were warning about masks last week!
This virus requires a strict border and then firebreaks of masks, social distancing and quarantine alongside an effective track trace regime.
We have that all in place.
We could hold the election on September 19th, the Electoral Commission has contingency plans for a Level 2 lockdown election format so this latest outbreak could be solved in time for a 4 week campaign and we could still have the election on September 19th.
I don’t think we should.
It’s not a case of the Opposition being disadvantaged by having no platform or voice during the emergency that rings true, because this National Party are so odiously toxic that every time they get on screen, voters recoil in horror at the naked malice and National drops in the polls.
The truth is that National would probably do better on election day if no one saw from them for the next 6 weeks!
No, it’s not the lack of platform time that should force a change of election date, it’s what Judith and Gerry might say once losing the September 19th election that should force the date to November.
Let’s be clear, since taking over as leader, Judith has displayed a gasp inducing, breath taking ability of malevolence well beyond your average politician. Her ‘what’s wrong with being white’ race baiting, her purposeful side stepping of Falloon so her first weekend of media wasn’t stained, her execution of Iain Lees-Galloway on live TV, her avoidance to act immediately with ‘Merv’, her draconian policies and her promotion of Conspiracy theories to damage the Government have all highlighted why the rest of the National Party never trusted her with the power of leadership until their were forced to by self-destructive despair after Muller imploded.
The conspiracy theory peddling shows that there is no lower level to which Judith won’t stoop and with the realisation that the Party will execute her mercilessly once she loses, her desperation will only push her to feed that dark part pf her psyche which frightens the rest of us.
If Judith were forced to fight a September 19th election and failed I fear she would pull a Trump, that she would claim the election was biased, unfair and rigged. Now, at any normal time that would be laughed off as the hysterical ravings of someone who fought and was found lacking in every possible category and in their bitter defeat have turned on the process to eclipse their own terminal short comings.
Sadly these are not normal times.
Rump National voters are already a brutal lot who feed and celebrate spite, give them a justification to question the legitimacy of a Labour led Government and they will turn septic. Include the conspiracy theorists who have spread like herpes on Facebook and you have the toxic ingredients of treason and insurrection fed on a poisonous political lie of the election being corrupt.
Judith is more than capable of attempting to burn the entire system if she doesn’t win, that is her nature.
Don’t pretend you haven’t seen it.
Those of us on the progressive Left have NOTHING to fear from a later election date, we can thrash these right wing clowns any day of the God damned week and we should remove their ability to claim the result was unfair.
Move the election date, allow us to heal, learn and repair from this latest outbreak and eliminate Judith’s ability to seed sedition.
These are not normal times.
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I think the problem with any date is this virus can ruin the party without notice. All the best laid plans putting this out until November could easily be derailed by another outbreak. Then what, wait until January? Can we even do that? It is worse than trying to predict the weather on a given day 3 months from now.
If this latest outbreak is contained in time, have the election on time. As you say, these are not normal times!
For the love of god, can we just get on with it ffs, we are heading towards an enormous shit storm and there are decisions to be made about the future of NZ/AO.
Agree
One Hundred!
Yes, let’s get the election done and dusted so we can all concentrate on getting back to some semblance of normal.
The conditions for an election are as likely to become progressively worse for the next year or more as they are to get better.
D J S
With further lock down necessary and Business NZ baying to let the doors open, we are seeing more opinion and innuendo in MSM that the COL and JA are hurting us and we won’t recover, which is of course utter bullshit. But it can be a vote swinger for those who wish to believe it.
That door swings both ways folks so we should be guided by the Government desision whatever it winds up being.
They clearly know more than we do at present.
Nothing is certain over the next month.
Delaying by two months increases the uncertainty.
Collins has no legal or moral basis to demanding the deferral of the election.
Collins is undermining the Covid campaign and interfering with democracy.
The electoral commission is prepared for an election under L 2.
The left has an interest in getting a majority Labour Govt back in power on Sept 19 and putting if to the test of office unburdened by the diversions and subversions of coalition partners.
Hold it as planned Sept 19 under level 2
Here is a cautionary tale
“With an 8-1 lead in San Francisco in 2013, Team New Zealand needed to win just one more race to bring the home the next America’s Cup, Oracle wanted a delay of one day and that gave them enough time for further fine tuning and they won the next nine races!”
Don’t give in to threats by National Party or MSM – defeat them now
Typical lefty high moral ground bull dust. Get in the ring and fight, ground and pound to they submit, no mercy. Do you think Collins would extend the same grace to Labour? Not on your life mate.
Umm, errr… So who exactly are the progressive left candidates?
No Deal: ALL Candidates and Political Parties have had long enough to get the act together.
Time to Vote!
Nah, either or way, delay, as scheduled, postponed. With a leader like Jacinda there’s a response ready to go first try.
“ALL Candidates and Political Parties have had long enough to get the act together.” This is so true, Zack, for an election held now but what happens to the small parties? They will haved paid out the bulk of their budgets already. If the election is postponed the big parties will still have the reserves to contest a delayed campaign. On the other hand the small partieswill not have the funds to launch any kind of campaign. What is fair or democratic about that? But National wont care about that.
Don’t forget that people are tired and burned out now, it’s been a tough year. I think most people just want the election over with, so focus can continue on New Zealand and other issues. I agree that National and their head bitch (along with her conspiracy fuck boy) will whine, so postpone for a few weeks (same period as level 3 Auckland winds up being in). That way they have no case (even though they will probably come up with something else). Postponing for 2 months or until next year will, in my opinion, just make most people groan in agony.
Let the Electoral Commission make the decision. Non partisan and difficult to accuse of bias.
Huh! We shouldn’t have an election on 19/09 because of Judith Collins sensitivities. What about voters feelings,. Can’t we just get it over and done with?
Agreed~!! .. let’s not be Wishy Washy .. Time to Vote~!!
Hold it on the 19th September. We are only ticking a few boxes.
Any delay is letting National dictate and shows weakness.
Nah just get on with it
We shall have Judith going on no matter what and her supporters at NZHerald like Fran will ably compliment her
We need a government with a strong mandate and not too beholden to its support partners at this time
During the last lockdown crisis, only the legacy parties (Nats and Labs) got any broadcast media oxygen, and other parties shrank in the polls. So if you care about parties beyond the legacy parties having a fair chance to campaign, that’s another good reason to support delaying the election.
BTW if you’re concerned about broadcast media having such collective power to shape election results, simply by changing where they direct our attention, you’re not alone. Building independent, democratic media (*not* corporate social media) to the point where it can eclipse broadcast media remains an ongoing challenge.
The Prime Minister needs to preempt Winston Peters continuing attacks and call the election.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300083701/election-2020-decision-day-looms-for-jacinda-ardern-as-winston-peters-threatens-retaliation-if-election-not-delayed
Elimination is still the best strategy, September 19 is still the best date for the election.
New Zealand is at a crossroads.
There are two crucial matters at issue: one is our public health response to the Corona Virus. The other is our democratic norms.
Will we go for elimination?
Will we go for elections on the 19th of September?
The two questions are inextricably linked.
Today, at 10am, the Prime Minister will announce whether the New Zealand General Election will take place at the scheduled date of Saturday, 19 September 2020.
How can an election be safely held if the Sars Cov3 Corona Virus is still circulating in the community?
The fact is it can’t.
There is only one way that the 2020 New Zealand general election can be safely held on the scheduled date of Saturday, 19 September 2020.
That is when the virus has been stopped from circulating in the community.
To hold elections on the stated date the virus must be eliminated from our nation before that date. We did it once we can do it again.
As some commentators have asked, if we don’t have the election on Sept 19 when will we have it?
If we don’t eliminate the virus now, when will we eliminate it?
The science says that going hard and fast now is the best strategy to avoid having to do it again, later.
The Prime Minister has stated that the Government is prepared to drop alert levels, even if the virus is still circulating in the community, such a step, if taken, would signal that the government has given up on ‘elimination’ of the virus in favour of ‘suppression’ of the virus.
However experts say that elimination is still the best strategy.
To eliminate the virus from circulating in the community by the 19th of September, – a Level 4 Lockdown must be scheduled to start at the latest, on the 24th of August, (a week from now), and finish on the 18th of September. (the day before the election).
To go to Level 4 for a second time the Government must have the people with them.
Already people, especially small proprietors, are hurting under Level 3 restrictions. As much as possible the government must alleviate this economic hurt. The 2nd Level 4 Lockdown must include measures to alleviate people’s economic suffering as much as possible.
The continuation of the wage subsidy has already been agreed.
But more is needed.
A total moratorium on all rents and mortgages for the period of the second Level 4 Lockdown is a must.
Cabinet Member and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has resolutely refused to support any sort of rent relief measures. Describing them as using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
If Peters still refuses to allow rent relief for suffering New Zealanders, then the Deputy Prime Minister must be removed from cabinet and relieved of all his ministerial responsibilities by majority vote in cabinet and/or government. The government will continue as a minority ‘caretaker’ government until the election is held on the scheduled date.
All campaigning to be on line, and on Broadcast TV and radio. As most people will be stuck at home with their devices, the level of public engagement debate, and the ability to cast an informed democratic vote will be at the highest levels ever.
Stay safe. Be lucky.
Eliminating coronavirus remains the best approach for New Zealand, experts say, despite coronavirus lockdowns testing some people’s resolve.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300082182/coronavirus-elimination-of-covid19-still-best-strategy-for-nz-experts-say