National-Vote-Competition

It's a fight back has started, hasn't it? National's leadership team have clearly come out of that caucus meeting yesterday with very clear instructions to get the National Party vote back off New Zealand first. And so this morning they have come out hard. It started with Nicola Willis on Mike Hosking just after seven warning that Winston Peters might pick Labour after the next election. And the attack from her on that show was so pointed I was actually surprised because these two are mates. mates. They drink together, they work together, they're on the same floor as each other in the beehive. But then five hours later the Prime Minister's on the country with Jamie Mackay, he's saying almost exactly the same thing. Which means Nicola didn't just react in the heat of the moment, coming off the high of what happened yesterday in caucus. These are the lines they have decided to go out with. They have decided to attack New Zealand first. Question is what bloody took them so long? Because this is what they needed to do months ago when it became obvious to them. Yes, to them they were bleeding votes to New Zealand First. That is what's happening here. New Zealand First and Winston are going up and the National Party is going down because those voters from the Nats are going to New Zealand First. Right now, 52% of Winston's supporters voted for National at the last election. And this is exactly the right strategy that Nicola and Chris should be taking because it's true. There is a risk that New Zealand First goes with Labour, even though Winston says it isn't going to happen. There is a risk because he did this in 1996. He told voters to help him put, quote, Jim Bolger in opposition where he belongs. And who did he pick after that election? He picked Jim Bolger. Now, of course, Winston's not going to admit that he's open to Labour even if he is because otherwise he can't rely on stealing all of those National Party voters over, right? Because they're not going to go to him if they think that he's going to put Jacinda's lot back in charge. This is exactly the attack that Luxon and Willis need to launch on New Zealand first if they want to keep their jobs by keeping the polling up. So let's see if it works. I reckon it might work. Watch the next poll. Watch for National going up and New Zealand first either going down or plateauing and that will tell us if the fight back is working.