Eight reasons to dump Labour

Garth George's column in the Herald will strike a chord with many today - not the least because he manages not to write about Winston Peters! He does however launch a stinging attack against Helen Clark and her Labour-led government, with eight reasons, all of recent occurrence, to show Labour the red card in November. I won't list them all, but this one stood out - the passage into law of the Police Act which has slipped under the radar:

6. The incomprehensible decision to deprive policemen of the right to stand for local authorities; and the gutless decision of the Commissioner of Police to refer to politicians the decision to arm some officers with Tasers.

The duck-shoving over the Taser issue is simply further evidence that command of our once much-admired and respected police force, which once kept itself aloof from politics, is these days reduced to arse-licking impotence.

When the new broom takes over the levers of power within the next couple of months, the first thing it should sweep away is the commissioner and his cronies and replace them with real policemen.

George may be something of a curmudgeon, but he has a well-honed bullshit detector, and he has identified a number of araes which will be on the minds of voters on election day - he's well worth a read today.