Act minister Heather Roy is facing the axe from John Key's Administration today, after she is dumped by her parliamentary colleagues as deputy leader of Act.
First-term Act MP John Boscawen is expected to take her jobs as deputy leader and a minister.
Mrs Roy is said to again have been trying to rally party opinion against Rodney Hide.
Now, based on what we've heard, the Herald might just be running a media release from Rodney Hide's office. Act may only be a caucus of five, but it's a caucus divided. And this seems to be a pre-emptive strike by Rodney Hide to rid himself of a deputy leader with leadership ambitions.
Clearly, Hide and John Boscawen are in one camp, and Heather Roy and Sir Roger Douglas are in the other. We can only presume that Act's fifth MP, David Garrett is siding with Hide if he feels that he can safely deal with (or to) Ms Roy.
Is it any wonder that Act polls at somewhere around the margin of error? Hide, Epsom apart, seems to have little appeal to the electorate. That's a shame because Act is a natural partner for National. It's time that they got their Act together, if you'll pardon the inevitable pun.
5 comments:
It certainly makes me think about my party vote which ACT has had since MMP began.
My sentiments exactly pdm - they've had my party vote in every election I've been eligible to vote in.
Why are they f-ing it up at just the time so many people are looking for an actual right-wing party to vote for?
My vote will not go anywhere else but ACT. Ignore the stories until you see what happens.
Heather has been foolish, but she isn't going just because of her manoevering this time... or at least what I have been told.
ACT has been bought out by Key with the baubles of power. Its performance is pathetic and abandoned its principles.
ACT has lost my vote.
Act may not have done itself any favours by ranking too lowly Stephen Franks and Lindsay Mitchell.
These two, neither of whom fit the conventional "polititian" mould, are clear thinkers who continue to build reputations of common sense and vision. Neither comes across as ideologically driven, and both are fact-driven and articulate. These are vital qualities which are lamentably lacking in our Parliamentary make-up.
John Boscawen appears to have integrity, and his energies to date have been in the pursuit of issues which have the best interests of New Zealanders at heart.
Sir Roger Douglas is a one-trick pony. His monetary policy, however laudable, has little currency with a Government committed to slower development within the bounds of what is politically possible. It is a policy which cannot be cherry-picked, but is an all or nothing solution that should have been implemented 25 years ago. Unfortunately, that moment has passed.
Rodney Hide's image has lost its gloss with Dancing With the Stars, entitlement issues, and division over the Super City concept.
David Garrett lacks traction, but for the 3 strikes legislation, and is not a credible reason for voting for ACT.
Heather Roy, similarly struggles for traction.
So.....disaffected National voters desperately need ACT to smarten up its act and its Party list.
Should Heather Roy decide to call it a day, and as Sir Roger Douglas fulfils no immediate or mid-term purpose, then Act needs to get some pretty savvy candidates at 4 and 5, come the next election, or ACT is a goneburger.
David
Post a Comment