Francesca Mold on National’s ACC announcment: ‘What’s interesting is the way they’ve put this out under the radar, perhaps showing how sensitive they are to how voters might react. And they’ve done that with a number of policies recently. Although, I have to say, it’s not hurting them in the polls’
a) It won’t hurt the Nats in the polls because no-one knows it’s happening (that’s why they’re doing it), but no polls have been released covering the three weeks National has been engaging in this process. So, we can’t yet say that it’s not hurting them.
b) National judges that a few people thinking they are sneaky will cost them fewer votes than people generally being aware of the policies. The intent is to keep voters uninformed. That’s anti-democratic – it can either be enabled or thwarted.
c) The fourth estate has a vital role – informing the voters on the policies and competence of politicians. In particular, the fourth estate exposes information politicians would rather keep hidden. If a party is trying to bury policy, journos should dig it up.
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress