The strange and unusual National Campaign Launch for the Northcote by election

Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, May 7th, 2018 - 52 comments
Categories: by-election, elections, labour, national, Politics, same old national, Simon Bridges - Tags: , ,

The Northcote by election is developing into quite a fascinating battle.

By all rights it should safely be National’s seat.  Opposition parties do not lose by elections.  And although it has been a marginal seat in the past the inner glow caused by dramatically increasing house prices should mean that this is National’s in a canter.

But their campaign is showing the same sort of ineptness that cost them the Northland by election.

Take for instance their campaign launch.  Media coverage suggests that their candidate, Dan Bidois, has no idea of what happened during the past nine long years of National rule.

And he is engaging in that time honoured tory technique of blaming everyone else for National’s ineptitude.  Because he thinks that everything is all Auckland Council’s fault and is vowing to take them on.

From Felicity Reid at Stuff:

National’s Northcote by-election candidate Dan Bidois feels that behind every door he knocks on in the Auckland electorate is someone dissatisfied with spending too long sitting in traffic.

So when he officially launched his campaign on May 6 he had a three-point plan targeting transport, fuel taxes and improved local services and a catch-cry of: “Lets get Northcote moving”.

Contesting a by-election gave him the luxury of avoiding national level policy issues, instead focusing on the hyper local, so if elected, Bidois made clear he had Auckland Council in his sights.

“There isn’t one solution, so I will be holding council to account for the services that they can get improved in the area.

Does he not realise he is running for Parliament and not Council?  And that his Government did precious little to improve Auckland’s transport system apart from finish off what the previous Labour Government had started?  And that increased congestion is directly related to increased population growth that National caused as its primary economic policy?

He then talked about this crazy idea of making Onewa Road’s T3 lane into a T2 lane.  This would be a retrograde idea that would wreck an arrangement that is working very well.  As said by Greater Auckland seven years ago the idea was utterly mad.  But one project that is an outstanding proposition, which has met with a great deal of nimbyism and which Labour has pledged to fund will also be supported by Bidois.

“I will support SkyPath, but it has got to stack up financially and it needs to make sure that it doesn’t impinge on the private property rights of those in the Northcote area,” he said.

He enters into head scratching territory by confirming that he will campaign on “no new fuel taxes” but acknowledging that there were “significant shortfalls in [the] Auckland Council transport plan” while at the same time decrying that the money will not be spent in the Northcote electorate.  Apparently Northcotians are unusual in that they never, ever drive in the greater Auckland area and will therefore receive no benefit from the revised and fully funded ATAP.

He then hits peak political cynicism.

Bidois supported intensified housing in the electorate but said the right infrastructure needed to be in place.

“That means things like car parks, wastewater drainage, sufficient schooling and transport infrastructure.

“If there is intensification without this necessary investment, like what is proposed for Zion Rd then I will oppose it and be vocal about it.”

He must think that Auckland Council has a magic money tree where funding for growth and new infrastructure can be paid without collecting it from ratepayers or through charges or Government grants.

The targeting of the comment suggests that National is going to run a very stupid campaign.  I am quietly confident that the good people of Northcote are much brighter than this.

If you want to help out with the Labour candidate, Shanan Halbert’s campaign details can be accessed here.

52 comments on “The strange and unusual National Campaign Launch for the Northcote by election ”

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  1. Gosman 1
    7 May 2018 at 12:11 pm

    Ummm… what would do you think a National Party candidate in a By-election should be campaigning on instead of local issues when the party is in opposition? He can’t very well claim he will get policy passed when the party he represents isn’t in power at the moment. I suspect you wouldn’t be happy with anything he campaigned on merely because he represents a party you oppose.

    • mickysavage 1.1
      7 May 2018 at 12:26 pm

      His take on the issues is pretty superficial.

      By all means he should campaign on local issues but attacking Auckland Council and especially the fuel tax and then stating that there has to be infrastructure in place for growth is rather silly.

      • Gosman 1.1.1
        7 May 2018 at 1:13 pm

        Let’s for a moment forget you are not supportive of the National party.

        The point of Opposition politics is to highlight flaws in the Government policies. The Regional fuel tax is a major Government initiative so I would expect ANY Opposition candidate in a by-election worth their salt to oppose it especially one from a right of centre party that supposedly is against more taxes.

        He is also entitled to argue that infrastructure should be put in place for growth. That makes sense regardless of your political affiliation. This could be funded by other means rather than increased taxes (e.g. increased borrowing or selling Assets). Whether or not that is the approach to take should be up for the people to decide when they vote.

        • AB 1.1.1.1
          7 May 2018 at 2:13 pm

          “Increased borrowing or selling assets”.
          Or eating seed corn

          • Gosman 1.1.1.1.1
            7 May 2018 at 2:19 pm

            Or by redirecting spending from one area of the budget to another.

            • Grace Miller 1.1.1.1.1.1
              7 May 2018 at 5:40 pm

              LMAO all spending extras will be funnelled to health and education that were woefully underfunded by Nats for 9yr.

    • Cinny 1.2
      7 May 2018 at 1:13 pm

      When one is standing for Parliament as a member of a political party one would think they would be backing their party lines and many past decisions… but noooooo not dan.

      Challenge dan about national party decisions and he changes the narrative, all of a sudden it’s about him and who is the best person to represent the Northcote electorate, let’s not talk about nine years of national mistakes.

      On The Nation, dan was shocking, I’d be very surprised if he takes out this ‘safe’ national seat. As well colemans track record does nada in helping dan to gain votes.

      http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2018/05/debate-northcote-by-election-candidates.html

      • Gosman 1.2.1
        7 May 2018 at 1:28 pm

        What do you expect him to say in relation to the past nine years?

        Given your obviously political bias I think you believe he can’t defend the last 9 years hence why you want him to be asked about it.

        Essentially it seems to me that you want him to admit that National stuffed up. I’m not sure that would be a great move career wise for an aspiring National party MP.

        • Cinny 1.2.1.1
          7 May 2018 at 5:19 pm

          Lolz gosman, I expect him to be proud of the party he supports/belongs to, isn’t that why he signed up to represent national for Northcote?

          Maybe he could wheel out the line used by the PM who quit, or the man who tried twice but failed to be PM… you know the line…. ‘proven track record’.

          He could admit that national got some things wrong; honesty speaks volumes. He doesn’t need to admit that national stuffed up, the public already knows that.

          As for me, am not so much anti-national, but I am anti-corruption, lies, exploitation and putting money before people.

          Hey, gosman do you think national will win the seat? If yes, why? If no, why? Thanks 🙂

          • Gosman 1.2.1.1.1
            8 May 2018 at 5:58 am

            Yes because it was held by National already. The North Shore is National party territory. Finally Government parties don’t tend to win seats off opposition parties in byelections.

            Policies and quality of candidates matter far less than those three factors.

            • Incognito 1.2.1.1.1.1
              8 May 2018 at 7:46 am

              Complacency, arrogance, status quo, TINA, boring & predictable, that sums it up nicely for me.

            • dukeofurl 1.2.1.1.1.2
              8 May 2018 at 5:27 pm

              Northcote is national party territory ?

              Oh pleeese.
              The branch members were so low they had to import the party nomenklatura from neighbouring seats to make up the numbers for a so called selection by the local party delegates.
              Truck Stop Paula is running the show and Bidois is only the dishwasher in this little cafe

      • patricia bremner 1.2.2
        7 May 2018 at 3:16 pm

        Cinny, Agree 1000%

      • Nick K 1.2.3
        7 May 2018 at 10:31 pm

        Shocking my backside. Take your left wing blinkers off.

  2. fender 2
    7 May 2018 at 12:12 pm

    National must be cloning these fuckwits in a lab somewhere.

  3. Rosemary McDonald 3
    7 May 2018 at 1:10 pm

    Daniel could have gone either way…pity he went blue

    • ropata 3.1
      8 May 2018 at 10:42 pm

      Slimy twat like Key. Very intelligent but no sense of obligation to the community that paid for him to get there. Will cruise in safely by the power of the blue dragon money printing machine. Tories know how to buy their way into power

  4. AsleepWhileWalking 4
    7 May 2018 at 1:49 pm

    Sounds like a Metamucil ad.

    But otherwise I think he’ll take the seat.

    • AB 4.1
      7 May 2018 at 2:17 pm

      Yes he will. This place is chocka with homes ‘worth’ well over $1M. Thanks National, we’re all rich now.

  5. Observer Tokoroa 5
    7 May 2018 at 2:24 pm

    Hi Gosman

    Why is there missing infra structure in Northcote? Once you have answered that, could you explain why it is missing throughout all of Auckland?

    I think New Zealand is very aware that Bill English and John Key didn’t worry about infra structure, but brought in hundreds of thousands of immigrants year after year.

    You obviously condoned what Key and English didn’t do. Will you and Dan continue that same stupid way of building up nothing in Northcote ?

    Does Dan know what infra structure is ?

    • Gosman 5.1
      7 May 2018 at 2:37 pm

      Why do you think I condoned anything that John Key or Bill English did or didn’t do? I never voted for either of them nor their political party.

      • Observer Tokoroa 5.1.1
        7 May 2018 at 2:54 pm

        Gosman

        I should not have asked you and Dan hard questions. He obviously does not know that he is walking into a nightmare – hoping to drag the money he wants off the poor – and not off the very comfortable Northcote population.

        The rest of Aotearoa is disappointed in the lack of backbone so evident in the Queen City. Middlemore Hospital is just one sad example. Leaky homes by the thousand another. Gypsy Transport is another. Crime yet another. Rape rampant.

        • Gosman 5.1.1.1
          7 May 2018 at 3:02 pm

          Do you think it would make political sense for him to stand up and admit all the accusations you are making?

  6. Michelle 6
    7 May 2018 at 2:31 pm

    And if your all rich then why should we (tax payers ) have to pay for your roads and infrastructure that increases you house value even more. The same goes for the farmers they pollute we pay to clean up their shit, I mean mess. There is something wrong here. ps little wonder so many people are going vegetarian.

    • Crashcart 6.1
      8 May 2018 at 11:45 am

      Where does this attitude that all people on the shore are rich come from? I am sure our demographics are good but the homeless people I see in Glen Field and a lot of area’s around Beach Haven and North Cote are far from what would be considered rich. Those who are not well off are really poorly serviced by public transport on the shore in general. I understand that geography limits what can be accomplished out here but it would be nice to see at least some effort to improve options for those who want to get out of their cars.

  7. Tamati Tautuhi 7
    7 May 2018 at 2:45 pm

    They look like twins ?

  8. Draco T Bastard 8
    7 May 2018 at 3:00 pm

    “I will support SkyPath, but it has got to stack up financially and it needs to make sure that it doesn’t impinge on the private property rights of those in the Northcote area,” he said.

    1. Stacks up financially most likely means ‘makes a profit’. It’s not being done as a PPP (#6) and so there’s no profit.
    2. Some Northcotians have been saying for quite some time that it impinges their private property rights (Not exactly in those terms).

    So, this is actually him saying that he doesn’t support it. Not that it means much. All opposition to it dropped a couple of years ago.

    • Gosman 8.1
      7 May 2018 at 4:04 pm

      If all opposition to it was dropped why would he oppose it then?

      • Craig Glen Eden 8.1.1
        7 May 2018 at 4:47 pm

        Gosman its called a bob each way just to make sure you appeal to everyone. Its a technique often used by politicians….. I am for it, no I am against it. Later could even be the same day. But you said you are against that? No I said I am for it. Trump does it really well. Seems to work really well for RWNJs.

  9. AB 9
    7 May 2018 at 5:08 pm

    Last week on Onewa Rd – a large number of Dan’s billboards had been sprayed with clumsy renditions of male genitalia.
    Oddly – this crude and stupid effort by an unknown ‘artist’ was the most amusing thing in my day. The by-election feels just like that – a passing stream of implausible bollocks.

    • Cinny 9.1
      7 May 2018 at 5:29 pm

      lmao, it must have been a group of young lads, male youth seem to be obsessed with drawing penis’s, it’s their ‘go to’ graffiti image.

      Miss 13 was asking just the other day why boys feel the need to draw penis’s everywhere,now that ended up being a super funny conversation with her.

  10. Pete 10
    7 May 2018 at 6:48 pm

    Heard some Northcote people being street interviewed. Was amazed by some saying that the big issue was parking in the area. Bidois should walk in.

    The electorate is quite different than some other safe National seats. While many of the stats are almost identical these present a picture of two electorates that are noticeable to someone visiting each:

    Birthplace of usually resident population
    Selwyn: New Zealand: 79.2%: Overseas: 16.8%
    Northcote: 56.5% , 38%
    Ethnic group of school pupils October 2017
    Selwyn: European, 80.4%
    Northcote: 47%

    https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/DBHOH_Lib_EP_Northcote_Electoral_Profile/e0349b9e302d38c0328ddc3bdb1fe7ed05c0355f

    • ropata 10.1
      8 May 2018 at 10:46 pm

      Yes National has been awesome at buying off entire electorates and stacking them with the blue dragon colonists

  11. mauī 11
    7 May 2018 at 6:56 pm

    Can’t wait to see the town hall debate with the blue team and it’s new found interest in community and local issues. They’re always good for a laugh lol.

  12. savenz 12
    8 May 2018 at 9:59 am

    Important phrase here from the Labour candidate… and true for most of Auckland…

    “Like many local people, Shanan drives to work across the bridge every day as public transport options to South Auckland are not viable. ”

    A lot more concern needs to be made about how Auckland Transport has taken so much money out of Auckland ratepayers already, but does not deliver basic viable services for most people!

    How the hell, can a bus for example take 2 to 5 times longer than a car on only a few KM’s of travel, that is even before the costs that are often higher for public transport and the basic lack of service provided.

    The reason that more successful countries use trains is that they are also much more enjoyable to use. You can get on a train and get to your destination, have a coffee, read the paper, work on your computer… etc etc. You don’t lose productivity, you gain it. You just don’t do that on a bus.

    Time to get rid of the reliance of buses and turn to a proper train service that links up properly and not crap unsafe trains with cheap drivers and out of control patrons mugging people and tagging, but comfortable trains, with food and coffee, internet, conductors and people who run them that give a damn and have some sort of understanding of service and how people like to start and finish their daily commutes.

    There does not even seem to be a basic vision of customer needs at AT, just the neoliberal grab for more and more budget to deliver a disgusting and as the Labour candidate can attest, ‘not a viable service’ for many people. People just don’t have hours extra in their day to use AT’s slow-to-go-if-you-even-go-there public transport. More money does not help compete lack of understanding of customer service and practicality that is our public transport no 1 issue.

    • savenz 12.1
      8 May 2018 at 12:48 pm

      Around 6 years ago I used to use the trains from Britomart. They were amazing to use lots of friendly staff, conductors everywhere, pay on the train, cheap etc.

      I’ve now heard the cost cutters have got in there, taken away the staff, made you queue up to get a ticket prior to your journey and no staff for safety and so forth and put up the prices.

      Even when AT get the trains and seem to be on the way to a good service they can’t help reverting to customer service cost cutting. Guess where the money they saved and more probably goes, into middle managers, senior manager salary and consultants and lawyers and bad IT and marketers… not more trains, more staff, decent customer experience.

      To get people out of a car, you need to understand what is better about the car journey (or actually what is so terrible about today’s public transport experience).

      Slow, unreliable, grumpy, expensive, non linking cattle class transport in NZ is probably not going to help anybody leave their car.

      That is why parking is just as important an issue to most people as the left obsession with pretending we have functioning public transport – we are not even close to having decent public transport and going backwards from 6 years ago on customer service!

      • dukeofurl 12.1.1
        8 May 2018 at 5:34 pm

        Queue up for a ticket ?

        Use a HOP card and never queue for a ticket ever again ( plus its a discount from the ‘ticket price’

    • ropata 12.2
      8 May 2018 at 10:48 pm

      Ridiculous comment from last century. Have you ever tried to drive down Onewa Rd, over the Bridge, or along Dominion Rd at rush hour?? A bus is way faster and more efficient when they have proper bus lanes.

  13. Exile 13
    13 May 2018 at 4:55 pm

    Being a bit involved in this campaign its my belief that we choose the wrong candidate. Halbert is a political broiler and exactly the type that dont resonate in a progressive area of Auckland where a lot of former Labour voters who have gotten property-rich resides (see its choice of Councillors).

    Its a pity, I believe that a candidate with real life working experience and someone who could connect with the normal family on the shore would win this for Labour. I really do think that over the coming decade, wards such as these will be Labour strongholds. The people here are wealthy on paper but their monthly budgets dont always show that. Add in some depressed areas and quite a few renters and its pretty fertile ground. This is not East Coast Bays.

    Its unfortunate when career politicians are the only choice. We saw that when Trevor Mallard left his seat and the party choose a candidate who against the advise of the local members got picked and since she had zero appeal she lost what sould be a pretty safe Labour seat (in an election were trending upwards strongly in) since she had nothing that local voters could identify with.

    Halbert is a nice person. Ill do my best for him. But to set up a lad who hasnt worked outside politically ideological organisatons in the entire life in an electorate such as Northcote is an own goal. Well, not surprising when we generally see 20 partymember show up for meetings. We get what we deserve (that true for all the shore electorates and Upper Harbour too).

    Bidois is also a pretty slimey kind of National candidate. I just cant seem to get my hed around the lad, he is really someone that is there for the taking and were loosing a decent oppurtunity by running another wrong candidate.
    Whats wrong with identifying candidates with real working experience?