by frog
This headline to a Herald story had me a little alarmed this morning:
Locke threatens to run naked to keep Hide out
The story begins:
Green MP Keith Locke is doing his bit to keep Rodney Hide out of the Epsom seat – threatening to run naked down the streets of the electorate if Mr Hide wins. The promise to the 850 gathered at an Epsom political forum last night was just one more bizarre aspect in what must be the oddest electorate campaign this election, which has National spurning its natural ally and Labour floating the possibility of supporting its natural enemy.
Well, this is strictly true. However, what Keith actually said was that he’s so confident Rodney won’t win Epsom that he’d run through the electorate’s streets naked if the Act Leader did the impossible. That’s how the “run naked through the streets” prank usually works. You say something like, “I’m so sure that Winston Peters won’t ever be a Minister of the Crown again, that I’ll run up Lambton Quay naked if he does.”
Despite Act’s bluster about internal polling, all the other parties contesting the Epsom seat know that Rodney hasn’t a snowball’s chance in Hell of winning it. In all probability, he’s still running a poor third. National doesn’t want Act to make it back into Parliament, and has anointed United as its preferred coalition partner. So, the good people of Epsom can rest assured that there won’t be a Green MP running naked through the electorate’s streets any time soon 
Published in Campaign by frog on Wed, September 7th, 2005
Tags: environment
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
I hope the event is well publisised when Rodney does win. You need to set a date and time here. Just in case.
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Frog:
I’m glad you made that clear!
It would be counterproductive were we to lose potential Labour/Green votes to Rodney from women voters eager to see Keith in his birthday suit.
eredwen
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He should have said that he would cycle naked through the streets if Mr Hide wins. (For those who don’t know, Keith does cycle around the city, or at least he does from his home in Mt Eden to the Green Party offices on Gr North Road, which admittedly isn’t far.)
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Considering about 20% of Epsom voters gave ACT their party vote last election, I think if there is one electorate where Hide could win, it is Epsom.
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But that’s the point isn’t it… there are ZERO electorates that Act can win.
Even in Epsom, with its very strong concentration of upper-tax-bracket voters, I’m confident there will be a majority AGAINST Mr Hide. Plenty of Labour and Green voters will be happy enough to vote Nat, if it seems necessary, to keep them out.
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I’m amused at your religious faith in Hide’s supposed inability to win the seat. I’m assuming your internal polling backs this up? We have Hide winning by six points, albeit with a quarter of voters undecided.
Just tell me which day it’s happening on so I can avoid Broadway at all costs.
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When and Where?
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