The Nation and Q+A review

Ratings
q+a continue to skyrocket in the ratings to 218 510 viewers and The Nation continue to climb 82 430 viewers. As the recession bites, viewers are moving away from being consumers and are starting to be more informed citizens. This is a drift that was best exposed with the local body elections last week.

The Nation
After purging the Party of any activists in favour of being a watered down Lime colour rather than a hard Green colour so as to appeal to Soccer Mums who like Outrageous Fortune by dumping Nandor and Sue, the Greens have now suddenly realized being left in the deepest recession since 1929 is important. Norman is on trying to sell his new left credentials, the issue he should be understanding is the new moves going on between Labour and Winston. He doesn't get it. I should have lunch with him and Met.

NZ First killed the Greens off from having any real policy say for almost 9 years under Labour, the new secret romances occurring between NZ First and Labour could alienate a Green Party too slow to see what is going on (again), the Greens have to hammer Labour on this, they can't be allowed to be ignored again so the emphasis has to be for Labour to explain to Winston that the Greens HAVE to be at the table running the environment portfolio.

There is however one issue that binds the Maori Party, the Greens, Labour and NZ First (and the sooner someone points this out to them, the sooner they can actually start working together), that issue is Economic Sovereignty - it connects them all, they each have it as a main platform plank in this deep, deep recession, that can overcome all the other policy differences. Maori have pioneered leasing land without selling it, why not expand that to all foreign powers, they can lease land, not buy it. I got media accreditation and have been at the Labour Party conference all weekend and their lurch to the economic sovereignty side of things was extraordinary (I'll blog more fully on the conference later today), so there is a huge amount of policy that could complement the other parties.

Talk of the devil, Winston Peters is on and his comeback is the focus. He can take 6%-7% of the vote, the problem in this new love in for Winston could be Micheal Laws, while Labour and the Greens and the Maori Party might work with Winston, they loath Laws, he can't run in Wanganui, his inclusion would be a nightmare. Expect Andrew Williams to be a candidate.

The new Green Mayor of Wellington is on, Celia is great. Her win is as Simon Wilson the Editor of Metro pointed out last week on The Nation, part of a move towards the left that went under the National radar.

Business Editor Patrick Smellie on the panel gets it, he points out that Labour, the Greens and NZ First all have the same economic sovereignty issue, why can't the parties themselves click onto that? Bevan Rapson notes that it can be a principled position and not just a xenophobic kneejerk.

Business week, plenty of people trying to claim the economy won't go into depression. They've all been playing this tune from the beginning. YAWN.

q+a
Paul's monologue is up and running, more clever than hilarious this week, q+a are rating so highly at the moment as consumers stop consuming and become more citizen so the laughs don't have to be a hook for viewers any longer.

Jon Johansson is on the Panel, Michelle Boag is on (PLEASE let her run National 2011 campaign) and the Labour Party youth president Analiese Jackson is on. Why have the producers put together such a mismatch on the Panel? Boag will talk all over the top of Jackson (which she does).

Guyon is at the Labour Party conference (I'm there this afternoon to see Phil's speech, it's been a bloody interesting weekend, and I'll blog that later this afternoon).

Guyon righteously has a go at Phil Goff's past record on flogging NZ off, and he has to admit he got it wrong and is now prepared to look at a State that is much more interventionist in the Keynesian managed capitalism phase as the economy continues to sink.

Economic Sovereignty is on the agenda and that needs a strong large state, the free market has hurt NZers and the anger that hurt has caused is ripe for political harvest.

Goff wants to do what I've called for many times and raise the top tax rate to $100 000.

He wants $15 minimum wage - CAN I GET A HELL YEAH! Sing it brother.

Capital gains tax is coming, that's hot (Goff won't rule it out). No Capital Gains tax on the family home, but those who have speculated will get spanked. Very sexy stuff.

Guyon presses Goff on the Polls, Goff needs a better answer to this, go on the offensive for Christ's sake, point out that these very same cheap brainfart telephone polls from David Farrar's style of polling company claiming National have over 50% ARE THE VERY SAME CHEAP BRAINFART TELEPHONE POLLS that claimed Brown and Banks were neck and neck. This is the angle every Labour Party MP needs to drill into every media person they talk to. Even in National the fear that they have simply become the John Key show is starting to bubble up...

Is John Key a lone ranger?
JOHN KEY is one of the country's most popular prime ministers of all time, crossing the political divide, but sources within his National Party say there are concerns the public is beginning to perceive the party as a one-man band.

...the reason why National is a one man band is because NZers hate National Party policy and 'like' John Key, minus John Key - National will falter. The danger for National will be when the glow starts to turn on Key as voters feel he lied to them over the tax cuts making their life better.

Boag is on Q+A giving Phil Goff advice??? WTF??? This is a woman who has failed every single National Party campaign offering Labour advice? That's like cancer giving advice on healthy living! Thanks 'Chelle, but I think the left can do without your strategic advice.

The reality is that the economy is still collapsing IT IS ABOUT THE ECONOMY STUPID!!!!!!! The mainstream media still seem to be missing this point, this is why Labour have a chance and why my favourite mantra about the economy turning and evaporating John Key's vacant aspiration is beginning to gain traction.

Great show, pity about the total imbalance on the Panel.