Transtasman Political Letter – 28 July Digest

Trans Tasman Political Letter 28 July 2005…

PM sets the date…Whoever doubted it would be September 17?

... Labour trumps National’s bid for the student vote and shows there’s plenty of money in the kitty, after all…A mood swing is immediately detected by the media, but we’ll wait for polls to confirm it

… Labour targets Brash as an “amateur” who has never won the election and is easily rattled…So can he rally the troops (and himself) against the most ruthless pro’s in the business?

... Richard Prebble says goodbye to Parliament after 30 years.

Labour’s King-Hit: Is The Electoral Mood Swinging Again?

Suddenly, election fever is blitzing the Beehive, if not the country. Labour has delivered what it believes will be a king-hit, offering $300m to wipe the interest from student loans, bait which has made the student community jubilant, and left National’s tax rebate looking cheap.

Clark Sets Out Her Campaign Strategy

PM Helen Clark has scotched speculation she has plans for a life after politics. “I am not planning on losing (this election) I have had no discussion with a single person about any other plan.”

Tight Election Race Grows Bitter

Don Brash has to steady the National ship, after broadsides fired at his leadership and credibility last week, and Labour’s smoothly pragmatic bid for the student vote this week.

Goff On ASEAN Mission

In what could be the Labour Govt’s most important trading initiative, second only to the negotiation with China for a FTA, Foreign Minister Phil Goff says there has been “significant progress” in negotiations on a FTA between ASEAN, Australia and NZ.

CAPITAL TALK

Education Minister Trevor Mallard’s extraordinary assertion National’s election policies were being written in Washington drew a quick fire one-liner from the Nat’s shadow Attorney-General Richard Worth: “Mallard gives ducks a bad name”.

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Phone Call To Trevor Mallard, Early Last Week...

“Trevor? Yeah, H2 here. Look, we need someone to really have a go at Brash. I mean, REALLY. OK?”

Transtasman is a subscriber newsletter published weekly and read widely in New Zealand and abroad. The above is a summary of this week's edition. To subscribe and read the full newsletter see.. http://Transtasman.co.nz

© Scoop Media