Phil Goff needs to calm down and have a cup of tea

The Alliance Party says Phil Goff's outburst about John Key "smuggling" in extra MPs is quite bemusing.

Alliance Party Wigram candidate Kevin Campbell says while Mr Goff's aversion to the idea of ACT getting back in to Parliament through a deal with National is understandable, ACT will only return if people vote for them.

"It's sadly not true that "New Zealanders don't want" any ACT MPs, because a small, unusually wealthy subset of kiwis do support their extreme right wing ideas, but a democratic Parliament should reflect that support proportionately."

Mr Campbell says the 5% vote threshold is an arbitrary, undemocratic barrier to Parliamentary representation for smaller parties.

Winning an electorate seat allows small parties to get the seats that they are entitled to, instead of missing out on them unfairly.

"A 40% threshold would be no more arbitrary than a 5% one, and in this election would give National every last seat, which is an outcome Phil Goff is not likely to be keen on."

Labour is generally credited with a better understanding of how to work with MMP than National, but in this particular area their game is sorely lacking, says Mr Campbell.

"Helen Clark made a mistake by not working with Laila Harré and the Alliance back in 2002, thereby losing a potential coalition partner; Phil Goff should learn from history, not repeat it."

"Why doesn't Phil Goff have a 'cup of tea' with me as Alliance candidate in Wigram? This is an electorate that hasn't voted Labour in more than 20 years. I've worked with Labour in the 1999–2002 Labour-Alliance Government. Labour desperately needs more allies in Parliament, and the return of the Alliance through an electorate candidate would be an ideal counter to Key's deal with ACT."

The Alliance is committed to working to support a left-leaning Government in New Zealand, and will not work with National in any way.

ENDS

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