MMP, Act + National

Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Kevin.S Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: MMP, Act + National
    Posted: 06 Oct 2014 at 5:54pm
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Titanium
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Can someone explain to me why National keep the Act party alive? Without National gifting them Epsom they wouldn't exist, and given current poling it seems extremely unlikely that they will ever bring a second MP in. So what advantage is it for National to have one Act MP, when they could just have an extra national MP. I'm sure there must be a reason, it's just always puzzled me.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote mmmWord Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2014 at 7:16pm
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Under MMP the number of seats a party has in parliament is determined by the party vote, not the electorate results (unless they win more electorate seats than they would get under the party vote - this is called an overhang). Winning Epsom wouldn't likely give National an extra seat.

National's party vote in this election gave them 60 seats, whatever happened in Epsom. If National had won Epsom they would still only get 60 seats (one less National List MP would get in, replaced by the Epsom electorate MP). This means that their welfare towards ACT effectively gives National an extra seat that their party vote wouldn't otherwise give them. If ACT didn't win Epsom their 0.6% of the vote would be spread across all parties, so it might mean a different party got an extra seat instead.

If your question regards to the 0.6% of the party vote that ACT got and whether National would be better off killing them and taking their party vote the following election, that a) assumes that vote would go to National which isn't necessarily assured, b) assumes no other far right wing party would spring up in their place and c) requires a level of long-term thinking that would be fairly unusual among our politicians.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote ponty Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2014 at 7:22pm
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I think a reality is that Act will always support things that they want to get through with United won't eg labour laws, RMA etc. While united are more likely to support environmental things compared to ACT.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote mmmWord Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2014 at 7:23pm
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Yes, there is also the fact that they can blame a few right-wing policies (eg charter schools) on ACT. I suspect that comes second to the extra seat, though.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kevin.S Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2014 at 8:29pm
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Titanium
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Thanks mmmworld, I presumed there must be some advantage just wasn't sure what it was.
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