My broadcast devices are at serious risk, ruling out a party in an MMP environment is nuttier than peanut butter, please yourself whether smooth or crunchy, not really the sort of political analysis a real journalist might obsess about

The voters under the MMP system are diminished to almost irrelevance as it is the back rooms of any party getting a seat or exceeding the 5% barrier who decide who will become an MP. Oh there will still be those who manage to win an electorate but the real power will emanate from those back rooms where there is very limited democracy in making up the all important “List”.

To all those clamouring for Luxon to rule out the leader of Winston First is a slap in the face for the five, six or whatever percentage who decide to hand their cards to that person.
I considered it was rather daft for Seymour to make his call he would not sit at cabinet with Peters, that was arrant nonsense as such a declaration is akin to saying a hung parliament and another election is a preferred option.

I know Key made the grand statement but that same Vunderkind also gave himself wriggle room by inviting The Natives in to dilute the power and influence of Hides team ACT, a move that was almost as damaging as Peters nominating the first losers in 2017.

The result of the voters choice under the flawed system Dumb New Zealand has saddled us with must be decided before any meaningful option selections can be attempted in post ballot horse trading.

Equally confusing is the media crusade to daily muse on the makeup of the next parliament based on published polls, never considered is the very real possibility for overhang, in particular for the native racists who have a real chance they will win electorate seats well in excess of their national vote share. Also there is total ignoring of that troublesome minority who will not say or maybe won’t even vote.
There is no great rush to get to a best on offer solution, Italy has regular periods of no decisions and Belgium went almost on whole year with a caretaker government limited in power to make changes.

Such counter to the will of all the people scenario could occur if vote splitting by Labour and The Melons and National/ACT were taken to extreme by the larger party winning electorates while the lesser party wins list seats.

Just shut up and risk being considered stupid, I consider that status is already well established, perhaps do some real analysis as to what is actually happening every day out there on the bloody streets, gawd knows there is a mountain of such news but of course further publicising that might be counter to every pretend Journalist’s true desires, aye.

I also find discussions of making Peters the Speaker just as moronic, that would merely play right into the narcissistic little buggers wildest dreams, he could even displace Mallard as the most toxic holder of that office ever. He has a propensity to hold grudges, not a great trait for such office.
Nah in the truest traditions of Puzo’s The Godfather, just make him an offer he can’t refuse, hand him the K and get on with the job electors expect, sort of good governance perhaps.