30 April 2011, By Fran O’Sullivan, New Zealand Herald columnist:
“… Don Brash wants to portray Epsom as a “dead cert” for Act so he can attract good candidates to put their names forward for the party list in the surety that they will get into Parliament on the back of a Banks’ win.
But this strategy lacks ambition. Why stop at Epsom? Why not attract the charismatic Auckland Council politician Cameron Brewer to run for the Tamaki seat against sitting National MP Allan Peachey. And put a good candidate up for the North Shore against National’s Maggie Barry (if she wins the nomination).
This bold move could annoy Act deputy leader John Boscawen, who is said to covet the Tamaki seat. But Boscawen’s personality is not suited to retail politics. It’s not only mateship that counts in the Brewer calculation. He did persuade 18,228 Aucklanders to vote for him in the inaugural Auckland Council elections, making him the fifth-highest polling Auckland councillor.
Brewer was also the only councillor to obtain majority support (more than 51.5 per cent of Orakei voters voted for him) from a suburban area which crosses over with the Tamaki electorate.
The Brash camp also approached Matthew Hooton (who is a PR man and lobbyist as well as a political commentator) who says he has rejected overtures. Brash’s biographer Paul Goldsmith has also been mentioned. Importantly, Brewer, Hooton and Goldsmith are young, politically savvy men who would give Act’s image a modern, aggressive look…”
on my other blog – ppl say that about me on trading blogs all the time. I mitainan that Libs would do a hell of a lot better if they did not consistently align themselves with causes people associate with deadshits. It is not a good move politically, no matter what you personally think. Rand’s “Hippies of the right” comment will not be lived down if you continue to do this. Believe me. I have learned a thing or two about human behaviour in financial markets.
Interested this has been repeated without commentary denying further plans.