Last night Lianne Dalziel and I shared a cab from Parliament to Wellington airport. Nice driver, Chinese migrant and keen to talk about politics.
He told us he voted National last time, but he and his wife are returning to Labour next time! Why? “ACC, growing unemployment and crime.”
Lianne asked him why he changed his vote in 2008 and he said he bought into the idea of ‘It’s time for a change.’ “Big mistake!” His words.
When I arrived in Auckland I asked my Punjabi migrant driver the same question, “Who was he doing to vote for at the next election?”
“Labour!” he said.
Actually he fessed up to always being a Labour voter, but said that many of his fellow Punjabi drivers had changed their vote in 2008, and now were going back to Labour. Again, ACC charges and disillusionment with the current Government.
I know that two taxi drivers is only a very small sample, but I would urge readers to question their driver when they’re next in a taxi to see where the political wind is blowing.
P.S. A message to Cameron Slater. Cameron, you seem to think that as Foreign Affairs Spokesperson I’m “silent” on international issues. I suggest you check my website at carter.org.nz to read some of my releases. My full report on the St Kitts and Nevis general election will be online soon.
Off thread. Clare
Er why not just wait for polls to come out, then compare them every now and then, that sort of thing?
Interesting post Chris except I would argue that many of these taxi drivers who you claim to indicate which way the political wind is blowing, don’t vote at all. Perhaps you are best catching a ride with a self-employed truck driver and see who they voted for last time and who they will vote for next time. My guess is that you would get a very different answer indeed.
Sephen, you should know by now that taxi polling is far more accurate than any other poll. Especially when an MP is the client of the taxi driver.
What the polls dont show, are the supporters who just dont bother to vote next time.
That was wher Labour missed out, its supporters didnt vote. Looks like National will have a double whammy, its supporters not voting and the swingers going back to labour.
But the other forgetful member of the Cabinet , John Key who forgets he made promises on the election trail, may yet slip merrily past all the banana skins
Don’t waste your time responding to Slater. He’s not worth giving the airtime.
Off thread. Clare
Hi Chris,
Out of interest, (and please don’t think I’m having a go or anything, because I’m not, merely interested), are cars available for your use, or are taxi chits cheaper, or do you have to pay out of your own expenses?
Off thread. Clare
Yes, a straw poll of migrant taxi drivers is certainly encouraging and surely you’re on the winning track, ergo, Labour needs more migrant taxi drivers, rather than settled Kiwis who just want a break.
Perhaps you should pop by the office sometime and talk to some people that were born and raised in this country and have lost half their families overseas because of Labour that these new migrants have replaced – you might get a different result.
Frankly, I’m quite sick of what new migrants think, but can understand why Labour do, after all, they are the newly poor which naturally vote Labour!
Do the people who talk about their family moving to Australia, also support a hike in minimum wage and strong unions? It’s just I never see people advocating either of these things while demanding changes are made to stop the move of unskilled labour to Australia. Forget the “brain drain” smokescreen the REAL difference is between unskilled wages there and here.
Off thread. Clare
Looks like National will have a double whammy, its supporters not voting and the swingers going back to labour.
That’s fairly confident two years out from an election!
Chris, I’m with Tom, why waste time on that nut bar Slater? As for the taxi poll, it goes to show that the tories’ support is very soft and can be shifted.
If you get satisfaction from two people telling you they are voting for Labour next time and think it warrants posting on a blog, you must have serious delusions of grandeur.
All the best however, just another example of how far out of touch Labour are from public opinion.
With that sort of scientific polling you’ll be back in a meaningful job next year Chris!
You say the winds are changing because some taxi drivers say they’re changing their minds!
You do realise how sad and desparate for any good news this makes you sound…
Oh and Cameron Slater: NZ person of the year 2010
@ Chris – That’s Great !!!
Off thread Trevor
Chris those taxi-generated carbon emissions!! But of course we must remember that politicians are exempt from the fossil-fuel-free lifestyle they want others to adopt. And what’s wrong with getting a shuttle to the airport like the rest of us – you can pre-book them.