There will be lots of analysis over the weekend of Act’s week.
Yet to see any acknowledement in mainstream media (or whaleoil, penguin press or the standard) for Red Alert being the first media to foreshadow Roy’s demise. Maybe they don’t like admitting being off the pace.
The Herald has three stories. I think John Armstrong’s column is pretty good.
So Rodney Hide ends the most calamitous week in his party’s history having won (at least for the time being) the debilitating power struggle that has been consuming the Act caucus and the wider party for months.
But at dreadful cost. This is the most pyrrhic of victories – a variant on the old Vietnam war adage of having to destroy the village in order to save it.
In conspiring to oust Heather Roy from the deputy leadership, Hide may well have destroyed Act not only as a parliamentary force, but also wrecked its capacity to resurrect itself
and :-
For many members, the attraction of Act has been as the party of ideas and ideals, not personality. Or the kind of pragmatism that many members see as compromising too much in National’s favour.
At the party’s annual conference this year, both Roy and Douglas argued strongly for Act to get out of the shadow cast by National.
Hide – still weakened at the time over his scandalous use of ministerial perks – appeared to listen.
He delivered stinging criticism of National’s emissions trading scheme, National’s endorsement of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Waikato River treaty settlement.
Then he stopped
There are small stories on Act minor players. Peter Tashkoff who is 2 off being an MP confirms Hide is not a worthy leader and there is the familiar tactic of blame the staff being used to finger Roy’s advisor Simon Ewing-Jarvie.
The Dompost has a similar take. Martin Kay describes the results as toxic for Act.
The chaotic and at times bizarre handling of Mrs Roy’s dumping as ACT deputy this week was “not very tidy” in the same way the disintegration of the Alliance in 2002 could be described as “a bit messy”.
Even as the fallout over her sacking reached its most toxic, with the leaking on Wednesday of her claims of Mr Hide’s shouted abuse and stormy corridor rows
Act will now have no choice but to focus on winning Epsom – the Nats are already publicly moving to the right making it easier for Labour to win back the centre ground.
Still a way to go but thanks for your help Rodney.
