Epsom Voters Are Smart Voters

Epsom based National list MP, Richard Worth obviously wants to regain the seat he lost to ACT's Rodney Hide last year. Seizing on Rodney's recent statement that ACT would be prepared to govern with Labour given sufficient policy concessions, Worth is attempting to turn Epsom voters against ACT.

In his latest News Worthy, Richard Worth says

National voters in Epsom have been hoodwinked by ACT on at least two significant counts:

- ACT made the claim that if Epsom voted for an ACT MP that would put the “ACT team back in Parliament”. That was a nonsense because the Party Vote of ACT was too low to permit that possibility.

- Epsom voters didn’t vote for an ACT MP on the basis that he or she would take the ACT Party into a possible coalition with Labour, yet that is the clear prospect which has now been raised by ACT.

Andrew Falloon soundly refutes both accusations here.

I have seen some of ACT's plans for "Fortress Epsom" and I wouldn't be wasting my time or money trying to win the seat back if I were Worth.

While Epsom was a National seat for decades, its voters have shown a keen grasp of tactical voting in the past.

In 1987, the seat almost went Labour as hordes of "true blues" cast the only red vote of their lives.

They recognised that the 1984-87 Labour government had courageously implemented some impressive economic forms and they were willing to give them three more years to finish the job.

The voters of Epsom are well aware that Rodney Hide is a very tough negotiator. They know that if Rodney took ACT to Labour, it would only be on the condition of some very significant policy concessions.

Would the voters of Epsom vote for Rodney knowing that he could deliver bigger tax cuts from Labour than even National could give?

I think so.