Election 2014: The top five blunders

Plus a couple of Sunday's choicer tweets.

1. ACT standing David Seymour in Epsom. The puckish youth leader's campaign video was a joke. His total lack of gravitas was a direct factor in the party failing to lift its (miserable) 2011 party vote. ACT already faced problems, thanks to the awkward tension between claiming the justice system had been too hard on John Banks but demanding a blanket three-strikes for blue collar crims (its signature policy to expand its appeal). It would have taken a clever politician to talk their way out of that one. Seymour wasn't the man. Jamie Whyte needed to lead from the front and that meant manning the trenches in Epsom.

With 0% market demand and only back via government intervention, surely Act fails on its own core principles?

— Damian Christie (@damianchristie) September 20, 2014

2. Colin Craig's duff MMP tactics: The Conservative leader might have a genius for property management but his electoral negotiating skills and tactics leave something to be desired. Standing Garth McVicar in Napier could have been a winning move — but not just a month from the election, when it just wasn't practical for National to stand aside its candidate, even if it wanted to. The end result was the right- wing vote being split in the safe National seat, and Labour's Stuart Nash bagging an upset win. Similarly, why did Colin Craig choose East Coast Bays rather than an open National seat to make his stand? Murray McCully had already made it clear he had no plans to retire.

BREAKING: Colin Craig reportedly lightly smacking advisors.

— Hugh Sundae (@Hugh_Sundae) September 20, 2014

3. The TV-hostile nature of the Internet Party's "Moment of Truth": There were various issues with the big reveal, including the "independent" Glenn Greenwald accepting Dotcom mansion hospitality, Edward Snowden alleging juicy new scandals but offering no evidence, Julian Assange rambling, the smoking gun Hollywood email turning out to be fake (or at least, lawyers deciding to withhold evidence to the contrary until Dotcom's extradition case), the distraction for the government from the more damaging Dirty Politics controversy, and Dotcom coming over all manipulative and user-ish as he slipped in a plug for his Mega service.

All of that could have been overcome with some co-operation with media, most of all Seven Sharp and Campbell Live, who were broadcasting as the event kicked off. Why was Snowden's NSA surprise not scheduled for, say, 7.05pm, with the TV networks being given a heads' up? It was the closest thing to the promised bombshell, and Snowden was the best speaker. But ego or poor event management and PR got in the way. On Twitter and Facebook, the Internet Mana faithful complained about "old media" cutting away. Newsflash, guys: no media is going to follow follow a meandering three-hour event with no timetable.

4. Labour's new system for electing its leader. It was a personal victory for David Cunliffe to push through a ballot that allowed members and affiliated unions to out-vote Labour MPs. It allowed him to brush past Grant Robertson (more popular with caucus) and Shane Jones (more popular with the public) to seize the big chair. And the "primary system" might still save his bacon. But what a tragedy for the party. Under David Shearer, it was polling in the mid-30s. Combined with the Greens, it had a real shot of winning. After Cunliffe seized the crown by buttering up the unions, voters were rightly suspicious of the Boston Consulting alumni's shift left. His blame anything-but-me game last night was pathetic. Among his many excuses was that the party needed to do better at fundraising. Really? Ask Colin Craig and Kim Dotcom where spending $7 million got them. I'm not sure what NZ First spent this time around but in 2011 it was $140,000. A natural connection with your constituency is priceless.

5. Internet Mana's legalise dope policy: It needlessly humiliated Hone Harawira in Te Tai Tokerau. Dotcom's party already had a youth-bribe policy (wiping student fees). Why did Harawira have to be heavied into reversing his long-standing position that decriminalising cannabis would hurt Northland communities? Dotcom and his big cheque book showed the Te Tai Tokerau candidate who was boss. For whatever that was worth.

Bonus blunder: From director Taika Waititi:

Advice for Labour #1: spend $$ on your ads so they don't look like Gerard Roofing commercials.

— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) September 20, 2014

ckeall@nbr.co.nz

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