After saving NZ from the worst impacts of Covid, Labour have slumped in the most recent TVNZ Poll.

Why?

Firstly, this is the second Poll that shows National overtaking Labour, the Roy Morgan Poll had come out a week before the TVNZ one showing the same trend of National beating Labour so we can’t pretend the TVNZ Poll is a rogue poll.

Secondly, the TVNZ Poll attempts to counter the landline bias many polls suffer from by taking 500 cell phones so we can’t play the old ‘problems with methodology’ game either.

So what is actually happening?

Research suggests that Labour’s Covid response saved almost 3000 lives over 2 years so why the sudden change in popularity?

The Poll also asked if voters supported Labour’s actions on Parliament’s lawns against the protestors and a staggering 43% said no!

People may not have liked the protestors, but the right to protest is entrenched in our core values and Trevor Mallard’s extraordinary childish stunts didn’t help.

Add in Covid response fatigue and inflation eating into people’s wallets and you have a perfect storm of resentment against Jacinda.

I have said a thousand times that if the Left didn’t want the protestor’s economic pain to be manipulated by the Right then the Left should have done something transformative about those Parliamentary Lawn protestors’ economic pain!

Labour haven’t done anything meaningful about poor people’s economic pain.

Sure, Jacinda will list a whole bunch of tinkerings around tax credits and extra assistance but that presupposes all beneficiaries and working class people are certified tax accountants who are filing their paperwork monthly.

They aren’t.

The cost of living is skyrocketing and Labour have done nothing transformative in terms of housing, poverty and inequality.

In their anger and frustration, the poor have turned to a former CEO with 7 properties in the belief he will hear their pain.

If Labour wants to win back voters, they just have to live up to their 2017 promises in 2023.

First published on Waatea News.