Jacoby Poulain: Political sparring gets my vote

Jacoby Poulain is a Hastings District Council Flaxmere Ward councillor and a Hawke's Bay District Health Board member.

I don't know about you, but I'm finding politics pretty entertaining at the moment. On a national level it all revved up when Prime Minister John Key announced an overhaul to the education system in his annual state of the nation speech with Key's plan including a $359 million carrot to establish specialist teaching roles in order to boost the performance of schools.

Labour leader David Cunliffe responded by labelling the new education initiative as "underwhelming", a "six-page apology for [Education Minister] Hekia Parata" and hit back by launching his own election-year pitch promising a $60 a week payment for families with a newborn. Cunliffe opponents cried out "show me the money" and promptly criticised the Labour leader for leaving out the fine print.

No worries for National though, they know what they're doing - simply change the subject and steal the limelight back.

With Waitangi Day fast upon us what better conversation starter than one about changing our flag. Better yet, how about one where we scrutinise MP pay packets and attendance records and require roll call for the argued naughty and nomadic such as Hone Harawira - after all, we all like saving a buck don't we and what better people to take it from than our politicians who apparently have too much money anyway.

Adversaries have labelled Metiria Turei as "a list MP who has no constituents, lives in a castle and comes to the House dressed in $2000 designer jackets", and slamming her a hypocrite for then wanting to talk about poverty.

"She could sell a jacket and feed a child for a year", Minister Collins lashed out.

Then there's the Colin Craig, Kim Dotcom, Winston Peters and Act leader issues popping up regularly to amuse the nation.

From now on until the elections hit I believe we will see a never-ending rollout of thought, or at least discussion provoking issues and promised policies from the red and blue corners. The greens will feature in debate, with all other parties jostling and vying for their space with some faring better than others.

Then, on our local level we have our MPs and/or candidates who will sit under these banners and represent our interests, or at least we hope they will. With a seat free in Napier with the honourable Chris Tremain standing down and news of a few contenders in the mix on all sides, no doubt that race will be stimulating, and with Nash's signs and hoardings painting the town red it already is.

Whether one likes John Key and/or David Cunliffe, what I will say is that it's a much more even match than it has been previously, in my opinion, at least antic to antic, and it's shaping up to be an interesting and entertaining scene for national politics in the ring this year. Antics are inevitable in politics and though they are amusing at times of course there is the more serious side. Running our country on a national and local constituency level is an important and entrusted job. Accessibility, genuineness, trust and results will get my vote, or at least as close to these things as possible. Time will tell and it'll be interesting and important to watch this space develop.