Dotcom would have to commit to getting rid of National and changing the government before Mana would consider any deal with his Internet Party. That's a bottom line for Mana.
I resigned from the Maori Party because their relationship with National was, and continues to be, destructive toMaori. We won't be going back there for anyone.
Mana will work co-operatively with any party, as we do with the Greens and Labour, that is committed to changing the government we've got now. And I don't think the Internet Party is ready to take that stand at the moment. They don't have a real membership base, clear policies, recognisable political leaders or any candidates.
We were happy to talk about the potential for co-operation, but time is short. We've got an election coming up and campaigns to organise, especially in the Maori seats. Asking the membership to put all that on hold while we wait for the Internet Party to decide what they stand for is just not an option.
Our executive has decided that there won't be any more meetings on possible co-operation until their intentions are clear, and we're just going to get on with planning our electorate and party vote campaigns.
If the Internet Party commits to getting rid of National, announcing policies similar to Mana's and getting candidates and leaders that can be trusted to implement them, then we can talk.
