By COLIN JAMES
As if National didn't have enough troubles on its own, it also has Act. Its only potential coalition partner of substance is struggling to get traction.
National support plunged yet again in last night's Colmar Brunton TV1 poll to a new low for that poll of 27 per
cent. Act was 4 per cent.
National's average in the four polls published this month is just under 28 per cent, nearly 3 per cent below the 30.5 per cent vote it got in the 1999 election.
That would leave it with only 34 seats in the new Parliament, five fewer than it has now, if both Act and New Zealand First win seats.
New Zealand First, though below 5 per cent, has a good chance of again qualifying for seats through Winston Peters' winning Tauranga.
But Act is far from a shoo-in. Its average in this month's four polls is just 4.3 per cent, below the 5 per cent it needs to qualify for seats. And, unless things get so desperate National tosses it Epsom, Act has no electorate seat in prospect.
At this point before the 1999 election, Act was climbing through 7 per cent on its way to a peak polling average of more than 10 per cent before settling at 7 per cent in the election. Between the 1996 and 1999 elections Act seldom slipped below 5 per cent.
The Greens at this point in 1999 were averaging a derisory 2 per cent. They got 5.2 per cent in the election.
This time it is the Greens who are riding high. They have climbed to an average of more than 8 per cent on the back of their tough stance on genetic modification.
National needs Act as a support party. But this election National can't spare votes to keep Act afloat and the message to National voters is: stay loyal.
The Colmar Brunton poll has Labour on 53 per cent (up two points from May 13 to 16); National 27 (down 5); Greens 9 (up 4); Act 4 (down 1); NZ First 3 (steady); Jim Anderton's Alliance 2 (up 2); Alliance 0.5 (down 1).
Bill English's rating as preferred Prime Minister went up to 17 per cent from 12 per cent in May.
Helen Clark continued to rate very highly at 52 per cent, and 62 per cent rated her performance positively (up 3pc), compared with 26 per cent for Mr English (up 6pc).
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By COLIN JAMES
As if National didn't have enough troubles on its own, it also has Act. Its only potential coalition partner of substance is struggling to get traction.
National support plunged yet again in last night's Colmar Brunton TV1 poll to a new low for that poll of 27 per
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