Polls deliver good results for National

John Key has been given a dream Christmas present as two polls see him head into election year with enough support for National to govern alone and a five-point lead as preferred prime minister.
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A One News Colmar Brunton poll last night has National on 54 per cent, 19 points clear of Labour. A Three News TNS poll has National with a slimmer lead - 51 to 36 - but still well ahead.

National's Colmar Brunton score was up five from October and Labour's down two. National rose four points since September in the TNS poll and Labour dropped one.

Colmar Brunton had Mr Key on 35 per cent support (up two) as preferred prime minister, and Miss Clark on 30 (down three). Mr Key was on 33 per cent in the TNS poll (up one) and Miss Clark steady on 28.

Both polls tipped the demise of the Greens and NZ First, which are below the 5 per cent threshold for seats without an electorate.

In a further blow to Prime Minister Helen Clark, former Labour prime minister Mike Moore joined the wave of criticism of a bill that will restrict spending by non-political parties campaigning in election years.

Mr Moore said yesterday the Electoral Finance Bill was fatally flawed and would lead to elections being decided in the courts.

"Most dangerously is that what is usually a consensus on electoral law is broken. How, then, will future governments behave? Utu, payback? Very dangerous and unhealthy."

The bill will be passed tomorrow.

Mr Key said the twin poll results showed the country wanted a change of government.

"There is a very very strong mood for change out there from all sorts of quarters," he said on Radio New Zealand.

Mr Key said people were perceiving the Government as arrogant -- as illustrated by Cabinet Minister Trevor Mallard's smearing of Environment Ministry "whistleblower" Erin Leigh, and its desire to force through election finance laws in the face of strong opposition.

The Government also appeared to have no answers on the "big issues" such as improving people's wages and income.

But Miss Clark played down the significance of the results.

"About a month ago there were polls that put us four to five points behind. Suddenly you have near to Christmas that say 17 and 19," she said on TV One's Breakfast programme.

"We all know there is only one poll that counts and that'll be some time later next year."

Labour has had to deal with vocal opposition to its Election Finance Bill in recent weeks and has also faced bad headlines as a result of Mr Mallard's attack on Ms Leigh under parliamentary privilege and continuing fallout from his violent altercation with National MP Tau Henare.

"Obviously I take a message from it that there has been some nonsense going on that's got to stop and that's a very clear message I take to my team," Miss Clark said.

But she said National would struggle next year when it had to release policy, which it had been avoiding up until now.

- with NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News